Activation, censorship and you

"The Yowie" wrote in
news:tDeQb.25198$:

<snip>

Hello (Indian voice) Microsoft activation. (Me). This bloody crap windows has spat the dummy on me and I need it re-activated. (Indian Voice) Yes sir… Just tell me the 54 number code on your screen and have a pen and paper ready to enter the code I give you.

Yeah, I’ve been bitten by this, too.

Screw activation. Slash-n-burn XP and re-install 2K.

I actually paid $450 for 25 cents worth of plastic disk to go through this crap? Like hell. Photoshop’s next… I can’t wait! NOT! Right now Linux and the Gimp are looking pretty good.

Well, Hecate and I are perfectly serious; v7 and Thumbs plus, plus some plugins, are a killer setup when compared to CS.

I’m still not comfortable with Linux/Gimp as far as maturity goes, but 2K with a whole bunch of non-M$ utilities and PS v7/Thumbs/plugins should buy some time while they advance.

On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 20:14:05 GMT, Eric Gill
wrote:

"The Yowie" wrote in
news:tDeQb.25198$:

<snip>

Hello (Indian voice) Microsoft activation. (Me). This bloody crap windows has spat the dummy on me and I need it re-activated. (Indian Voice) Yes sir… Just tell me the 54 number code on your screen and have a pen and paper ready to enter the code I give you.

Yeah, I’ve been bitten by this, too.

Screw activation. Slash-n-burn XP and re-install 2K.

That’s the only one I didn’t have trouble with, but only because my copy isn’t an activation version, it’s a business version.

I actually paid $450 for 25 cents worth of plastic disk to go through this crap? Like hell. Photoshop’s next… I can’t wait! NOT! Right now Linux and the Gimp are looking pretty good.

Well, Hecate and I are perfectly serious; v7 and Thumbs plus, plus some plugins, are a killer setup when compared to CS.

Yes. In fact, I’m not sure if I’d install CS even if I won a copy or someone gave it to me for free.

I’m still not comfortable with Linux/Gimp as far as maturity goes, but 2K with a whole bunch of non-M$ utilities and PS v7/Thumbs/plugins should buy some time while they advance.

And carrying on in the same vein, Norton decided that 2004 Systemworks, NAV, etc would all be activated. So that’s another company that’s lost mine and others money. The funniest thing about it was that it completely screwed anyone’s computer that tried to activate the software and they were flooded with complaints. I believe they may have found a fix now, but this situation went on for weeks and the company had to admit they hadn’t a clue why it was causing so many problems.

No doubt, it was conflicting with all the other product activation 😉

—

Hecate

veni, vidi, reliqui

Doesnt that make cracked software with things like activation bypasse sound a little more enticing to all of you? It’s not a matter o stealing anymore, it’s a matter of freedom! Revolt! ;

supchak
———————————————————— ———– Posted via http://www.forum4designers.co
———————————————————— ———– View this thread: http://www.forum4designers.com/message36539.htm

Gimp is a joke….no way a replacement for PS…not even close.

not bad for simple web graphics (ie geocities type webpages) and simple print jobs…no further.
I’m sick of open source geeks raving about how great gimp is…

it’s amateur, period.

and a message to the gimp designers/programmers…..ever heard of usuability testing?
get out of your source forge coding caves and enter the real world.

"The Yowie" wrote in message

So… Adobe finally admit they are imposing censorship in their software. Add to this Product Activation and you are starting to get a situation I really don’t want to be part of.
I understand their need to arrest piracy of their material. According to

the

thought police, "the price of software will reduce if we can halt or limit illegal use". Yeah, right. What a cop out!

What we have is the beginning of Government control of our personal computers. Already Microsoft harvest every news article we post. They

obtain

complete information about all the software installed on your (Win XP) PC and can go further by tracking the serial number of the (Intel) CPU. Adobe have obeyed Big Brother and are now enforcing censorship in their product.
If this is starting to sound like a bash up of USA owned corporations and how they are beginning to take control of the world’s computers… That’s what it looks like to me.

All I need to decide is on how much functionality I am prepared to forego

in

order to use 100% open source software. One more activation stuff up with Windows and I’ll ditch it. If Adobe jerk me around because I’ve had 3 new mainboards in 4 weeks and had to re-install (like MS did) and I’ll ditch them too. I’m getting bloody angry now!

