Scott...

You know very well it is quiet cause we don't need to repeat the same thing over and over again.... trying to use the quietness as an argument for your "rightness" is not the level I expect from you...

RodneyinMunich:

iLok is the portable, convenient, hassle-free way to store your software authorizations.

Yes! And if an iLok gets damaged or lost or stolen it costs about $40.- (€36.-) and just move your license to your new iLok. I would love to see the iLok as a replacement for the Avid dongle!

g_f 

Exactly.  I felt this topic was being brought up again just to continue the "discussion" and noise.  My opinion was made very clear that perhaps it's a non-issue to most users.  Rodney thinks otherwise.  No big deal.

switthaus:

I felt this topic was being brought up again just to continue the "discussion" and noise.

Yep. Because it needs a lot of noise to get heard by "them"!

I will keep it up, g_f

switthaus:

Exactly.  I felt this topic was being brought up again just to continue the "discussion" and noise.  My opinion was made very clear that perhaps it's a non-issue to most users.  Rodney thinks otherwise.  No big deal.

Scott, I could make assumptions why you decided to answer my post (without it seems, taking much note of what I actually wrote), but any assumption I might make would almost certainly be wrong. As is your assumption of my motivation.  I posted because I found the Avid Webstore arguments for dongle-style licensing illuminating. They support everything that us supporters of the dongle have written on this and other threads. I posted it today, because I found it today.

Regarding "pros" and "cons" about this issue...

http://community.avid.com/forums/t/71553.aspx

It has been predicted from many.

If you don't use MC for home videos this could be a disaster in certain cases.

The sum of all fears.  We implore you Avid... keep the dongle.  Even the forum server crashes too often for me to have any faith that the "dongle" server will not be much better.

I prefer to pay 200 or so euros for a stolen/broken dongle than some hours without the ability to edit.

I can't think of any excuse to the people who will wait for me to do so.

"... If you don't use MC for home videos this could be a disaster in certain cases ..."

Especially for rental companies.  They have hundreds of systems, that all get reimaged after every job.  The wasted time to relicense each system comes right out of their profit and efficiency.

Guys, as you all know, the software activation feature is one that is still evolving. Currently, the activation servers in Tewksbury are not as redundant as they will be in the future. Avid is actively working to get redundant servers online in several locations. As this system grows, the robustness and redundancy will improve.

I do know a lot of work is going on to improve the system and this temporary outage may well be a result of the work being done.

BLKDOG:

As this system grows, the robustness and redundancy will improve.

Yes. Of Course. Because online activation can't be a bad thing, right?

To summarize this whole thread: Avid has simply turned a good product into a mediocre one.

I wish to congratulate AVID for saving a few bucks today, at the cost of their core customer base. Nice going. A true bunch of geniuses.

Currently I'm looking at Sony's line of NLE products. They also have online activation, just like AVID - but cost much less. AVID has done nothing to keep my business.

Larry Rubin:

AndrewAction:

In Avids case what could be simpler than owning a dongle then pluggin it in anywhere you want to work with a program you have brought the rights to use.

I have to agree completely. Unless you do a lot of physical moving of your Avid platform, I see absolutely no reason that the current dongle arrangement should be replaced. And even if you do move your computer around a lot, for Pete's sake, just disconnect the dongle and treat it with a modest degree of TLC and you'll be just fine. Unplug, move to other platform, plug-in, get to work. Total elapsed time, about 30 seconds. I'll happily stay with my dongle until you pry it out of my cold, dead hands.

 

Larry.. Dom... Andrew et al....  

I too think there is value in being able to offer both.  I know the feedback has been fast and furious so I dont know if the decision to go all SW activation is set in stone.  I would give Dave C. and the team a bit more time to determine the best course of action based on "all" feedback from those that want dongles and those that don't.

I promise to keep you posted ....

Marianna

BLKDOG:

I do know a lot of work is going on to improve the system

A lot of work of people getting paid to do it. Would not be the production of a few thousand dongles be way cheaper? I mean, I can understand that several dongle-systems in one big (Avid-)company does not make sense, but why not move to the iLok?

BLKDOG:

and this temporary outage may well be a result of the work being done.

As I was an assistant IT-admin and being an IT-enthusiast I know that those machines need maintenance (another point where costs play their role, I really start to think about which consulting agency sold Avid the activation-idea!), but I also know that even a super-redundant IT-system can go down. And this even does not touch the point Randall stated:

Randall L Rike:

Especially for rental companies.  They have hundreds of systems, that all get reimaged after every job.  The wasted time to relicense each system comes right out of their profit and efficiency.

There are businesses out there losing money by that decision. 

Just to give you an example: once I had problems with a harddrive crash of a PC running a registered Adobe suite. Do you wanna know how long it took them to free my license? About a week! And they tried to be helpfull! In the end I sweared by the life of my unborn children that I do not run two systems with one license but I think I was just a lucky man with a nice and cooperative support-guy on the other end of the phone line...

I think even Autodesks (hardcore) licensing scheme connecting the computers MAC-adress to one copy of the software is better then a pure online activation with the license bundled to your momentary Win-install!

@Atomike: I don't know any other company disussing in this open manner with its customers. So I am happy right now that we can talk to them. Also, I do not know any other licensing scheme that was as supporting to its customers like Avids was.

Marianna:

Larry.. Dom... Andrew et al....  

I too think there is value in being able to offer both.  I know the feedback has been fast and furious so I dont know if the decision to go all SW activation is set in stone.  I would give Dave C. and the team a bit more time to determine the best course of action based on "all" feedback from those that want dongles and those that don't.

I promise to keep you posted ....

Marianna

That makes me a bit more confident.

Regards, g_f

I also reimaging with Acronis after each job to keep my system fresh.

I did that with Liquid and I am doing it with MC as well.

As my AvidMedia Files folder resides to my RAID 0, I only copy the project to my Documents>Avid Projects and

there you go.

But with activation I have to deactivate before reimaging and activate after.

What if something goes wrong?

I am really not sure that I would have made the jump to MC if I knew about that.

But I am just one person. Companies with many systems will be in real trouble.

I can't imagine having ten systems and deactivate and activate all the time.

Having said that I will add that MC is a gem. I loved Liquid and I am start loving MC.