I've used serial cloner (http://serialbasics.free.fr/ Serial_Cloner.html) but not ApE, which I hope to try now that I know of it. One thing that serial cloner has going for it is a nice assembly tool that makes construct design much easier. Otherwise it could be a little less clunky in its design.

<editorial>
These days there are too many free alternatives for invitrogen to try to pilfer scientists. But I guess many companies are beginning to learn what a "broken business model" really means.

If invitrogen were smart, they'd give their redundant NTI software away to whoever will take it and push to make it a convenient front- end ordering system for their other services which actually do have value beyond the configuration of bits on a hard-drive. (Hint: be like google.)
</editorial>

James

On Jan 28, 2009, at 1:14 AM, Sebastiano Pasqualato wrote:

Hi Darren,
much much "easier" than VectorNTI is ApE (http://www.biology.utah.edu/jorgensen/wayned/ape/ ), which is multi-platform and very easy to use for simple tasks.
Please, could you post a summary of the answers?
Thanks,
ciao
Sebastiano



On Jan 28, 2009, at 9:47 AM, Darren Hart wrote:

Hello,
After several years of offering the molecular biology software VectorNTI free to the academic community (their "open access program") and building up a huge user base, Invitrogen have suddenly announced that they will no longer renew these free licences and the existing ones will be left to expire within the year. There are heavy renewal fees for anyone wishing to
continue use of this software.

Can anyone recommend decent alternative PC compatible alternatives? Main
uses are construct and primer design, plus simple quick alignments,
sequence data analysis etc. The database structure for storing sequences
was pretty useful also.

Ideally free, otherwise reasonably priced. I've seen CLCbio and Geneious
have products, both free and paid. Any experience?

Thanks,
Darren
EMBL Grenoble

ps anyone using VNTI might consider a backup of their work by exporting files to .gb format. I don't know if a locked up (expired) version permits
this and you will have no notice that it is about to expire.




--
Sebastiano Pasqualato, PhD
IFOM-IEO Campus
Dipartimento di Oncologia Sperimentale
Istituto Europeo di Oncologia
via Adamello, 16
20139 - Milano
Italy

tel +39 02 9437 5094

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