The fish have spoken. Time to make music.

[hibidy]

One of the nice things about Live is it never replaces old versions of itself. So... if it ever goes 64 bit I'll always at least have the last version to use until all the problems are ironed out.

Just wait until.....................oh...............n/m

[dalor]

Don't blame companies trying to protect their immaterial property to stay in business.

Except they don't protect anybody from anything - every copy protection scheme gets cracked.

Not true: iLok2 hasn't been cracked yet.

[xNiMiNx]

Cars with alarms still get stolen, houses with locked doors still get broken in to, and protected software gets cracked.

We still have to 'try' and make it more difficult for people who steal.

Going overboard is part of the issue (imo). Sure car door locks are great, and could deter theft more if we electrified them. If your car sent 40k volts of electricity through your body if you accidently turned the door key the wrong way, then maybe we could agree it was excessive?

How about accidental drownings in home moats, a bit too far in home protection?
I dont mean to come off pro/anti piracy/copy protections, but i do want to point out that i think a lot of the issue/discussion is the level of hoops and crap needed to go through.

SAW75, what imaging software do you use? I know acronis has issues concerning USB devices, wondering if those issues are whats causing it to not save over (if youre trying to put it back onto the exact same system it was created of). You make full one-time images, or incrimental?

[SAW75]

SAW75, what imaging software do you use? I know acronis has issues concerning USB devices, wondering if those issues are whats causing it to not save over (if youre trying to put it back onto the exact same system it was created of). You make full one-time images, or incrimental?

Curently, I use the imaging option that is built into Windows 7. It works perfectly with all my software. I have one image that I update every once in a while when I make new purchases.

With Arturia the imaging did not work at all until I copied and saved the eLicenser files hidden inside the Program Data folder. Saving those files saves the actual serial assigned to my hard disk. When I re-image my drive I then I have to go online and "repair" the soft eLicenser. Before I saved those hidden files it actually assigned a new eLicenser serial to my hard drive. It's really just a pain in the ass. I actually really love Spark but I probably won't invest any more money into Arturia. Their copy protection is a hassle and their support has been slow in the past and not up to par with other companies I buy from. It's a shame for them. I'm the type of guy that buys everything from a company once I have good times with one of their titles.

[ZenPunkHippy]

There are several free disk imaging applications for Windows. These work well:

http://www.paragon-software.com/

http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

I'm using the free version of Paragon at the moment. When restoring, it allows you to select an image, set options, and the machine will restart / restore in one action booting in to the restored version of Windows. It's almost too easy.

I'm 99% certain that this would not interfere with any copy protection ...

Peace,
Andy

[ENV1]

Curently, I use the imaging option that is built into Windows 7.

Code: Select all

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToBackup

[Uncle E]

(at thief!) Yeah, I understand copy protection. I just don't use dongles. Nothing against them.

Do you remember the beautiful natural color strat I'd posted on the "next guitar" thread a long time ago? It was that one. It had a custom chambered mahogany body, an incredible neck that I'd spent years gradually stripping and sanding to perfection, and all custom components that I'd carefully chosen and installed myself, including a full set of Kinman pickups that I spent a small fortune on.

That's what I lost by not utilizing a sufficient method of protection.

[samsam]

As sad that it is that your guitar got stolen, comparing its theft with copy protection on software is....you know....silly....IMO.

Not the same thing at all.

[samsam]

One of the nice things about Live is it never replaces old versions of itself. So... if it ever goes 64 bit I'll always at least have the last version to use until all the problems are ironed out.

After 8.3 Live no longer adds a new version, it overwrites your old version. or am I misunderstanding your post?

[Uncle E]

As sad that it is that your guitar got stolen, comparing its theft with copy protection on software is....you know....silly....IMO.

Isn't this exactly what's been happening in this thread, though, with people talking about how car locks and alarms never protected anyone or anything?

It was my responsibility to protect my guitar. It's a developer's responsibility to protect their software. These are our responsibilities because there is no one else to be responsible for them.

[samsam]

^ indeed they are and indeed there are some parallels.

However I think there is a difference between devs attempting to prevent lost sales and owners attempting to prevent the physical theft of a guitar.

My personal interest in the thread is to pint out (a) that people being against copy protection does not necessarily mean they support piracy and (b) that not all devs think copy protection even works, although granted, most devs have decided that it is worth their while to implement it, in varying degrees.

[Uncle E]

Please keep in mind that my posts were in response to others drawing comparisons with the physical world. I'm confused as to why you didn't bring issue with those posts.

Anyway, I get it, not all people who dislike copy protection are warez users and not all devs like copy protection. I like the concept of that new Plugin Alliance copy protection, too bad it already failed.

[samsam]

Not really "taking issue" in a negative sense, I guess yours was a real world example that's easier to respond to than abstract examples, same with the OP, a real example of the downside.

Also I haven't got time to argue with everyone, have to be selective

[JimmiG]

Don't blame companies trying to protect their immaterial property to stay in business.

Except they don't protect anybody from anything - every copy protection scheme gets cracked.

Not true: iLok2 hasn't been cracked yet.

Correction: every copy protection scheme gets cracked, eventually.

Digital Restrictions Management costs developers a lot in licensing/development costs. It costs the developer extra in terms of support. It costs the end user money in time lost troubleshooting, installing and maintaining licenses and associated hardware and software not directly related to the applications they're trying to use.

It might reduce piracy slightly, but it doesn't increase sales. If anything, it decreases sales because a small group will always avoid the most intrusive DRM schemes.

A simple personalized serial number is enough to give honest users a hint that they should pay for the product. Dishonest users will pirate it, or if they can't find a serial/crack online, just ignore it and pirate something else. They won't just "give up" and pay $200 for the application. This is true regardless of what protection scheme is in place.

[osiris]

I'm liking the Tone 2 keyfile way. No muss, no fuss. Where's your keyfile? Point it there and authorized. PLus the good thing is I can make a copy and keep it somewhere safe. Serial numbers can get ridiculous. especially with my aging eyes. Is the an o or a zero, a 5 or an S? Keyfile. Done.