[lhudd]

Yeah, if this activation scheme is designed to reduce piracy and Adobe's lost income therefrom, shouldn't the cost of CS2 be reduced from that of CS? So Adobe isn't recouping losses.... they're enhancing profits. It's all BS... are they really losing money to the guy that wants to put a copy of photoshop on his work machine, his laptop, and his home machine? Hell no, they're losing money to the guys writing patches around the activation schemes and distributing by the thousands. The kinds of "piracy" they're going to curb isn't the kind that will result in more sales, so why bother. Why piss off their paid user base at the expense of a few "casual copiers" who wouln't buy the software anyway?

[username]

I don't like the activation-concept... but it won't stop me buying the software.
I've only got one simple question:
What if your hard drive crashed or your Mac gets stolen?
What is the Adobe policy in cases like these? Will they give you a new activation? If so, is this 'service' unlimited or limited?
When installing Panther after it was released I did a clean install on both my desktop and laptop Macs... without deactivating my Macromedia Studio MX 2004 software first (I simply wasn't used to this concept). I had to phone the US (from Europe) and was told that they would give me 2 new activations - so in Macromedia's database I now have 4 - but this was an exception. The guy on the phone acted like he was doing a me personal favor... before accusing me of robbing his company.
I'm scared of these potential phonecalls with Adobe. So what's their policy?
Plus: activation does not stop piracy. There are plenty of serial numbers 'out there' for the Macromedia MX 2004 products that - after using them - will not ask about activation. There you go: didn't stop pirates and as a legal user I feel a bit like a dumb loser cause I have to spend time on the phone with those Activation Center nerds and they (the other users) don't.
I'm sure non-activation serials for CS2 will turn up as soon as the product has been shipped (or even earlier). Please don't make me feel like a loser Adobe!

[spiderbat]

I don't think you can compare the reactions of the Mac folk to those of the windoze herd. These poor s#$&@*rs are already accustomed to such tyrannical practices (and, correspondently, piracy rate is much higher, AFAIK, on the winzoze platform). /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[spiderbat]

In reply to:

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Can you imagine what kind of world we would be living in if car manufactures could force people to purchase new cars every few years

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Unfortunately, I don't have to imagine it: it is exactly what's happening now in Italy!
Our major car company, which has, alas!, a big share of power in our country, has allied with the most eco-taleban politicians, who have also other "reasons", besides bribery, to fight car users. With the pretense of fighting air pollution, older cars are already banned from many towns, including historical ones and those who are on the brink of becoming such!
Where the people does not react to tyrannical practices, the enemies of freedom embiggen their wicked souls. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif This is as true for the sw arena as for any other situation.

[Nobody]

Adobe's users are now faced with several choices:
1. Knuckle under and pay, accepting Adobe's changing conditions and rising prices
2. Reject the upgrade. I hardly think it will make much difference. There is nothing compelling in the new versions. Certainly many of the more irksome bugs and bad features will remain because software companies can't see work on them as adding to the bottom line. "Features" sell products whether they work or not, so they shove some more in there to justify price hikes. Of course the new "features", which mostly go unused, themselves add to the complexity and buginess of the program.
3. Switch to less common, less complicated alternatives.
4. Turn to pirate copies that DO NOT have the problems of legally purchased software. Odd how companies often pour fuel on fires because "you have to do something" !
The claimed profits lost to piracy are wildy exagerated to make the money grab look somehow principled. Most pirated copies will never be sales for the publishers, because the pirate doesn't really use it, would turn to other software for what little use they make of it, or never could afford a legal copy anyway. Those who do use their illegally acquired copies train themselves up and become eventual customers.
Let's not make this just the rights of the corporation! Software users are virtually unique in having to put up with product defects that would be tolerated in no other merchandise. Why? Because they do not stand up and protest where it counts when the company tries to collect more money from them.
Much is made of the agreement that the user has made with the software publisher. Attention should also be turned onto the promises the publisher has made to the user. Promises that the software would perform as claimed, would make work easier, cheaper and faster. That all due care has been taken not to damage the work or equipment of the user or incur lost time, money or damages when things go wrong. That known bugs will get fixed promptly and users informed and given free upgrades that install correctly. That the claims of support would truely be met, not be given lip service and treated as another income source to be extracted from users struggling to make the software perform as promised.
As has been pointed out, Adobe is NOT reducing their price despite claiming they will be putting a stop to those users who "hurt all the honest users".

