Is TAL copy protection Challenge/Response now?

[ruslan.st]

FAQ says:

You can resgister the plug-in on up to 4 systems. Our portal tracks the number of activations and you see them in your account. You can delete registered computers in your user account after one year. We can also delete earlier in special cases. Contact us for this.

[osofaux]

Sure looks like it, sadly enough. I've always been able to activate the stuff I've bought from them with a simple serial, one of the things I've always liked about TAL. Is this just for new products going forward, or will updated versions of existing products have this new scheme as well?

[Kr3eM]

s4d4F_s.jpg

[[nx]]

I noticed this the other day.

[fladd]

That is very worrying and probably disqualifies TAL for me going forward. But let's first see in how far this applies to current products. I don't recall agreeing to any such restrictions (e.g. in terms of which systems I can use this on), when buying TAL-Sampler and TAL-DRUM, and it is questionable in how far this can be enforced afterwards. But either way, it sure isn't a good look...

[uselessmind]

That sucks big time. Too bad regarding the coming JX-8P as well.

[audiojunkie]

What really bothers me is how it was quietly slipped into the FAQ, and not spoken of elsewhere. I feel somewhat betrayed. He knew that his simple serial number copy protection was important to many of his users, and yet did it anyway. It's his business and he is allowed to do what he wants, of course, but he apparently was more concerned about stopping the pirates than making the honest jump through hoops.

He does support Linux though, and he supports it well, so I'm not entirely sure about my feelings--I really, really depend upon TAL-Sampler. I love his products and product quality. He's been very responsive with support. He's a good guy! So, I'm really torn.

My biggest concern with challenge/response is the extra hassle, and potential loss of the ability to use the software if his business disappears. I keep thinking about moving to hardware as a possible solution. If developers could only find a way to activate their protection by checking just one time when you first install it, and then finding a way to allow users to reinstall as needed, even if the company is gone, there wouldn't be any problem. There's got to be a solution to this..... ILOK had a hardware key, but the drivers that get installed become the problem. Chickensys used to tie their protection to the install CD. That could probably be copied if written with software that bit by bit mirrored the original disk. I'm thinking aloud here, by the way.... I don't know a good answer...... It sucks that there are pirates in the first place--otherwise there wouldn't be any problem or need for copy protection.......it's saddening....

[nominil]

There's really no good way to announce a change that is at least going to be mildly more inconvenient (and possibly worse) to your paying customers. It's not a new feature that can be touted in any real positive way, unless he's decided to offer a better way of managing installs and updates along with it. That might make it worth it for me.

But generally, I'm not a fan of C/R and wish he would reconsider. Hopefully it'll end up at least helping to curtail some of the piracy/lost sales I guess he is seeing. It just seems like everything eventually gets cracked and it's the honest customers who lose out.

[Caine123]

always trusted patrick but this move makes me worried and maybe im gonna not buy new plugins anymore after i found some alternatives hopefully.

[nominil]

Yeah, I own everything he’s made so far, and I’ve decided I won’t get the JX-8P and have moved all the TAL plugs I own into a deactivated plugins folder for now.

[zvenx]

Patrick is one of the most consumer friendly developers I know.
I can't imagine him changing unless Pirating was really affecting his business (which as far as I know is his only income).
Good lord, how difficult is it to type in your name, email address and paste in your serial number and hit one button..
There is even offline registration as an option.

I get the point that if the company goes belly up then it could be a problem.
Why not email him and ask him, he may already have a contingency plan for that.

rsp

[nominil]

OK

[rasmusklump]

Patrick is one of the most consumer friendly developers I know.
I can't imagine him changing unless Pirating was really affecting his business (which as far as I know is his only income).
Good lord, how difficult is it to type in your name, email address and paste in your serial number and hit one button..
There is even offline registration as an option.

I get the point that if the company goes belly up then it could be a problem.
Why not email him and ask him, he may already have a contingency plan for that.

rsp

You know exactly that typing that information once is NOT the cause of not wanting c/r copy protection schemes. Nice strawman.

[rasmusklump]

And I give a shit on so called plans in case one shuts his servers down, as not a single company so far stood up to it. Instead I lost more than one plugins I paid for.

I was on the fence buying some of his synths but not any longer now.

[Caine123]

yeah TAL was one of the few companies i had on my good list, dunno if Patrick is active on these forums at all. i definitely will write a mail, there will be a standard reply i guess and maybe cause of pirating blabla and so on. i dunno how in reality a CR CP restricts pirating groups and if sales are really much higher with CR CP (i guess ILOK is a better protection and not a standard CR CP? just speculating).
if he is not active here i think everyone not satisfied should write him a mail, even if he doesnt care etc. this is sneaky to put in a FAQ just like that and anyways maybe even more people show their unappreciation and he might change back, wont get my full trust back (once broken = broken) though.