X10 - no more hardware locks


lbuttery
 Share

Recommended Posts

13 minutes ago, VisualDandD said:

10-4.   But I guess I just have to take your word for it in this case.   What makes it look bad is when another poster inquires about it, and HIS post is deleted.


Again, I still dont have any idea what is going on.   Just does not look good.   This forum is usually made up of pretty even headed guys (and gals ;) .)   I just like to make those judgements on my own.

 

Anyway.  Back on topic of no hardware locks.   I have debated this internally for sometime.   I really dont like the reliance of a server somewhere to have access to my work.   BUT i have lived with it as it seems to be the way things go these days.   But....as I do in other aspects of my life.   "What if"......    What if Chief closes its doors and turns off the lights?  Valid question for sure.

 

 

 

I saw it all too and tried to calm his fears it didn't help , he also posted on my Profile , which I deleted after trying to show him the EULA.

 

And I too am surprised CA deleted or removed the User? especially without any warning....

 

There has always been a niggle in the back of my mind too about needing and activation Server.....one would hope that if they knew they were going backrupt that they would release a Patch (or email registered Users ) so as to make the Activation Server not necessary. 

 

But they refuse to talk about theses Issues, or Release a Statement, so occasionally we get a conspiracy theorist go off the deep end :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Kbird1 said:

 

 

If you live in a big City or even a small one in Nth America all is fine ...usually . not so much if you work in a remote areas sometimes , that in some cases (mine) don't even have Cell coverage... CA is sold worldwide too remember , not everyone on Earth has a 100mb Broadband connection sitting on their Desk.

 

M.


Absolutely. And again, I can appreciate and understand that for some people having a hardware lock is imperative and/or just more convenient. 

At the end of the day we're all voicing our opinions based off our current situation. For me personally, moving away from a hardware lock wouldn't affect me in the slightest. 

:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, DRAWZILLA said:

You all realize Chief has had the internet check in for a few versions now. Not new

 

Yep ...more than a few versions , 4 or 5 ?  , but not sure exactly when it started , they added the ability to use your phone to switch about 2 years ago I think though?

 

CA is watching this thread according to what Online Users are looking at and the last 4 Visitors on my Profile were from CA too, which has never happened before...

 

M.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, VisualDandD said:

10-4.   But I guess I just have to take your word for it in this case.   What makes it look bad is when another poster inquires about it, and HIS post is deleted.


Again, I still dont have any idea what is going on.   Just does not look good.   This forum is usually made up of pretty even headed guys (and gals ;) .)   I just like to make those judgements on my own.

 


I totally agree in that it never looks go to delete voices of concern. Unfortunately the fashion in which things were posted (forum flooding), the irrational content that was being posted as well as the accusations, coupled with the fact that multiple people were reporting the user, in my opinion Chief Architect staff had no choice but to delete the posts. 

Ultimately (and again this is just my opinion), if the post was made in more of a rational, calm manner and limited to one forum topic, the post probably wouldn't have been deleted.


 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chief might consider Grandfathering long term users/supporters at this turning point in the programs growth.  Many of us that have been around 20 years or more, longer than a lot of the staff, have years of training and our life long careers, businesses and livelihoods built supporting the Chief Architect, It's staff and the program.  Those of us around between 10 and X1 know what happen then.  Grandfathering Chief's loyal and fateful partners with a few different rules to thank them for their long term support would be a great way to say we need to go in a little different direction moving forward So we would like to Grandfather you for your support and belief in us all these years. IE: our Hardware Lock, really all we are asking for.  And it seems the long term supporters are the ones asking so you Chief does not have to worry about upsetting the rest.  Maybe a suggested line is you stayed with us though the X1 upgrade!  You had Chief 10

