Please read the Subject heading again, before posting a reply

There is a very active thread in the MC-PC Forum which has many posts explaining why many of you want to keep the dongle.
This thread is not about that, nor is it about why you want to have SA.

The thread is a spot where anyone with suggestions and wishes about SA for Avid products can post.

To kick things off please refer to my posting here..... 

http://community.avid.com/forums/p/69195/410619.aspx#410619

Some of you had already began listing suggestions on the other thread.
Please feel free to repeat your suggestions here.

Avid is doing all it can to improve and refine their original SA that came with MC 3.5

Now you have a chance to give your views and suggestions on how you would like the coming version to evolve.
Do you have experience of another SA system? How does that one work? Does it need an internet connection or can it be done by other means? etc.

E.g. In my case, I have one piece of software which has SA, but for a small sum you can buy extra activations. The original purchased software can be activated on a number of other computers using the same serial number. The drawback is that I think you must be connected to the internet to use that method.

Regards,
Douglas

PS. Once again, please refrain from posting about why we should keep or drop the Dongle in this thread.
If you want to do that - please post on  http://community.avid.com/forums/p/69195/386659.aspx#386659

For Networks, News rooms, Education facilities, large Studios and anyone who wants to do it by choice Avid software activates the clients server which in turn deals with all seats network connected to their server. (this server based activation technology has been around and I have been using it for well over a decade)

For all other clients add 3 activate deactivate options into Avid base code.

Each time a machine needs to be activated/deactivated any user selects from an appropriate choice below

1 Activate / deactivate via internet connection

2 Activate / deactivate via ilok / or appropriate USB device

3 Activate / deactivate via phone support

1 and 2 can be overridden by 3 as per current model.

FWIW my tame code experts suggest that to incorporate options 1, 2 and 3 into (EDIT) any software with existing call for an activation key should take less than half a day to achieve

Updating iLoks with paid upgrades could be as simple for Avid to administer as a check box on the online order form.

IMO the above covers all concerns I have seen raised so far.  Also IMO reverse engineering and acceptable solution would be much easier and cheaper than trying to lever additional functionality into an existing flawed solution

AndrewAction:

IMO the above covers all concerns I have seen raised so far.  Also IMO reverse engineering and acceptable solution would be much easier and cheaper than trying to lever additional functionality into an existing flawed solution

Thanks for that, Andrew.

Regards,
Douglas