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dainja556
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WIN7 changes mac numbers for security and is using multiple mac numbers.

Incorrect. Unless you have multiple Ethernet ports in use, or you use WiFi and Ethernet/Cell cards.

If the mac number changes your activation is gone and you have to ask for a new key - but then the mac number changes again and so on.

Why, then, has my computer of two years that utilized Vista and now Windows 7 NEVER asked for a new activation key since the very first day of activation in December of 2008? I don't know how many times I've told you this, Tom, but you are incorrect in your assumption that just because you're having a current issue that everyone else must be too. It's incorrect by a very large degree.

I do not know why x-aviation do not use a clever protection like an usb dongle for all their licenses. All this discussed trouble are gone then.

It's not a sound business plan for the model we run, added overhead, no instant activation, physical shipment and labor involved. Not happening.

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His point summarises as: if your product is good (successful, desirable etc) then it will be cracked. If the DRM is a pain, people will torrent it instead, and if you're lucky then they'll go on to buy it as well if they're feeling particularly ethical. If the DRM is not inconvenient, then they're more likely to use a legit install than a torrented one.

He hasn't been following the news, has he, or he'd know you've just gone to a donationware-esque model for Gizmo!

I've never pirated a flight simulator addon (MSFS or X-Plane) but I routinely use torrents to get more convenient access to media I've purchased. For instance, I purchased Falcon 4.0 a year ago, and torrented the disk image while waiting for the physical disk to arrive in the post (and then used the sim for about five minutes before abandoning it). I've done the same thing with music CDs. I purchased the game Mirror's Edge as a download, direct from the publishers, EA. It was meant to be installed via EA's download manager service, which would require me to download and install the manager, and then tediously tell it to not run on Windows startup, not automatically download updates every fifteen seconds etc. Instead I torrented the disk image, which I can mount with two clicks. I've also done exactly the same thing with album downloads - it's easier than telling the customer support service that I can't get beyond the 'we are preparing your links to download, please wait' page on their website!

I can't think of any time I've torrented a product for trial though. Normally I know I want a product before I use it. Unless listening to most of an album on YouTube counts as piracy? (I've got close friends who take this view, and won't listen to music on YouTube - won't even tolerate it being played in their presence!)

I can tolerate DRM when it doesn't inconvenience me. So far, the biggest inconvenience of X-Scenery's DRM has been that when I removed the ugly Hobbs meter from the Falco, Gizmo's automatic updater stopped working (and as far as I'm aware, that's all that broke). But if the DRM ever presents greater limitations on the use of a product I've purchased, I do not hesitate to look for workarounds from all sources, as long as the workaround isn't inconvenient. For instance I've tried to mount the X-Plane disk image on my hard drive so I can put the disk in a safe place, but the disk's copy protection has prevented my unelaborate method and I've not bothered to get Alcohol to do it successfully.

I'm surprised and alarmed that people are paying for access to pirated software though. That's news to me, and saddening.

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I can tolerate DRM when it doesn't inconvenience me. So far, the biggest inconvenience of X-Scenery's DRM has been that when I removed the ugly Hobbs meter from the Falco, Gizmo's automatic updater stopped working (and as far as I'm aware, that's all that broke).

The automatic updater was shut down for EVERYONE....unless you're thinking of something else.

All new releases of Gizmo now allow alteration of acf files. You have nothing to complain about it sounds like as of now. :D

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This is good news!! The prospect of not being able to make any modifications was worrying. This is very pleasing, that Gizmo doesn't prevent .acf tinkering!

I've just checked again - my untinkered Falco install has Gizmo entries in the Plugins menu, which let me check for updates and view activation window. The folder with the modified Falco has the same folders in the Plugins menu but they're empty - I can't check the activation or look for updates (even if there isn't actually an updater service running). That's what I was referring to. The only change I made was to open Planemaker, remove the offending Hobbs meter, and save the .acf.

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WIN7 changes mac numbers for security and is using multiple mac numbers.

Incorrect. Unless you have multiple Ethernet ports in use, or you use WiFi and Ethernet/Cell cards.

hmm did you read what I send you - the universitiy of illmenau (makers of mp3 and other stuff) telling about this issue.....

even with multiple ethernet - or cellcards (whatever it is) your software protection should work....or not....?

anyway I tried the suppestion of university Illmenau to prevent my system from changing mac adresses - after some reboots I have still the same mac adress - I activated the MU2 with the last key you sent........I let you konw what happens and hope that I do not get other trouble with this changing only and alone to make your software protection working.

Regards Tom

If the mac number changes your activation is gone and you have to ask for a new key - but then the mac number changes again and so on.

Why, then, has my computer of two years that utilized Vista and now Windows 7 NEVER asked for a new activation key since the very first day of activation in December of 2008? I don't know how many times I've told you this, Tom, but you are incorrect in your assumption that just because you're having a current issue that everyone else must be too. It's incorrect by a very large degree.

I do not know why x-aviation do not use a clever protection like an usb dongle for all their licenses. All this discussed trouble are gone then.

It's not a sound business plan for the model we run, added overhead, no instant activation, physical shipment and labor involved. Not happening.

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WIN7 changes mac numbers for security and is using multiple mac numbers.

Incorrect. Unless you have multiple Ethernet ports in use, or you use WiFi and Ethernet/Cell cards.

