To ensure that nobody at the office uses my PhotoShop I have been deactivation it and removing the key.
While I’m not big on the limit, this is certainly going way overboard. Why not password protect the machine so nobody can even log into it. That would fix your problem right there.
Bob
Because there is no way to password protect a workstation Yes my user account does password protect access to my data file (but admin access will by-pass this), but it does not stop access to programs. Beside that back when the activation first came to light Adobe said numerous times they would not block access for legal user access – guess times have changed.
You really need to call Adobe Customer Service.
Well that only works for another 5 times (20+5 limit extension.) My displeasure is with the Adobe policy of limiting the activations. Having this limit now gives fuel to the argument for no activations. All they need to do is keep track of if it is active and how many time (i.e. 2 limit for the standard license to allow for home and work use). If the database shows it as active then one should need a call to unlock.
How about just powering the computer down, and locking the door? I’ve got a dozen different case configs., and this would stop that sort of thing. OK, if someone really wanted to run any of these, they could pick/break the lock, but what the hey? If they do that, and use PS, while at it, all I do is say that I tried.
Now, I cannot speak for Adobe, nor can I address how they came up with an Activation # limit. I’d just guess that Adobe might have some way to help you, if you supply the right people with your reasons. As I have only deactivated CS2 once, I’ve never actually faced this situation.
Good luck,
Hunt
And if you’re running CS2 you won’t be. Apparently there were enough people trying to get away with stretching the license that the limitation was put in for CS3.
Some folks have a legitimate beef about it, but I think the argument here is a bit of stretch.
If anyone’s interested I wrote about it here:
http://indesignsecrets.com/cs3-activation-limits.php Bob
A stretch?! Google Keygen and Photoshop. See if this has stopped pirating any. I have been trying to stay within the licensing limits of software to the point of being out of a job and black-listed in my hometown. If there is someone who can help at Adobe in this matter I have not found them – only a support rep that treated me like a criminal for calling in about the message.
As for locking the door, I do that already but that has the limits of others having a key. By deactivation it and removing the key I was trying to give the strongest message that we want to play by the rules – too bad Adobe moved the goalpost.
Yes, a stretch, and a big one.
There are folks out there that do a lot of system testing and for them unlimited activation/deactivation cycles might be needed. But I’m sorry, I don’t think for one minute deactivating an installation because someone on the night shift cleaning crew might fire up your machine is a reason to not only deactivate the software, but remove the serial number as well.
It’s a waste of time, IMO. Leaving it activated on both machines is certainly keeping within the spirit of license.
And when you tell your clients that you can no longer recommend Adobe products just exactly what are you going to tell them and what do you plan on recommending? Are you really willing to lay your livelihood on the line to keep Adobe from a few sales?
Bob
. By deactivation it and removing the key I was trying to give the strongest message that we want to play by the rules
so you have photoshop on the machine just to "work on a couple web images from time to time" but administrators and people with keys are coming into your office and breaking into your computer to use your copy of photoshop? dude, this sounds a bit nuts. sorry.
I have been trying to stay within the licensing limits of software to the point of being out of a job and black-listed in my hometown.
that’s just nuts too. you don’t owe adobe squat. why would you put your life and livelihood in jeopardy for a multi-billion dollar company that doesn’t even know you’re alive?
here’s a fact. adobe doesn’t give a rats patootie about customers anymore. they care about shareholders. sorry to say it, but run what you have to to use the program you paid for. don’t jump through artificial hoops. use gimp where you need to.
<
http://www.gimp.org>
I was trying to give the strongest message that we want to play by the rules
and in today’s lesson we learn again that DRM only punishes legitimate customers and does NOTHING to stop or slow piracy.
does NOTHING to stop or slow piracy.
No doubt. But it’s important to note that nobody ever claimed that this was intended to stop piracy. Its intent is to stop casual piracy.
I’m sure you remember the old posts about someone who "borrowed my friend’s Adobe." We don’t see many of those anymore.
The fact is that Adobe is indeed a publicly traded company and must do everything it can to maximize shareholder value and that means activation for software.
Yes, it sucks. I’m no fan but I certainly don’t have an alternative. Do you?
Bob
but I certainly don’t have an alternative. Do you?
yup. remove activation. "casual" piracy did more to promote the product and score adobe new users than any ad campaign they’ve every run. what’s being promoted now? gimp.
Not all versions of Photoshop that Adobe sells require activation. We use a site license that does not use activation (although we have not upgraded to CS3 on that license so I’m not sure if this is still the case for CS3). You might try explaining your situation to Adobe and see if you can obtain a copy that does not require activation.
