I am not positive - but I'd bet that ESRI doesn't allow licenses to be
transfered.
I addition to student licenses, there are trial licenses available. Some
books come with as much as a 6-month license, like _Getting to Know ArcGIS_.

But, since you have some specific ideas, you might find the FOSS (Free and
Open Source Software) route works even better. ArcGIS is a wonderfully
comprehensive system but it falls way-short in some areas. Temporal modeling
is one of those. If you want to play with dynamic models for plate
tectonics, you're probably best off diving deeply into FOSS. Initially, the
learning curve is much steeper but you'll not run into short-comings with
the tools they way you would with ArcGIS.

I'd recommend investing the time in learning a programming language -
probably Python - and a couple good libraries - like GDAL/OGR and NumPy.
GDAL/OGR gives you the ability to use standard GIS data formats and data
structures. NumPy gives powerful mathematical operations. Additionally,
you'll want to learn to use a graphics library and a user interface library.

-Eric

-=--=---=----=----=---=--=-=--=---=----=---=--=-=-
Eric B. Wolf                          720-209-6818
USGS Geographer
Center of Excellence in GIScience
PhD Student
CU-Boulder - Geography



On Fri, Jun 26, 2009 at 8:09 PM, Margaret Tasset <[email protected]>wrote:

>  One of the members suggested that I start my search for a used
> PaleoGIS/ArcGIS computer or available licensed software on this site.  I
> have been studying plate tectonics as a hobby for nearly 30 years and I
> would like to put some of my ideas to work on a computer.  I understand that
> there are some student licenses available at a reduced cost but I'm 66 yrs
> old and on a fixed income so my resources are limited and the idea of going
> back to school just doesn't strike my fancy.  I would appreciate any ideas
> from the members about what or where to start looking. Any help would be
> greatly appreciated.
> Thanks,
>
> Harry
>
>
>
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