Steinberg's dongle alternative coming

#3 here as well.
+1
{‘-’}

I think that we have unfortunately reached a point in time, where the remaining viable option for Steinberg will be to do the Internet validation scheme. In this light, I would say that a dongle is the better alternative. There are a couple of improvements that I would like to see though.

  1. The ability to have the eLicenser on a local network, so that other local computers could be used, without moving the dongle around. This should not be compromising, since I believe that most users only own one license per product anyways. And the ones that can afford it, would probably buy additional licenses anyhow, since that would keep their progress from being interrupted in case of network problems.

  2. The ability to have a secondary COPY of the USB eLicenser with all my licenses. It is really a concern, to have to call around and reactivate my licenses if it were to go. I own licenses from FabFilter, Steinberg, VirSyn and Waldorf. All which uses the eLicenser, and in case my eLicenser were to go, I really am not looking forward to the hassle, if this were ever to occur.

The argument for copy protection I support, absolutely, but not at the expense of the user who wish to pay for the products. Sure, it is preventing piracy, to a point, but it is also inconveniencing legitimate customers.


A greater concern, IMO, is the way that continuous upgrades are becoming the norm. This in DRM land is better than good, even though the scheme in my opinion is a total rip off. E.g. you buy Cubase 4 for $500, and upgrade to every version at the cost of $200 each, up to C7, which totals $1,100. Someone else buys that same C4, but decides to skip upgrades until C7, which for this person is $300, and that brings the grand total of $800. Fairly big difference, and if the upgrade cost increases, so does the difference.

Well now, some arguments will be “no one is forced to upgrade” and “they also cannot use the new features”, etc. but I have yet to get to my point. Companies (in general) put out so much software of absolute crap quality, that a lot of times you don’t even get the value for which you paid, and certainly not when you paid for it. The upgrade cycle actually benefits from this. E.g. If you have no problems with C4, then what’s the real incentive to upgrade? You could actually feel comfortable staying with what you are familiar with until you need some newly presented feature, which are harder for companies to come up with. As it is now, you are compelled to upgrade since you are still experiencing problems, on your system, and worse, in some cases the problems from the past are promised to be fixed in the newer version, which you now have to pay for, even though you technically already did. A feature that got lost in the previous version shows up as a new feature in a new version is a classic too… Maybe C5 will improve my situation. Maybe C6 will… Hopefully C7…

It is in no way particular to Steinberg, it is a global phenomena. The same thing is happening with operating systems, and the whole thing appears to be increasing too. E.g. apps that just “closes” and you or the system restarts it and you are left with a greater fear of loss… an upgrade will surely fix it, eh?

This may not have been a plan per se, but it’s also not fiction. I may have bent things a bit, but there is no denying the underlying red line. It’s 2013 and there is no HAL to be found on Amazon… if Clarke’s right, his timing was way off. Maybe the people behind Idiocrazy are more accurate… :wink:

If other companies can support multiple authorization schemes http://www.izotope.com/support/portal/authorization.asp, Steinberg can as well.

If other people can live very well with the dongle, you can as well…

Come on, thinkingcap, that was really cheap of you. :angry:

For me, the dongle is really hamstringing my use of Cubase with my band, because (as I said before) I don’t want to carry about EUR 1.000,- of software around with me in public transport.

A “lease software for x hours to other dongle” with automatic (!!!) return of the license to the original dongle would solve all my problems. If the dongle where I have the license on for, say, 12 hours gets lost I simply laugh and shrug it off.

At the moment, taking Cubase, Halion, Waldorf Largo and Padshop Pro with me is an absolute no - go. Absolute.

We’re often talking about the possibilities of using Cubase and all that during rehearsal in my band, btw… I just wish we could… :frowning:

I understand your concerns. I would be happy with a system like the new TLC (Theft & loss coverage) from ilok.


“Theft & Loss Coverage (Requires Second Generation iLok)
We are pleased to announce a new option with Zero Downtime™ service called Theft & Loss Coverage (TLC). With this new option, we can handle your lost or stolen iLok RMA the same way as a broken iLok RMA - we’ll be able to replace your licenses instead of you having to contact each of the software publishers and potentially pay for new licenses. Imagine the time and cost savings should your iLok ever be lost or stolen.

