Boycott iLok and PACE?

Sorry, here is the full version of the article (not just a blurb from it):

http://studionebula.com/blog/2007/12/02/why-i-boycott-products-that-use-paceilok-and-why-you-should-too

I don't like dongles. I used to have a string of 4 on my old 8100/100 mac.
But I like not having a license locked down to one machine.
I could see larger studios with many employees wanting a license server with floating licenses (flexLM), but for a one man setup, I like my pace.

No pace/max locked into one machine vs. Pace w/ Max wherever I install Max

I choose the latter.

I honestly don't see the benefit of the iLok system, unless they workout the
software itself being installed on the ilok (like those new fangled USB
drives that take programs/settings with you). Now that would be cool, and a
worthwhile investment, if you could literally take the
program/license/settings with you onto any machine you use.

Where are these fully installed, license free computers that everyone moves
their iloks back and forth from?

You can have it installed on 2 computers via C/R. Schools/studios would,
hopefully, have fully licensed versions. So where else would you need to use
it, that you couldn't legitimately have it installed (without needing an
ilok).

This isn't a flame, I'm just curious as to the practical benefit of the
ilok.

Also, theres the much easier choice of having a regular old serial #
authorization system. Everyone's a winner there, since theres no overhead
for the outsourced copy protection, its easy/painless to install/reinstall,
and those who wouldn't buy it aren't affected since they used the cracked
version already anyways.

On Dec 4, 2007 7:07 PM, Don K wrote:

>
> I don't like dongles. I used to have a string of 4 on my old 8100/100
> mac.
> But I like not having a license locked down to one machine.
> I could see larger studios with many employees wanting a license server
> with floating licenses (flexLM), but for a one man setup, I like my pace.
>
> No pace/max locked into one machine vs. Pace w/ Max wherever I install Max
>
> I choose the latter.
> --
> -DonK
>

I've found the iLok to be handy on a number of occasions where I
might be doing a visiting artist residency or guest lecture. I don't
need to bring my computer, just my patches & related files on a
flashdrive and my iLok. When I get there, I download and install
MaxMSP on whatever computer they have for me to use, and I'm in
business.

Home
SFIFEM
Atrium Sound Space
OVOS
CMP

I have an iLok. Its a love hate relationship, but its handy - if you
do work with multiple machines, you can download max, and its just
licensed. I can work anywhere, on any computer, say for performance
works, or at home I have multiple machines, and i can move my dongle
around.

Also, you don't have to keep the dongle plugged in, launch Max with
dongle, removed, keep working, or plug dongle in to second machine and
launch max there, and you have 2 licensed systems.

I predominantly use it to make last minute changes on systems where I
expect to use the run time, but may need to revise something I had
over looked last minute.

*shrug*

Besides occasionally forgetting it (which is a ROYAL FUCKING PAIN IN
THE ASS when it happens), its ben more of a benefit that I had expected.

I hope posts like those maybe help the cycling74 when choosing copy protection for future version?

I have had bad experiences with Pace in the past. Having it forget my authorizations especially if you install multiple products that utilize it.

Quote: rodrigo.constanzo wrote on Tue, 04 December 2007 05:34
----------------------------------------------------
>
> I'm curious what other max users think of the whole thing.
>

I absolutely despise anti-piracy. And I refuse to use dongles. If Max didn't have PACE I would not be using it.

I'm a software developer, and I've been forced to drop cool features many times because higher ups demanded we improve anti-piracy measures over perceived loss of revenue due to theft of our software. And you know what? People are still stealing our software. It's just like the arms race with DRM and DVD encryption. Really smart people spend YEARS designing the next "uncrackable" system, and it just gets cracked in a few days. Every time! What a horrible waste of money and effort.

I might have enough know-how to crack Max if I wanted to. But you know what? I really like the software and I want to pay money to Cycling '74 to support the continued development of Max/MSP. The world will always be filled with people like me who get value out of digital goods and pay money for them, and the world will always be filled with people who steal digital goods no matter how many protective measures are put in place. Ultimately, anti-piracy measures end up getting in the way of the people who are paying for the software and making their life more of a hassle, which is truly a shame.

Plus there's the fact that there were problems with PACE after one of the OS X upgrades, and Cycling engineers had to take time away from working on cool features to fix that. Again, I think this is a waste.

So I would like Max better if they dropped iLok/PACE in favor of a simpler anti-piracy measure ("keep the honest people honest"), and spent the saved resources on feature development. Just my two cents, having been on both sides of this fight.

-Adam

In the article, "Max 5, what it is and isn't" under "what we've changed, it says:
https://cycling74.com/story/2007/9/28/105551/882

5. The installation and authorization experience is vastly improved.

Seems like the cycling have been hanging with the abletons, it would be great if they switch max 5 over to the same challenge response as Ableton.

Hi,

I see lot of people who don't like iLok - I understund yours
positions, but I would like to tel you the other opinion about iLok

For us the iLok is real the best solution for musical software and we
would like to have all software we have with iLok!

We have lot of computers mac and PC and we buy regulary a new
computers. The iLok permit to have one software totaly independant
from hardware and it's extremly important for us.

When I develop the software Max/MSP - and i have test it - what other
solution? Ok i can instal a demo version - but after 1 months it's
finished.... when I return to test it after 2 month have I buy a new
licence only for test?

We buy a new computers - have we buy every time a new licence for
software? there are 2 licence with C/R but what's after? Personaly I
am using every year about 2 new ot differents computer for developing
and testing - have we buy every year a new licence?

When we buy a software we would like to put it where we need and
change the place when we buy another computer. We have lot of
software and change all for another computer with C/R is absolutly
crazy and after two changes impossible!

You can't immagine the number of problems we had before iLok with
installation, we spent out time to explain that we have a new
computer and the composers could not work during this time..... (I
spent personaly a months with e-mail and phone!!!)

new version of Logic has not a dongle..... for us is totaly crazy,
why we have buy a Logic for 4 computers if we use onlu ONE software
with one dongle and we dont's need to use it on 4 computers in same
time?

The iLock is real the best solution for us and i hope only that
cycling will read this email in the same time like the others and to
think about the problems for the studios with more than two
computers..............