Frustrated With Chief ....may Be Going To Softplan

[lbuttery]

I prefer the USB key

 

doing the deactivate - activate dance seems very tedious to me

 

Revit costs was more than $1200 - probably closer to $5000 or more range

 

maybe you are referring to Revit lite ???

 

Chief also has a lite version and an Interiors version that sell for about half

of what Chief Premier costs

 

Lew

[Barton_Brown]

To add spice to the discussion, I'll disagree with Lew on the USB key.

CA used to have this type of hardware lock and I was always in fear of loosing it or moving my laptop and breaking it. I LOVE the new approach CA uses for activating/deactivating the license if you have multiple computers. As long as you have an internet connection, this process is fast, almost as fast has moving the hardware lock around between computers, and MUCH faster than getting the hardware lock replaced if lost or broken or you forgot to put it in your laptop bag when you left the office :-).

[lbuttery]

As long as you have an internet connection

 

Barton:

 

there's the rub...

 

I don't have a network at home

 

so I would have to do the following:

 

1. deactivate desktop

 

2. unpack laptop, find desk space

 

3. disconnect internet from desktop, connect to laptop

 

4. after laptop boots - activate license

 

5. turn off laptop

 

6. disconnect internet from laptop, connect to desktop

 

7. pack up laptop

 

8.  upon return from client  reverse steps 1-7

 

I can also stop upgrading and continue to use Chief "forever"

 

I see a day when CA may start "terminating" software licenses

that are X versions old

 

Lew

[MarkMc]

OTOH- Something has gone amok and need to remove the battery and power in emergency to shut down laptop. Tilt laptop to access battery- break USB port and  key (once)- DAMHIKT

[lbuttery]

Mark:

 

yep, s**t happens ....

 

Lew

[raltd9245]

Scott you are right on. The Company is as frustrating as any other.

[Kbird1]

No internet can be an issue as it was for me last year , no internet means the Program won't even open if it can't "Call Home" at least every 10-14 days.... not sure if that changed in X6? , Perhaps? but I think the Digital Locker is usable from Smart phones now , though wasn't last Yr when I needed this feature.

[Richard_Morrison]

Lew,

You have never used this feature, have you? You can activate and deactive from the same machine now. So - go to client's house with laptop and use their wifi. (Or go to Starbucks for a couple of minutes.) Use laptop to deactivate desktop and activate laptop. Go to office and forget that you left your laptop at home. Deactivate laptop and activate desktop from desktop. Takes about 60 sec's max. They finally got this right.

 

As long as you have an internet connection

 

Barton:

 

there's the rub...

 

I don't have a network at home

 

so I would have to do the following:

 

1. deactivate desktop

 

2. unpack laptop, find desk space

 

3. disconnect internet from desktop, connect to laptop

 

4. after laptop boots - activate license

 

5. turn off laptop

 

6. disconnect internet from laptop, connect to desktop

 

7. pack up laptop

 

8.  upon return from client  reverse steps 1-7

 

I can also stop upgrading and continue to use Chief "forever"

 

I see a day when CA may start "terminating" software licenses

that are X versions old

 

Lew

[lbuttery]

So - go to client's house with laptop and use their wifi. (Or go to Starbucks for a couple of minutes.)

 

Richard:

 

Starbucks maybe - but I would never ask a client to use their network

 

that even assumes they have one

 

I don't have a network

 

I really can' see a client being thrilled for me to ask if I can disconnect

their PC and connect mine

 

I also have concerns about CA disabling a software license whenever they

decide to change policies and maybe make SSA mandatory etc

 

my partner feels the same way

 

we plan to always get hardware locks

 

Lew

[Richard_Morrison]

Lew,

There is an amazing new invention called WiFi. You do not need to disconnect anything. I have never been to a client's home who didn't have a WiFi network, or at least an Internet connection. (And anyway, all my presentations are done online now. I don't go to clients' houses for Chief presentations anymore.)  And as harsh as it may sound, if you have multiple computers and no WiFi, you probably aren't really in business.

[BryceEngstrom]

Oh, ouch.

[joedesign30]

ibuttery yes I was referring to Revit LT (lite version) which is about $1,200 but geared more towards light commercial.  Having the AutoCAD background I tried it out and its pretty simple to use but just didn't have the residential automation like CA or softplan. 

 

If you don't have internet connection the yeah a USB key would be the way to go.  Now adays most anyone has internet access unless you live out of town.  AutoCAD licenses everything online now.  Autodesk is making it mandatory to have a subscription otherwise you have to buy the software at full price!! That's crazy.  So if someone buys AutoCAD 2014 and doesn't have a subscription then they have to pay full price for any later version!   I see most software companies going this route in the future which makes sense from a business stand point.

[lbuttery]

if you have multiple computers and no WiFi, you probably aren't really in business

 

Richard:

 

not even close to being true ....

 

Now adays most anyone has internet access unless you live out of town

 

again, I would never ask a client to use their internet

 

sorry, but It's hardware lock for me

 

Lew

[joedesign30]

hardware lock isn't a bad way to go!  Pop it out of the desktop and into the laptop and your sailing!