"There has been a major hardware change since Windows was activated. You have 3 days to re-activate the product." Next message? "Activation failed. This copy of Windows is already installed on another PC. If you think this message is in error, contact Microsoft".
Four attempts to reach a human later…

Hello (Indian voice) Microsoft activation. (Me). This bloody crap windows has spat the dummy on me and I need it re-activated. (Indian Voice) Yes sir… Just tell me the 54 number code on your screen and have a pen and paper ready to enter the code I give you.

I actually paid $450 for 25 cents worth of plastic disk to go through this crap? Like hell. Photoshop’s next… I can’t wait! NOT! Right now Linux

and

the Gimp are looking pretty good.

The Yowie

On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 23:05:08 -0600, supchaka
graced us with:

Doesnt that make cracked software with things like activation bypassed sound a little more enticing to all of you? It’s not a matter of stealing anymore, it’s a matter of freedom! Revolt! 😉

supchaka
———————————————————— ———— Posted via http://www.forum4designers.com
———————————————————— ———— View this thread: http://www.forum4designers.com/message36539.html

Man people are having a lot of trouble with this. Ironically enough, this was the first legitimate copy of PS I have had. Finally made enough money with it to justify purchasing it and the day I became a legal owner there was already *3* patched versions available.

I *don’t* have a problem with it, and I feel better about being able to de-lurk from the shadows finally, but I can understand some of the points others bring up.

Still, glad to be legal…and I like CS (with the expception of the speed of loading issue).

subdude

On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 15:46:44 GMT, subdude
wrote:

On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 23:05:08 -0600, supchaka
graced us with:

Doesnt that make cracked software with things like activation bypassed sound a little more enticing to all of you? It’s not a matter of stealing anymore, it’s a matter of freedom! Revolt! 😉

supchaka
———————————————————— ———— Posted via http://www.forum4designers.com
———————————————————— ———— View this thread: http://www.forum4designers.com/message36539.html

Man people are having a lot of trouble with this. Ironically enough, this was the first legitimate copy of PS I have had. Finally made enough money with it to justify purchasing it and the day I became a legal owner there was already *3* patched versions available.
I *don’t* have a problem with it, and I feel better about being able to de-lurk from the shadows finally, but I can understand some of the points others bring up.

Still, glad to be legal…and I like CS (with the expception of the speed of loading issue).

subdude

We should all be outraged at the preemptive action of Adobe in assuming their customer’s intent to counterfeit. Unfortunately in the post 9/11 climate this government ass-kissing goes far further than concerns with Photoshop, and as Jefferson said, we have more to fear from well-intentioned zealots than from foreign enemies.

"The Yowie" wrote in message

So… Adobe finally admit they are imposing censorship in their software. Add to this Product Activation and you are starting to get a situation I really don’t want to be part of.
I understand their need to arrest piracy of their material. According to

the

thought police, "the price of software will reduce if we can halt or limit illegal use". Yeah, right. What a cop out!

What we have is the beginning of Government control of our personal computers. Already Microsoft harvest every news article we post. They

obtain

complete information about all the software installed on your (Win XP) PC and can go further by tracking the serial number of the (Intel) CPU. Adobe have obeyed Big Brother and are now enforcing censorship in their product.
If this is starting to sound like a bash up of USA owned corporations and how they are beginning to take control of the world’s computers… That’s what it looks like to me.

All I need to decide is on how much functionality I am prepared to forego

in

order to use 100% open source software. One more activation stuff up with Windows and I’ll ditch it. If Adobe jerk me around because I’ve had 3 new mainboards in 4 weeks and had to re-install (like MS did) and I’ll ditch them too. I’m getting bloody angry now!

"There has been a major hardware change since Windows was activated. You have 3 days to re-activate the product." Next message? "Activation failed. This copy of Windows is already installed on another PC. If you think this message is in error, contact Microsoft".
Four attempts to reach a human later…

Hello (Indian voice) Microsoft activation. (Me). This bloody crap windows has spat the dummy on me and I need it re-activated. (Indian Voice) Yes sir… Just tell me the 54 number code on your screen and have a pen and paper ready to enter the code I give you.

I actually paid $450 for 25 cents worth of plastic disk to go through this crap? Like hell. Photoshop’s next… I can’t wait! NOT! Right now Linux

and

the Gimp are looking pretty good.