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If chief is concerned our hardware lock from the previous up-grade allow us to sell the old program when we upgrade to a new version, I understand their concern.  I would agree to returning the hardware lock for reprogramming each time.  Then both user and provider can feel safe. And both showed respect for each other's partnership in the growth and well being of Chief Architect for all of us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As someone who has used Chief for more than 20 years, I can say that I am DELIGHTED to have the software lock. The hardware lock has the advantage of not needing an internet connection, but that is it. This is a trivial advantage compared to advantages of never having to worry about losing it, forgetting it, or damaging it. I have managed to leave it at the office a number of times when I really needed it for my laptop, and it was nothing but a PITA. It also costs Chief more to support and mail out hardware locks, and I would rather see lower costs for Chief (and me, hopefully), as well as the option to get back up and running much faster if I lose the hardware lock. The reason people seem to want hardware locks is mostly fear-based; what if I don't have an internet connection? What if Chief suddenly decides to "turn off" unpaid subscriptions? What if the Chief server has problems? Many thousands of people are doing just fine without the hardware locks. Why can't you?

 

If any of those situations happen, you can deal with it in a variety of ways. Asking for "special" treatment just to deal with your fear is probably the least effective. And if you aren't getting more out of the software relationship -- at any time -- than you are paying, you should be switching to a different software, and there are a number out there. Vote with your feet and/or wallet. I don't always embrace the business decisions that Chief Architect has made, but having experienced a number of software companies who don't provide such a good cost/benefit ratio, I can say that Chief has always delivered far more value than the price I have paid.

  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, lbuttery said:

Richard:

 

for many releases now we have to pay extra for the hardware lock

 

last years it was $125

 

Lew

 

You would think in this day and age they could do a Firmware Update to the Drive for you and the Cost would be minimal , ie return postage if you have SSA and thus Premium Support . I can see them not wanting the files out in the wild , (so you could do it yourself) , but if you are willing to Fedex them them drive, ( cross-ship with CC ) then it should be a Service that is Offered rather than a money making Venture that once again "dings" good Clients.

 

M.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

so a lot of replies have come down with this hardware lock business. people like both sides of this ordeal. all depends and the person requirements. 
buying a hardware lock (which is not cheap), is also added revenue to help the CA's finances.
digitally lock for desk tops is totally fine, but being on the move the dongle is the answer for the moment, until CA could come up with another solution.
but saying that, i personally feel that CA is dragging behind in what today's and future needs require.
most of you know what i have been suggesting now for some years back to try and give the idea of Chief being a leader of something.
but sadly it is lacking many of today's requirements, even seeing CA X10 presentation video's.
CA at present is just concerning itself with interior home design, and not looking at today's architects or the future of architecture.

i hope that this will change soon, if not for me but for future architects.
have a good day/evening all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Kbird1 said:

 

You would think in this day and age they could do a Firmware Update to the Drive for you and the Cost would be minimal , ie return postage if you have SSA and thus Premium Support . I can see them not wanting the files out in the wild , (so you could do it yourself) , but if you are willing to Fedex them them drive, ( cross-ship with CC ) then it should be a Service that is Offered rather than a money making Venture that once again "dings" good Clients.

 

M.

 

 

I think the problem with a firmware lock would be that CA would be locked to only that computer, you would likely loose the ability to have it installed on several systems. That would not be dissimilar to Microsoft Windows which is tied specifically to your computer. CA licensing is to the user which is a huge advantage, you may have the software installed on multiple systems, the only restriction is that the number of active instances can't exceed your licensee limitation. Things may have changed but when I originally purchased Photoshop CS2 it was tied to the computer, if I tried to put the software on another system it would refuse to install saying it was already installed on another computer.

 

Personally, I believe CA has taken a very liberal approach to it's licensing. Software/internet licensing verification seems to me to be the best solution currently available that addresses CA's protective property rights and the needs of likely 99.9% of it's users. I have no problem with a "Trust but Verify" approach.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just another thought, I suspect that with the newer versions of CA that even if you use a hardware key it is still performing a software/internet verification when you have an active internet connection. You could likely verify this by going to your account and checking if the system with the Key in it is listed as activated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What is the end of days scenario........

 

Say "Rocket Man" push's his little button but only wipes out Idaho and the CA server (tough break guys).