[Doug_Park]

From my point of view:

 

Hardware lock: Easily broken, lost and a pain to support when the drivers don't work right. Driver issues have historically been a major problem to support. Hardware lock companies are quickly losing business so eventually it looks like they will not be an option. We charge extra for this option because it costs us a lot more to support and results in on average more customer down time so we like to discourage it. A catestrophic failure, such as broken or stolen lock is bad as it can take in the worst case at least several days to get a replacement lock.

 

Software lock: Occasionally we see networking issues cause problems, but usually this is a problem that needs to be fixed anyway as it is probably interferring with the customers internet access. The software lock is the future and if trends continue will be our only option. It is currently the only option that we supply for Mac. We have far fewer support issues with the software lock. Normally a catestrophic hardware failure such as stolen laptop or massive disk failure won't prevent someone from getting back up and running even when we are closed.

 

There are a lot of "fears" that can be brought up about either system. The need for a digital rights managment system is unfortunate but necessary in our market and either system would eventually in most theoretical distopian future scenarios prevent you from accessing the software.

[MarkMc]

Keys are commonplace in kitchens with 2020. Often a topic of discussion or sad stories.

Here's my current; added the biner when I almost lost this one in a parking lot, added the usb extension after a friend had lock fail due to wear when meeting at a clients home. If I'd done that sooner I might not have broken one key and 3 usb ports over the years. I've become expert at redoing the Sentinal software, keep it on every machine.

 

Most KD's insure them; otherwise you pay full software price for lost key (plus support). So now it's just the deductible ($1k) and since I'm not on support whatever that is today with reinstatement($900)

 

I love CA's software key.

[mthd97]

In the end its not wrong to have a combination of major apps to get the job done.

 

If Softplan gives you something you need that you cant get done with Chief yet, then it may be good to have both?

 

I play guitar and I use Kramer, Fender, Gretsch and Gibson they give me different tones and some are good for playing the rhythm and others for lead and some for both.

 

So you don't have use one over the other if choose to use more than one.

[fcwilt]

From my point of view:

 

The software lock is the future and if trends continue will be our only option.

 

I don't mind software locks but I don't think CA's is the the most user friendly.

 

I have software from other companies and the software lock is "transparent" for lack of a better word.

 

I don't know how they work internally but from an end users point of view there is nothing to do. You buy as many licenses as you need. When you start up the program it goes to the vendor site and checks for an unused license. If it finds one it marks it as used and the program runs normally. If all of the licenses are in use you get a message. No activating/deactivating - just start the program on any computer and if there is a free license you are good to go.

 

I used programs that have this approach for many years and have never had an issue - it just seems to work.

 

Now I suppose its possible that something might happen, like a program crash, that would prevent the license from being freed (which happens when you stop using the program) but I have not encountered that.

 

If other companies can do this you can too.

[lbuttery]

When you start up the program it goes to the vendor site and checks for an unused license.

 

Frederick:

 

ahhh, but an internet connection is required

 

what if the internet is not available

 

not all clients have internet or are willing to share it

 

what if you are on a boat or a cabin at the lake, etc etc etc

 

Lew

[fcwilt]

Hi Lew,

 

I as suggesting the hardware keys don't have advantages.

 

I was just mentioning that there are software key approaches that take next to no user interaction.

 

 

My daughter has a little battery powered device from Verizon that creates a local wifi hotspot using her cell phone account.

 

This might work in some situations where there is no direct internet connection.

 

Just a thought.

[Richard_Morrison]

The latest version of iPhones even has the local hotspot feature built in. But what if you are many miles offshore on your boat, or in a remote village of Nepal, trying to get your plans done? Oh, yeah, there are times when that hardware lock really comes in handy!

 

Hi Lew,

 

I as suggesting the hardware keys don't have advantages.

 

I was just mentioning that there are software key approaches that take next to no user interaction.

 

 

My daughter has a little battery powered device from Verizon that creates a local wifi hotspot using her cell phone account.

 

This might work in some situations where there is no direct internet connection.

 

Just a thought.

[fcwilt]

Ya see that's why I said "MIGHT WORK IN SOME SITUATIONS".

 

I KNOW hardware locks have certain advantages - but there are some things you can try to minimize the problems with the current SOFTWARE lock - and there things CA could do to make the software lock approach better.

 

I happen to prefer a hardware lock but it's a dying breed - not much point in fighting it.

 

Besides if I'm out on my boat or in Nepal - I'm on vacation - no work allowed. 

[lbuttery]

I've been advocating for a metered system

 

pay for 8 hrs on the laptop and then when it declines enough

 

just pay for more time and no need for hardware locks or internet connections

until more time is needed

 

Lew

[fcwilt]

I've been advocating for a metered system

 

 

Lew

 

That would be good but CA might object that someone could hack the system and find a way to up the time allotted.

 

I've got an idea - CA could just trust us - like folks used to do. 

[lbuttery]

someone could hack the system and find a way to up the time allotted

 

Frederick:

 

they can do the same with the software or hardware lock

 

Lew