Vector NTI no longer free - (Dec/04/2008 )
FYI - Vector NTI (a very useful program for designing of cloning strategies, finding restriction sites and many other things) will soon no longer be free to academic researchers when the new version is released ( see here for FAQs). Therefore, I suggest that if you don't already have your free one year license, you get one right away, since as soon as the new version is released, you'll need to pay $495!!
Perhaps the old version will still work?
I'm afraid not, the 'free' license is only valid for one year. You can register now, but after a year, this free one will expire and the program is in demo mode again.
And unfortunately, if you already have a license, it doesn't seem like you can renew it unless it has expired. Therefore, my license will expire in June :-(.
I think Invitrogen is very smart...give the programm to everyone for free until you can hardly switch to a different programm anymore because all your cloning research is based on NTI, then make people pay for it...they are mean! And 495 $ is not cheap considering that in my lab alone 8 or 9 people use the programm!
Stardust
Stardust
I agree, it's a dirty tactic from Invitrogen.
Our institute informed us about the existence of licenses for concurrent users, i.e. you can install the program on a server and use it on different computers through a network (depending on the amount of licenses you buy, you can work on multiple computers at the same time), but I don't see this in their short promo now.
Ah, I guess it's yet another reminder that there's no such thing as a free lunch ...
Haha, right, I haven't thought about it from that point of view... This really is a very smart thing to do!
As I am only in the very first steps of my cloning, does anyone of you know of a free alternative to Vector NTI? There are so many beautiful open-source programs available for so many different applications, why not for molecular cloning?
Cheers,
M!ke
and up again ...
As I am one of the first Vector NTI users who had to learn the hard way that all the plasmids, multiple alignments, etc which have been assembled by my group over the last 3 years, are no longer accessible (thank you, Invitrogen!! 
!!), it is VERY important to find an alternative to vector NTI !
(and of course, to find an alternative to Invitrogen in many other aspects....)
So, what is YOUR favourite program for artificial cloning (handling of DNA/protein sequences) ??
Pls, let me know
and best regards
manolito