There is no catch. Universal Mapping really works and can be yours without charge.
Universal Mapping will run on any Personal Computer (PC) running under MS Windows 3.11, Windows 95 or Windows NT that supports Research Systems, Inc. IDL 5.0 or higher. Depending on the size of the data files you may want to have a resonably fast computer - I recommend at least a minimum a Pentium 90 with 32 MB of memory, though I have run the program successfully on 486 computers..
Universal Mapping requires a runtime version of Research Systems, Inc. IDL 5.0 or higher for Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 95. Discounted academic versions are available, contact Research Systems, Inc. or their respective distributors for details.
Universal Mapping is distributed as a compressed archive which contains program code and documentation. Unzip the archive on your machine as part of the installation procedure.
Universal Mapping is documented in detail on more than 30 pages of online documentation in theWindows help file format. Should you run into any problems, contact the developer by e-mail. It helps if you describe the problem precisely and send the developer a sample data file with instructions of how to reproduce the problem on his computer.
Licensees of Universal Mapping will receive a copy of the program including its full source code. To obtain the licence agreement, contact the developer. He will mail you the agreement, which you must then sign and send back in order to receive the distribution archive with software and documentation.
Currently Universal Mapping is made available at no charge, that is your can have the program without license fees. All that is required is your signature under the license agreement and the software can be yours.Contact the developer for the current terms. Special terms exist for the development of custom modules that address your special needs for data display and/or analysis.