Apple's strategy with software serial numbers.

thinkingdifferent

Since a serial number is required to use iWork, does this mean that iWork is being sold as a PRO application? I ask this because I was under the impression that iWork was going to replace AppleWorks which requires no serial number. Or might we see 2 Productivity software suites, one consumer and one pro? OR is Apple just moving to serial numbers in general?

hmurchison

With $499 Mac mini and iPod shuffles. Apple's only way to combat shrinking margins is going to be to start recouping maximum dollar on software.



There are no more excuses for Mac users to use for their justification of pirating Apple software.



I would recommend Apple serialize everything but the actual OS and iTunes.

ebby

While there is a justification to serialize everything, there is also more potential abuse. For example, I am dead-set against software "activation". (Which is different than registration.) It all comes down to how does Apple treat their customers; like thieves, friends, or somewhere in between.

tchwojko

Quote:

For example, I am dead-set against software "activation".

Why?

ebby

There is some information software companies don't need. 1) My name, 2) My address 3) My machine/setup. These are used for marketing purposes. Different people have different views of privacy. There are, of course, some cases where this is necessary, but normally this information is released at the discretion of the customer.



There are also other problems with activation. If the company decides to discontinue a software product, all they have to to do is shut down the server in charge of activating software. If that happens, reinstalls are impossible. Imagine if OS 9 was activation software. I just reinstalled OS 9 on my Beige G3 last week and without it I would be up a creek.



My Simple Viw:

Purchase of software = Use of software.

I don't like any technology that interferes or gets in the way.

blue2kdave

Quote:

Originally posted by tchwojko

Why?

Because when you run into problems with your system in the middle of the night, and try to do a archive and install of OSX, then your apps don't recognize the computer anymore and won't launch. And when you call you get someone (no kidding) in the Philippines who you can't understand.



This was my experience with Macromedia 04. In reality, they are punishing me the honest user because anyone can easily pirate your product. I know I did. After running into this problem more than once I gave up and installed pirated versions. I don't feel bad, because I did buy the damn thing...

pubguy

Product activation makes you completely dependant on the vendor to stay in business for you to use your rightly purchased software. There are many cases where a user has to reinstall their software. Can you imagine what it would be like if you owned (bought and paid for) 50 different programs that all required product activation and you then bought a newer computer and had to fresh install all 50 of those programs and go through product activation on all of them --- it would be a nightmare.



Serial numbers aren't that much better, but at least you don't have to contact the vendor to do a fresh install -- but it doesn't do jack to prevent piracy. It only takes minutes to get a valid serial number for almost any program on the internet. Again, it's just another piece of information the law abiding consumer has to keep track of.

outsider

I remember a few weeks back we had to reinstall macromedia Studio MX 2004 on a reformatted PC and we could not get the damn thing to activate. After a few calls to macromedia, we find out they are having problems with their activation server(s) and that the problem would be solved in 1 hour. 3 hours later we finally reinstalled but this definately left a very bad taste in my mouth.



And forget about Windows XP activation. Feh.

ra

Quote:

Originally posted by Ebby

My Simple View:

Purchase of software = Use of software.

But you never purchase the software, only a license to run the software.

nd32k3

I'm completely against activation. I don't want to worry about saving the boxes of products that I bought in case I get a computer virus, a new computer etc...I feel that computer companies are making a dumb decision making you activate and here is why.



-If someone wants to steal the software and downloads it, they will be able to find a serial number. Just adding a serial number does not stop people from stealing their product.



-Also, if a person pirates the software, THE COMPANY IS NOT LOSING MONEY. Yes, people will be able to use the software that they did not buy, but if someone wants to pirate the $650 dollar Adobe Photoshop, do you really think they would shell out more than half a thousand if they couldn't download the program?

tchwojko

Thanks for the cogent responses.

amorph

Quote:

Originally posted by Ra

But you never purchase the software, only a license to run the software.

This is true. But intuitively, people assume that the purchase of a thing gives them some claim on it. If they "buy" software (and as an aside, every company that uses "buy" instead of "license" is responsible for consumer expectations that they actually own what they've paid for, since that's what "buy" means by definition), they have every reason to assume that they can do with it what they can do with a CD, or book—i.e., pretty much anything, as long as it isn't tantamount to unauthorized publication, or (less intuitively, and more recently) unauthorized creation of a derivative work.



I recently had to create a whole new user on my computer, simply to get AppleScript Studio to behave correctly. So of course, I moved over all the apps I use for development. The Omni apps balked. Bare Bones gets kudos from me for asking for a registration code, but autofilling the one I'd entered for my other account—so my development account was a registered BBEdit user with a press of the return key.



Now, I'm not trying to get away with anything, or pull a fast one on anyone. I run multiple accounts as a best practice issue (admin, day-to-day user) and now out as a workaround for a bug (development user). But it's just me using apps that I paid for in the spirit of the license I paid for. The more hoops I have to jump through in order to use an application in a perfectly fair and sensible way, the less inclined I will be to use the application, or upgrade it, or buy anything else from the company.



Apple needs to be aware of that, because people do not like this approach. Their sense of control over their computers, and over their own data, is already too fragile, and this just destroys it.

dobby

I think serial numbers are fine.

I don't even mind if they look to see if the serail is used on the local net.

I personally despise any registration shit!

Not all machines have internet access. It also makes it much much harder to move the software to an upgraded machine or to another user that has taken over that task etc.



We dropped Quark because of its shit license. A dongle was fine but I had to upgrade a number (20) of machines and move some etc and I spent longer getting the Quark license moved than the entire installation/move took (hours!).



Dobby.