I still got to get some drawings out before the cloud makes it East and while the little man push's his big button in winning retort.

 

Say even 30 days elapses with out internet.

 

Does the software stop working altogether on an installed machine with out internet or just the activate/ deactivate feature?.

If you use harness the radiation from the fallout cloud to power your desktop and never close the program will the program work forever?

 

Just trying to plan ahead.

 

Eric

  • Downvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That would not be dissimilar to Microsoft Windows which is tied specifically to your computer

 

I have Microsoft Office 2010 - 3 PC license and have it installed on all 3 of my PC's

 

Norton Internet anti-virus uses the same method

 

no need for software locks or hardware locks

 

Lew

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does the software stop working altogether on an installed machine with out internet or just the activate/ deactivate feature?.

 

Eric:

 

If you can't connect to the mother ship after X days your Chief stops working until you do connect again

 

a more likely scenario would be a massive fire at CA's HQ and the servers are melted down

 

I wonder if the have a secondary site on the East Coast ?

 

If not - then one by one the software locks will grind to a halt until they rebuild

 

Lew

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, lbuttery said:

That would not be dissimilar to Microsoft Windows which is tied specifically to your computer

 

I have Microsoft Office 2010 - 3 PC license and have it installed on all 3 of my PC's

 

Norton Internet anti-virus uses the same method

 

no need for software locks or hardware locks

 

Lew

 

That's similar to my licensing. For Windows I can have it on 5 pcs and I believe the same for my MS Office 360 monthly subscription. Microsoft monitors this as I can go to my Microsoft account and see what systems the software is installed on. My understanding for Windows is that it uses both software and hardware locking. When Windows is installed it obtains and stores a code embedded in a some chip on your motherboard, when Windows starts up it checks for a match. When you download Windows updates it does a software verification and I also suspect it is doing this on an ongoing basis behind the scene. It's not just for security, they collect a lot of marketing data via this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If X10 is no longer Supporting Hardware Keys why does it ship OOB with the Hasp Drivers ready to be Installed ? or at least did for Beta 3.... would seem they are going back and forwards on this issue....

 

C:\Program Files\Chief Architect\Chief Architect Premier X10 (64 bit)\Drivers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have more often than not gone ahead and purchased the hardware lock. Clearly, based on the massive price increases in the cost of the hardware lock, CA has been trying to discourage users from purchasing the lock. And in fact, I have no doubt that CA will claim that among other things, they have dropped the hardware lock option due to declining sales.......

 

The bottom line is that as others have pointed out, for what ever reason, not everyone has ready access to the internet. For myself, I predicated my purchase of the lock on the idea that at some point the internet and Windows would become so unsecured that to keep my files safe I would keep my primary workstation permanently disconnected from the internet. I find it troublesome that just that point has, in my personal estimation been reached, that Chief suddenly drops the Hardware lock. I for one want a lock. It is not that I don't trust CA per say, but the internet has evolved into a device that is equally adapt at stealing information as it is providing it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never understood the need for getting a new Dongle with every version upgrade. As Chief is doing currently, why couldn't they upgrade your hardware lock thru the computer the same as they do with the software check. Would only have to be done at each version upgrade and would allow that dongle to open and operate all previous versions. As it currently stands, I could give all of my old dongles to other people along with my manuals and program disks and they could be simultaneously using v7, 8, 9, 9.5, 10, x1-x5  while I plug away on x9. If the dongles were made backward compatible, it would be a whole lot easier to reference and bring drawings forward to the new version when needed. 

 

Personally, I would like to see a tool that would automatically bring all previous versions forward at each version upgrade. Kind of like migrating libraries. But what do I know? Just a thought and maybe not doable or valid.-bB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/20/2018 at 0:57 PM, Kbird1 said:

not everyone on Earth has a 100mb Broadband connection sitting on their Desk

Amen to that. My upload speed is around 40-50K on a good day! Try to upload a 25Mb file for a client to dropbox quick -- takes forever...or at least an hour sometimes. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share