The Yowie

I remember when Autodesk was selling AutoCad outside US with a serial Dongle.
I purchased a legal copy in the US, but later the upgrade to AC2000 was refused in my EU country.
My question to AutoDesk importer was that if their Company will fire, I should be inable to use the product in case of malfunction, or loss of that mechanical device. (I didn’t had any reasonable answar). Later I opted for a legal copy that stands on the shelve and for a pirated copy (investment $ 15) I installed and used regularly.
The same question I ask to Microsoft and now to Adobe: what will happen if the companies stop to stay in the market? and for how many years they insure their customers to provide re-activation service and upgrade the re-activation capabilities to next OS ?
No Consumer Association can organize a suit ?

ued

On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 23:05:08 -0600, supchaka
wrote:

Doesnt that make cracked software with things like activation bypassed sound a little more enticing to all of you? It’s not a matter of stealing anymore, it’s a matter of freedom! Revolt! 😉

Yes, I do find thieves revolting.

—

Hecate

veni, vidi, reliqui

On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 16:55:42 GMT, KBob graced us
with:

Still, glad to be legal…and I like CS (with the expception of the speed of loading issue).

subdude

We should all be outraged at the preemptive action of Adobe in assuming their customer’s intent to counterfeit. Unfortunately in the post 9/11 climate this government ass-kissing goes far further than concerns with Photoshop, and as Jefferson said, we have more to fear from well-intentioned zealots than from foreign enemies.

Well I agree with you in concept, but I am infinitely more outraged by present government than Adobe. I do see this attitude permeating other ethics though; locally we had a Toll Bridge commission that raised its rates 400% (!!) after 9/11 claiming that they needed the extra money "to self-insure the facilities and structures" and to hire "an armed security force to protect" the border crossings against terrorists, siting The Patriot Act amongst other things.

The "strategic borders" in question? Pennsylvania and New Jersey! Hey, I’m a big fan of my area in the Lehigh Valley, but I don’t think Osama is making his next plans to take Easton, PA and annex the Crayola Factory or the Just Born plant (where they make those most dangerous of foods, Marshmallow Peeps). After some investigation by a local paper (mind you, the toll increases were passed, after only two open meetings to the public – both conducted at hours when the public was at work and mostly unable to attend), it was discovered that the commission actually had a internal plan to siphon that money off to fund a development fund to purchase and develop commercial and entertainment properties near and adjacent to the bridge commission properties. It eventually took an act of Congress to get these people to reveal this, as the charter for the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Authority was not answerable to the public, local governments or even the Governors of either state! Today’s paper revealed even more details, like an internal memo on how to phrase words in all public communications so as to duck any firm responsibilities, e.g. "use the words ‘Committed to perform as contracted for scope, schedule and budget’ instead of ‘Guarantee successful project completion’ or ‘some, most or usually’ in place of ‘all’. This, suggested by a PR consulting firm that showed videos of Hillary Clinton’s 1998 Today Show interview (during the Lewinsky scandal) to demonstrate the techniques of "blocking and bridging’. I am not making this up; if you want to read it for yourselves go to http://www.mcall.com (The Morning Call).

The point I am trying to make is that I agree with you that there is definitely something wrong with the Post 9/11 version of America, but Adobe’s efforts to block users from scanning currency doesn’t concern me as much as the bigger picture of what’s prompting this shift in corporate and governmental ethics.

If we can get people to direct their frustrations and angers in the right direction (by either letting the present government know they need to change or by replacing it, whatever your preferences) then this may lead to something more productive. Bashing a company on a feature that 99% of the public has no real need for or for protecting their intellectual property just doesn’t seem worth the effort in perspective of the view from 10,000 feet. Sure, let ’em know they need to do more than a bit of PR and Customer Service salvaging but bringing Jefferson into the argument seems a little much. (No offense intended…)

subdude

Hecate wrote:

The funniest thing about it

was that it completely screwed anyone’s computer that tried to activate the software and they were flooded with complaints. I believe they may have found a fix now, but this situation went on for weeks and the company had to admit they hadn’t a clue why it was causing so many problems.

Once again ‘they’ are ‘protecting us from ourselves’ and by doing so ‘screwing us’. BOHICA!