AMD pulls a bait-and-switch on Linux users with Vivado licensing changes
AMD pulls a bait-and-switch on Linux users with Vivado licensing changes
AMD 在 Vivado 许可变更中对 Linux 用户玩了一手“诱饵转换”
Big tech companies have a habit of offering something for free, watching the user base grow, and then quietly walking it back once people are too invested to leave easily. A bait-and-switch, so to speak. 大型科技公司有一种习惯：先提供免费产品，观察用户群增长，一旦用户投入过深难以离开，便悄悄收回福利。这可以说是一种“诱饵转换”（bait-and-switch）策略。
Redis did exactly this back in March 2024, dropping its long-standing BSD license for the more restrictive dual licensing model, and the blowback was severe enough that the community forked it into Valkey almost immediately. Redis 在 2024 年 3 月就做了同样的事情，放弃了长期使用的 BSD 许可证，转而采用限制性更强的双重许可模式。由于社区反弹极其强烈，几乎立即将其分叉（fork）为了 Valkey。
Linux tends to get hit hardest by these moves. Its comparatively smaller user base means less commercial pressure, making it an easy target to throw under the bus whenever companies feel like cutting costs or boosting profits. Linux 往往是此类举措的最大受害者。其相对较小的用户群意味着商业压力较小，每当公司想要削减成本或提高利润时，Linux 就成了最容易被牺牲的目标。
One such case has now surfaced that will make you wonder if this particular company’s decision was really shortsighted or is just a cash grab. 现在出现了一个案例，让你不禁怀疑这家公司的决定到底是目光短浅，还是纯粹为了敛财。
It doesn’t make sense! 这根本说不通！
Vivado is AMD’s design suite for its FPGAs and adaptive SoCs. It is what engineers, students, and hardware hobbyists use to write, synthesize, and test their FPGA designs. Until now, it has been available for free on both Windows and Linux under what AMD called the Standard Edition. Vivado 是 AMD 为其 FPGA 和自适应 SoC 推出的设计套件。工程师、学生和硬件爱好者都使用它来编写、综合和测试 FPGA 设计。在此之前，AMD 的“标准版”（Standard Edition）在 Windows 和 Linux 上均可免费使用。
Starting with the 2026.1 release, AMD is switching to a tiered licensing model. The free Basic tier covers entry-level devices but is restricted to Windows only. Linux support does not show up until the “Core” tier, which costs somewhere between $1,200-$1,800 per year. 从 2026.1 版本开始，AMD 将转向分级许可模式。免费的“基础版”（Basic）涵盖入门级设备，但仅限 Windows 使用。Linux 支持要到“核心版”（Core）才会出现，而该版本的年费在 1,200 到 1,800 美元之间。
AMD framed all of this on its download page as a move toward more flexible licensing. On its dedicated licensing options page, the company told free-tier users the only thing changing was a simple annual license renewal. AMD 在下载页面上将这一切包装为“迈向更灵活的许可模式”。在其专门的许可选项页面上，该公司告诉免费版用户，唯一的变化只是需要每年进行一次简单的许可证续期。
That’s not all. 🤷 还不止于此。🤷
When users went to AMD’s support forum asking for an explanation, forum moderator Anatoli Curran showed up in the thread. His first order of business was to warn people about “bad language or abusive behaviour towards AMD,” before getting around to addressing anything of substance. 当用户前往 AMD 支持论坛寻求解释时，论坛版主 Anatoli Curran 出现在了帖子中。他首先警告人们不要使用“针对 AMD 的不当语言或辱骂行为”，之后才开始处理实质性问题。
When pushed for a real answer, Anatoli pointed unhappy users toward Vivado 2025.2, suggesting they simply stick with it if they did not want to pay. He did mention that 2025.2 loses official support once Vivado 2026.3 ships, but that detail was buried in a thread reply, leaving users with little more than a dead-end recommendation. 当被追问实质性答案时，Anatoli 将不满的用户指向了 Vivado 2025.2，建议如果不想付费就继续使用该版本。他确实提到一旦 Vivado 2026.3 发布，2025.2 将失去官方支持，但这一细节被埋没在回复中，给用户留下了一个毫无出路的建议。
Anatoli also started putting out numbers, claiming that 70% of their customers still use Windows. As expected, someone cross-questioned him, asking if much of their users were on Windows, then why was Linux support being locked away behind a paywall. Anatoli 还开始列举数据，声称 70% 的客户仍在使用 Windows。不出所料，有人反问他：如果大部分用户都在用 Windows，那为什么要把 Linux 支持锁在付费墙之后？
To which he replied in a very PR-coded manner, completely disregarding what was brought up: 对此，他以一种非常“公关腔”的方式进行了回复，完全无视了对方提出的问题：
“From Core and higher tiers, both Windows and Linux are supported platforms. As stated already, AMD expectation is that the BASIC tier is used for simple, entry‑level needs. While more advanced, production workflows are aligned with paid tiers. These tiers are specifically designed to deliver the full flexibility and capabilities needed for serious development. Hence, all paid tier levels have options of both Windows and Linux platform usage. Only BASIC tier limited to Windows ONLY platform support.” “从核心版及更高版本开始，Windows 和 Linux 均为支持平台。如前所述，AMD 期望基础版用于简单的入门级需求。而更高级的生产工作流则与付费版本挂钩。这些版本专为提供严肃开发所需的全部灵活性和功能而设计。因此，所有付费版本均提供 Windows 和 Linux 平台的使用选项。仅基础版限制为仅支持 Windows 平台。”
That really doesn’t instill one bit of clarity and shows how apathetic tech giants like AMD can sometimes get. The conversation in the thread then continued along the lines of how Xilinx, and later, AMD, had gained the trust of Linux users by keeping an open outlook towards the community. 这根本没有澄清任何问题，反而显示出像 AMD 这样的科技巨头有时是多么冷漠。帖子中的讨论随后转向了 Xilinx（以及后来的 AMD）是如何通过保持对社区的开放态度来赢得 Linux 用户信任的。
But pulling off such a thing without considering how people benefited from having Vivado on Linux tells you a lot about what this company actually thinks of its non-enterprise user base. 但做出这种举动，却完全不考虑人们如何从 Linux 版 Vivado 中受益，这充分说明了该公司实际上是如何看待其非企业用户群的。
Students, hardware tinkerers, and academic researchers who have relied on a native Linux workflow are now left hanging. Keep in mind that many of those people eventually end up in engineering and procurement roles where they have real influence over hardware-related decisions. 那些依赖原生 Linux 工作流的学生、硬件发烧友和学术研究人员现在被晾在了一边。请记住，这些人中的许多人最终会进入工程和采购岗位，对硬件相关的决策拥有实际影响力。
What now? 现在该怎么办？
As of writing this, AMD hadn’t put out a statement regarding this, and the stonewalling has continued. Of course, more and more people are getting to know about this. It is just a matter of time before someone at PR has to do something about this. 截至本文撰写时，AMD 尚未就此事发表声明，且这种推诿态度仍在持续。当然，越来越多的人开始了解此事。公关部门迟早得对此采取行动，这只是时间问题。
Plus, with the kind of flak they have been getting over some of their most bizarre choices lately, I would handle this now instead of later. 此外，考虑到他们最近因一些极其离谱的决策而遭受的抨击，我建议他们现在就处理此事，而不是拖到以后。
Until then, you can participate in the conversation either on the main thread where this shady behavior was first reported, or you could head over to Hacker News and join the others in calling out AMD. 在此之前，你可以在最初曝光这一卑劣行径的主帖中参与讨论，或者前往 Hacker News 加入其他人的行列，共同声讨 AMD。