You also might try running Photoshop through a VMWare system that you keep safe and well archived.
If we are not told about the limit when we purchase the software, we are usually afforded certain consumer rights that can make Adobe legally responsible to remedy the matter.
Or, like most folks, you can just obtain a crack/keygen.
Got stats to prove that Dave because it’s an argument that I’ve never totally bought into. Theft to promote a product just seems like a bad idea to me.
Bob
do i look like i have time to do statistical analysis for adobe for free? 🙂
just anecdotal, but how many people do you know personally that have started with a "borrowed" copy of photoshop and gone on to buy the real thing? i can think of 4 or 5 quickly and probably more if i think about it.
how many college kids borrow, learn then go on to buy when they move to a profession? if they learned on something else besides photoshop, what program do you think they’ll buy/use when they graduate? right. they’ll get the program they learned on.
those that don’t buy after "borrowing" (i know of 1, several years ago – vers 5 actually – and no, not my copy! :P) barely know how to fire the program up and don’t want to learn it, they’re fine using windows paint.
how many people have you heard in here complaining that adobe is no longer the customer focused company it was, SPECIFICALLY in relation to it’s DRM? how many of those have sworn off adobe products when they were formerly adobe’s biggest supporters who pushed others into buying adobe products? more than a few.
it makes good business sense to keep the app open.
It has always been open, except to those that purchase a license. 🙂
All the casual pirates I’ve worked for/with have boxes and boxes of legit software. If Dave’s point wasn’t correct, why would Adobe offer student licenses? To help folks out? I think not.
I remember when a crack rock was $2. A steal!
J
I’ll admit I was a "borrower" of sorts, but couldn’t do much with it until I got a beefier computer. Once I got that beefy computer, I bought the software (actually bought it and received it while the computer was still being built, my anticipation was so high). It was a good taste and I wanted it so I saved to buy it for myself (PS and Illy).
I’m holding off buying CS3 for myself (I have CS2) as I have it at work because I’m in a similar situation as before… I want to have a better system to handle the more demanding software. My computer at home could handle it, yes, but I would be at a handicap with it given what I’m doing with PS and the whole Suite now.
That and for the first time my computer at work is more beefy than my computer at home so if I need to do hefty stuff, I bring it here. Used to be I would take a file home to test procedures/operations on a huge file to see if it could be done when my work computer would take an hour or more to tell me it didn’t have enough RAM to do it.
And I’m a writer, too. So pirating, plagiarism… just goes against my nature and I automatically think less of someone (even friends) when I find out they use a keygen.
And I’m a writer, too. So pirating, plagiarism… just goes against my nature and I automatically think less of someone (even friends) when I find out they use a keygen
Anyone that uses Adobe software is a creator of some sort and would probably not want their own creations stolen any more than Adobe want’s their creations stolen.
The rumored activation limit may be only for automated activations so that a human Adobe representative can assess if license abuse is occurring. Adobe has no legal right to limit the number of times you can activate your own license. The EULA protects and grants rights to both Adobe and the user.
The rumored activation limit
It’s not a rumor. It’s quite real.
Bob
I prefer to keep it a rumor and not test it. 🙂
And since there is no official documentation regarding it anywhere on adobe.com, they cannot legally hold us to such a limitation.
I think i’ve seen it written. was it you bob, posted the link before?
See post 6 (if my count is correct).
Bob
Are you referring to a user to user forum post? Is there an official Adobe document?
None I know of but I’ve had it confirmed by very reliable sources.
Bob
see that? "very reliable sources". so there! 🙂
I’m not doubting the sources. Since Adobe never announced this information in their documentation or licensing, they cannot legally enforce this limit. That’s the good news from this.
If you find yourself in this situation, you just need to keep poking Adobe until they allow your activation. They would be much more interested in activating your software than dealing with a legal action.
All you need to do is call them and you’ll get five more.
Bob
Bob Levine wrote:
All you need to do is call them and you’ll get five more.
Bob
good to know.
(psst! testing, newsreader access! go thunderbird! and yes, i’m leaving my autoquote on! 😛 )
I’m assuming you mean you call today to get 5 more activations, and then you can call a little later and get 5 more, and so on. Or do you mean 25 activations is the hard cap?
20 is the hard cap before you have to call. Then you get them in bunches of 5 the way I understand it.
Bob
So what’s the big deal for some?
The only trouble I see here is the desire to keep a license of Photoshop away from co-workers. Now that activation/deactivation is not an option, look to the next. Surely a network engineer can think of another way to protect the app. You could encrypt the executable when not being used. You could reset some registry keys to disable the app and then have a REG file that you can import to restore those values. etc. etc…
Maybe taking the RAM out of the computer at night would get around this?
