Adobe Product Activation Protest

[Ray Austin]

Ok gize and gals,

Let's all give Adobe and earfull. Let's yell at em loud and clear.

NO ACTIVATION!!!

http://www.adobe.com/activation/feedback.html

[Ray Austin]

Thank you Brian! One of the few things that I agree with you on. I wish I would have saved what I wrote them, very close to what you said....

Very, very good! I love it. Now if we can garner more support maybe we can change Adobe's mind regarding this decision.


Please vote... and get as many of your friends to do so as well. If we don't soon there won't be a piece of software out there that won't require activation. I have better things to do with my time how about you???

By Brian Ellis

I have just "feedbacked" Adobe as follows:

I run 4 computers for technical journalism and beta testing work. 2 of these are dedicated to hardware/software testing, one for video/graphics and the other for CAD work. Neither has Internet access (deliberately, as all resources are reserved for testing purposes and security is primordial). These two computers have frequent hardware changes. For obvious reasons, I have different, legally obtained, Adobe software on both, so that compatibility problems can be ascertained.

I refuse absolutely to purchase ANY software needing any form of activation. For this reason, both these computers still run W2k (and Linux) and not XP. My reasons are:
- it is absolutely no business of yours to know when I make a major hardware change (typically every 2 weeks) and I consider this an invasion of privacy
- there is a risk that you will decide that I am abusing the licence terms and will deactivate the product or refuse to reactivate it
- as these two computers do not have Internet connections, it would entail frequent and costly intercontinental phone calls to reactivate, a hassle, to say the least.

Please be advised that I understand your concern regarding pirating, but, as a video and CAD pro, consider that this is not the way to tackle the problem. I currently run two softwares with dongles and I have no objections to these.

I have already condemned the notion of activation of XP in the articles I write (published in several technical journals) and I shall have no hesitation in doing the same regarding any software manufacturer who follows Microsoft's lead in this matter.

In my opinion, you will lose considerable sales if you persist in this matter, because I know many others who share my views (and can name some of them, if you wish.


__________________
Brian (the terrible)

[paulw]

Went to the link. File out the "Require Fields" , clicked register and got
"We're sorry! The page you were trying to view is no longer here. If you reached this page from another part of Adobe.com, please let us know so we can fix the problem."

May be too many negative posts??

[SpiralDragon]

wtf... every one is going active now..... sheesh... one would think theyd learn ... all this is going to do is add pain to the customers.. more costs for adobe and the pirates will still have their way......

[wkulecz]

The only vote that counts is to not buy it!

Everyting else is hot air.

I saw nothing in 7 to make me update from version 6, I want the 16-bit adjustment layers this one is supposed to have, but not enough to buy into a product activation scheme!

--wally.

[Ray Austin]

Originally posted by wkulecz
The only vote that counts is to not buy it!

Everyting else is hot air.

I saw nothing in 7 to make me update from version 6, I want the 16-bit adjustment layers this one is supposed to have, but not enough to buy into a product activation scheme!

--wally.

Well Wally, it's just the CS products right now... {photoshop cs}

P-pro doesn't have it yet. That is why it's important to tell Adobe how we feel. If they get enough they will hopefully drop it altogether.

So keep it up guys we don't want every piece of software we own to require activation. The internet was never intended for that.

BTW, here is a good discussion on this topic...

http://forum.canopus.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=110180&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1

[KRSESQ]

On a related note:

Interesting reversal of policy.

Kevin

[Graham Meredith]

Activation stuff is useless for preventing piracy. An internet search will quickly find a crack for XP that has been in use since it came out, I know some people using it. It hasn't done a thing.

Graham

[Ray Austin]

Originally posted by Graham Meredith
Activation stuff is useless for preventing piracy. An internet search will quickly find a crack for XP that has been in use since it came out, I know some people using it. It hasn't done a thing.

Graham

Well using a cracked version will not allow you to easily apply Service Packs/ Updates. The software would/ could likely check for activation. Although I am sure someone could crack that as well.

I would rather have a legit copy with NO ACTIVATION REQUIRED

[moreau]

Interesting to note that most software that requires activiation is also available in "activationless" versions for places with site licences, etc.

Afterall, you are the IT manager at a company with 5000 workstations and you have to do remote push installs on half and on-site networkless installs on the others, the last thing you wanna do is have to actually go to first half and activate and force the other half to be brought somewhere with a network port, etc. etc.

So... if your big customers don't have activation, you are using it to stop the ones and twos (like the kids who buy one and share it with 50 of their closest friends... What I don't get is that that has to be in the noise as far as lost income for the software company.

Final thought... if I made software, I would never ever put in activation. Here is a scenario:
company X buys my acounting software. The software is legal and activated according to the agreement. Months later, due to a software bug, the software malfunctions and shuts down the operations of the company that bought it. Their lawyer calls my lawyer and says: "you owe us for all of the lost business (compensatory damages) as well as all of the lost future business due to the ill will or distrust customers now have for us becuase our operations were shut down for 24-36 hours (compensatory damages), as well as a bit more for being a moron (punitive damages)".

If my lawyers were smart, they would have nipped this in the bud before the software was released.

CEM