---

hmm did you read what I send you - the universitiy of illmenau (makers of mp3 and other stuff) telling about this issue.....

even with multiple ethernet - or cellcards (whatever it is) your software protection should work....or not....?

anyway I tried the suggestion of university Illmenau to prevent my system from changing mac adresses - after some reboots I have still the same mac adress - I activated the MU2 with the last key you sent........I let you know what happens and hope that I do not get other trouble with this changing only and alone to make your software protection working.

Regards Tom

---

If the mac number changes your activation is gone and you have to ask for a new key - but then the mac number changes again and so on.

Why, then, has my computer of two years that utilized Vista and now Windows 7 NEVER asked for a new activation key since the very first day of activation in December of 2008? I don't know how many times I've told you this, Tom, but you are incorrect in your assumption that just because you're having a current issue that everyone else must be too. It's incorrect by a very large degree.

I do not know why x-aviation do not use a clever protection like an usb dongle for all their licenses. All this discussed trouble are gone then.

It's not a sound business plan for the model we run, added overhead, no instant activation

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not necessary let it run for some days not only for 8min

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, physical shipment and labor involved.

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Of course work - it is a business

---

Not happening.

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Domage! Cause this would be userfriendly!

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sleet.png

Gizmo is now 100% free Open Source. The DRM was removed. If you think we aren't listening you'd have to be nuts.

There will still be product DRM. It's just not at the heart and soul of the entire thing. It's producer/artist opt-in.

The DRM offered will, again, be one that is cost effective and within means of what I can achieve and ship so that Your Favorite Artists can continue to bring you product to play with.

This means that it won't have a million fancy bells and whistles and it will only work smoothly for the vast majority of people.

It won't ever work perfectly for everyone. Sorry.

If you'd like to make a positive contribution to changing that situation and giving me more time to actually work on making better products for you... you can think about donating. It buys me coding time.

I wish it was otherwise, I'd love a fat Games-Company salary, a company car and some aircon. Haven't got it.

That's the reality I'm dealing with. If you'd like to talk about it, thoughts welcome.

If you just wanna keep having a personal whinge about DRM in general.. oh well, you can do that too, I'll tune out. I've shared my thoughts.

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sleet.png

Gizmo is now 100% free Open Source. The DRM was removed. If you think we aren't listening you'd have to be nuts.

There will still be product DRM. It's just not at the heart and soul of the entire thing. It's producer/artist opt-in.

The DRM offered will, again, be one that is cost effective and within means of what I can achieve and ship so that Your Favorite Artists can continue to bring you product to play with.

This means that it won't have a million fancy bells and whistles and it will only work smoothly for the vast majority of people.

It won't ever work perfectly for everyone. Sorry.

---

Sorry do I understand it right - maybe not I am not english mother tongue. Do you say that the software protection Cameron is using on payware will not work for everybody who bought this payware - or did I got something wrong?

Tom

---

If you'd like to make a positive contribution to changing that situation and giving me more time to actually work on making better products for you... you can think about donating. It buys me coding time.

I wish it was otherwise, I'd love a fat Games-Company salary, a company car and some aircon. Haven't got it.

That's the reality I'm dealing with. If you'd like to talk about it, thoughts welcome.

If you just wanna keep having a personal whinge about DRM in general.. oh well, you can do that too, I'll tune out. I've shared my thoughts.

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Indi- you don't need to use Dropbox, you can permalink to the original XKCD image, it's OK: http://www.xkcd.com/license.html

That is, you don't need my permission to post these pictures on your website (and hotlinking with <img> is fine); just include a link back to this page.

Tom, instead of writing

[b]your reply[/b]

in the middle of a quote, could you write

[/quote]your reply[quote]

instead? Then your reply doesn't look like part of the quote!

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Sorry do I understand it right - maybe not I am not english mother tongue. Do you say that the software protection Cameron is using on payware will not work for everybody who bought this payware - or did I got something wrong?

Tom

It will work like it always has in terms of seamless process. 99.99% of people won't experience an issue at all. 0.01% of users may experience an issue for some out of the ordinary setup they have at home, and might require further assistance from us. It doesn't mean that the products won't work in the end. We code this stuff to work with what the normal person would have. This allows us to streamline our tech support process.

The MU-2 is old tech DRM. It works, but when hardware changes occur it's not as automated for a re-activation. Such is not the case for our more automated solutions like that of the Falco and Corvalis, and such a system will soon be moving over to the MU-2 as well, thus phasing out the old non-automated system.

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Sorry do I understand it right - maybe not I am not english mother tongue. Do you say that the software protection Cameron is using on payware will not work for everybody who bought this payware - or did I got something wrong?

Tom

It will work like it always has in terms of seamless process. 99.99% of people won't experience an issue at all. 0.01% of users may experience an issue for some out of the ordinary setup they have at home, and might require further assistance from us. It doesn't mean that the products won't work in the end. We code this stuff to work with what the normal person would have. This allows us to streamline our tech support process.

The MU-2 is old tech DRM. It works, but when hardware changes occur it's not as automated for a re-activation. Such is not the case for our more automated solutions like that of the Falco and Corvalis, and such a system will soon be moving over to the MU-2 as well, thus phasing out the old non-automated system.

Thanks Cameron this is a good message. Tom
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