[Peter Cohen]

In reply to:

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Most pirated copies will never be sales for the publishers, because the pirate doesn't really use it, would turn to other software for what little use they make of it, or never could afford a legal copy anyway.

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Regardless, pirates are getting the benefit of using the software without having to pay for it. Which equates to theft, at least in some people's minds.

[robertRoss]

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I would love to know where this rule is that some people live by that dictates that consumers have to just lay down and take whatever corporations opt to shove up their *$$? Consumers do not have to comply with business practices that treat them like criminals from the outset and one of the major problems with our society right now is that we all too often allow this to happen.

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Which is why I refuse to use iTunes and any DRM enabled audio files. But it comes down to a per-basis and preference situation. I've used Photoshop CS on a PC without any problem because of the activation but it's also a source of revenue rather than a source of entertainment. I will, however, in the entertainment realm, buy DVDs that aren't technically copyable (by which I mean you can't just copy disc for backup purposes without using special software.) So I both do not and do support activation and anti-consumer schemes... I'm not sure that some people do live by this rule you speak of but many are ambiguous.

[iheijoushin]

Already been cracked for both MacOS X and Windows.
So what purpose does the activation serve other than causing an annoyance to legtimate users? Ah, none.
Thank you, arrogant self-serving corporations! I understand your need to protect your investment and your own products, but do so in a way that is not more annoying to the end-user, because that will just drive more people to piracy.
Pirates have shown a rather amazing ability to get around whatever companies throw at them, be it activation, subscriptions, dongles, whatever. Clearly another strategy is needed, and not one which assumes the guilt of an end-user and causes problems for them. This is a losing battle, and I wish I could suggest alternatives, but I have none. But this direction, if continued, will be far more self-destructive.

[spiderbat]

In reply to:

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Turn to pirate copies that DO NOT have the problems of legally purchased software. Odd how companies often pour fuel on fires because "you have to do something" !

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That's true! Some years ago an "activated" application suddenly stopped working in my Mac, without any apparent reason (I suspect it had a timer that forced to re-activate it repeatedly). After waiting more than a week /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif to receive the new activation code, I was forced to use a crack a colleague told me about until the representatives eventually sent me the new code! That on an application I had paid for! This experience had two results:
- my loyalty towards the company dropped by a large amount.
- I passed any further upgrade of the sw, until recently, after the activation scheme had been removed.

[spiderbat]

I mean historical cars, not historical towns. Excuse me!

[Nobody]

In reply to:

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Regardless, pirates are getting the benefit of using the software without having to pay for it. Which equates to theft, at least in some people's minds.

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Sometimes as I struggle late at night to resolve software issues not of my making I envy them not having paid for the privilege.
Like many products today more care, time, money and attention has been put into the marketing than the product. I am struck by how rarely I spot typos and glaring errors in the product ads or promotional material, in marked contrast to the software and its documentation.

[himbo]

In reply to:

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I've only got one simple question:
What if your hard drive crashed or your Mac gets stolen?

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Here's a crazy idea: read the whole discussion. Your question has been asked and answered a couple of times already.

[altivec]

In reply to:

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Regardless, pirates are getting the benefit of using the software without having to pay for it. Which equates to theft, at least in some people's minds.

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and this will stop them how again?
Nobody here is saying that pirating is good. If activation solved piracy, I would just suck it in and say well at least they are accomplishing something, but it doesn't. I guarantee you that the pirates will continue on with no trouble at all and In fact will probably gain people. Otherwise honest users who don't want to deal with all these hassles, will now be seeking patches and software that gets around the activation scheme. So it will become easier to use pirated software than it is to purchase the damn thing. so again, how is this stopping piracy?
Until somebody proves to me how this is going to stop piracy I will not see this any differently.
I believe developers should be compensated for their work. I pay for all my software but if I'm ever forced to use software with activation, I will pay for the software and use it honestly, but I will also seek all means to get around the activation. CS2 is nothing revolutionary. I am not forced to get it as CS is just as capable. So what was going to be a sure sale from me is now a lost sale. Thanks Adobe, you saved me money. You just keep right on going after us "honest" paying users, that will make you a lot more money in the end /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[username]

Aha... I browsed through this thread too quick.
In the mean time I have phoned Adobe. All they gave me was vague information. They could not point me to a webpage where their policy was written. They could not tell me if their re-activation service was limited or not. I will upgrade to CS2... but I still don't trust online activation.