Hunt
"No doubt. But it’s important to note that nobody ever claimed that this was intended to stop piracy. Its intent is to stop casual piracy."
A casual pirate would never pay hundreds of dollars for software anyway. They would pirate it because it’s easy. If activation prevents them from making an easy copy, they’re not going to go out and buy it now. The end result is that Adobe loses a potential future customer by dissuading that casual pirate. They’ll try Gimp or something instead. It’s crazy but true. Also crazy-sounding but true is the fact thattt a long time ago, some software companies released "pirated" versions into the wild just to increase their user base, and when those casual pirates turned legit, they of course bought the software they were familiar with.
Activation does not hinder determined pirates.
Activation does not turn casual pirates into sales.
Activation never hinders a pirate’s productivity.
Activation sometimes hinders a paying customer’s productivity.
I’ve been watching this thread, nearly chiming in earlier today, but didn’t.
My main thought here is "who cares?". Admittedly it isn’t a personal license but rather a company provided license of PS that I have on my computer at work, and others have access to my PC if they need it for some reason when I’m not around. But, whether a company-purchased installation or my own personal license, I don’t see any problem whatsoever with anyone using my PC and Photoshop. Yes, when you buy Photoshop in a retail store, the license is considered a single-user license, but I think it is more correctly a site license with a limit of two sites. The legalese may say single user, but I’m not going to worry about that. After all, what if my PC was the only one in an office of 10 people, all of whom may need PS from time to time. Do we buy 10 licenses? No, of course not, and the same is true of any other application where I suspect the EULA is largely similar to what Adobe uses.
I really can’t see any valid reason to "protect" even a personally-licensed installation of PS on a computer to which it has been activated, regardless of the number of individuals who may use it. If I was worried, I’d simply export the registry key with the "personalization" info and then delete the key. On the next launch of PS, the information would be found missing and a reinstall prompted for, which the user would not have the media for performing. Then, when I’m ready to use PS, I’d just merge the registry key back into the registry and press on with using PS. But, all in all?….I see no good reason to be concerned with locking out other users. The application cannot be easily stolen from the PC to be used elsewhere…note I said "easily". I’m sure it’s possible, but if someone is that determined to steal something off my PC, it’s likely I’ll know more about that in some shape or fashion and take measures to block their access.
Regards,
Daryl
. The end result is that Adobe loses a potential future customer by dissuading that casual pirate. They’ll try Gimp or something instead
bingo!
Also crazy-sounding but true is the fact thattt a long time ago, some software companies released "pirated" versions into the wild just to increase their user base, and when those casual pirates turned legit, they of course bought the software they were familiar with.
microsoft? 😉
Do we buy 10 licenses?
whoa! whoa! whoa! easy there tex! (:)) of course you do. that’s the way you should do it. (biting my cheek here. damn that hurts!)
I see no good reason to be concerned with locking out other users.
insanity sounds like a plausible argument for that. …
Excellent points Daryl and goes back to what I’ve said many times…stay within the spirit of the EULA and nobody is going to care.
IIRC, the EULA doesn’t say that both machines have to have a sole user, just the same primary user.
Bob
If it is really important to protect the computer from co-workers, enter the BIOS and password protect the boot-up. Then no one but yourself can use the machine and admins cannot control that.
or a hard drive password.
and another thing from post #2:
(but admin access will by-pass this),
the more i think about this the loopier this sounds.
who are you to stop admins from doing their job? the reason the admins have full access to their systems is because it’s their jobs to be able to get into the system at any time to deal with problems. if you’re really concerned about "someone" using "your" software, check the event logs for the administrator who logged you off, logged in and ran "your" application. then confront the creatin yourself and tell him to stop it or you’ll report him to the BSA for breaking the terms of the license.
never mind that no EULA has been tested in court so far. you could be famous! i’m sure some lawyer somewhere will be happy to take your case for merely several hundred thousand dollars.
also, does your company allow you to install outside applications on their hardware? maybe the admins were looking for evidence of this and are building their case for firing you for misuse of company property.
and do you ever bring home post-it notes? what about pens? that’s stealing you know.
<Looks the other way and whistles innocently>
Poor Dave.
Can’t figure out who to defend here. <g>
Bob
I’m defending those who legally purchase their software and want to use it.
but the question that started it all, and the follow-ups from the orig. poster are worse than silly, they border on paranoid.
Yo, Matt!
The "s" in Photoshop isn’t supposed to be capitalized.
There.
I did my part for education today.
XD