ZDT/TLC settings in iLok License Manager
TLC Details and Requirements:

Requires a Second Generation iLok
TLC allows us to replace your licenses if your iLok is lost or stolen.
In order to have instant access to your licenses, you should have a spare iLok handy.
An RMA License Recovery and Replacement fee will apply.
An iLok must have ZDT coverage to be eligible for TLC.
The TLC option MUST be turned on your iLok BEFORE it is lost or stolen for full license replacement to occur (see the iLok’s Details panel in the iLok License Manager application).
The TLC option must be refreshed in iLok License Manager (with one click!) every 90 days.
The refresh operation is quick and does NOT depend on the number of licenses on your iLok.
If an iLok’s TLC expires, it will stop working until refreshed by the iLok License Manager application.
Get coverage today by purchasing ZDT then use iLok License Manager to enable TLC on your iLok!”

Well, why for some people is an argument “cheap”, if it is agaimst their opinion, but “valid”, if it supports one´s opinion…? Mr. “Pro” paaltio also seems to have difficulties with that…
Sure Steinberg can implement that, but obviously they don´t want to - said several times already. And “everyone else does it” is simply an invalid argument - in both directions - it´s just, for some people it seems only true in one direction.
I personally don´t care, if someone likes the dongle or not. And I don´t really want to think about why people buy Cubase, if it´s such a problem for them. Fact is, it has been said by Steinberg several times already, that the dongle will stay - and it will probably be the same, when that discussion comes up again in 3 or 4 months

The fact that this topic is so debated is a testament to Cubase. Of course, everyone knows they COULD use one of several other DAWs without a dongle (or any copy protection method at all). The fact it, THEY DON"T WANT TO. They want to use Cubase. If Cubase was a weak product, they would have left long ago. The ironic thing is that this high demand for Cubase is why it needs strong copy protection.

Indeed. Nicely put.

Put it this way, if a dongle was the predeterminer about whether or not I purchase something; then I’d have to re-asses how serious I actually am about music in the first place.

Sure there is a mobility factor for some but as a compositional tool, nothing beats Cubase.

This could be said about any feature request. I doubt the dongle alone is make-or-break for anyone, yet it, like all other issues people request, is something that matters to them.

In the end if Steinberg’s calculation is that the people for whom it is the last straw is a smaller group than the money lost to piracy, then that’s why the dongle will stay. Not because people on forums defend it.

Agreed.

It’s not so much people using unauthorized or illegitimate software in a non-profit setting, it’s when it becomes standard or recommended practice for people to give it (software) to their friends, associates etc., and them assuming it’s the real deal, and the problems that can stem; not to mention the potential torrent of questions in forums like this from inexperienced users.

I don’t see a single post arguing otherwise. What’s up for debate is the outdated method of tying a physical dongle to a software product, when more efficient, customer-friendly authorization schemes are available…

Plenty of major AND minor developers w/well-known titles using dongle-less authorization schemes today, so the argument about Steinberg requiring a dongle alone for “strong copy protection” is, well… weak.

Just to be clear, (and maybe this was not directed at me) this is NOT my argument. My point is not, and never has been, that a dongle is required (or desired, for that matter).

It isn’t my business to say what sort of copy protection Steinberg uses. That is their job. My business is to decide whether I will spend my money on their product.

J.L.

I don’t need to take Cubase to the stage, but I’d love to be able to use Halion 5/HalionSonic 2 without a dongle on my 2 USB-port MacBookAir.
The only VI’s in my collection that require dongles are Steinberg’s and EWQL.

Steinberg already has dongle-free copy protection in place for their entry-level products, so it wouldn’t be that big of a jump to at least take the shackles off the VI’s.

There might be an external solution available for this task:
http://www.seh-technology.com/products/usb-device-servers/myutn-50a.html

We have had a test run here at work and it worked very well. The USB-eLicenser is available on the network and you can “take it” to be able to work on your system. It is not possible to use the same USB-eLicenser simultaneously on different systems though.
Also note that this is not an official recommendation because we haven’t done any official tests so far.

Regarding the USB-eLicenser dicussion in general, I can only say that the USB-eLicenser will be here for some time to come. We are currently discussing a shorter version that would be introduced during next year if everything works as expected and we are also discussing a rather simple way for you to cover short term downtimes due to a USB-eLicenser failure or theft. No details are available yet but we’ll let you know!

When you say shorter, I assume you mean like the Bluetooth mouse transmitters? That to me would satisfy all problems. Mine has been in my laptop or 18 months and I don’t even think about it!

What about the “leasing” of say the Artist soft licence within ELC though in the short term? Is this not feasible? Essentially you are disabling the dongle but still getting 75% of the product as and when you need it.

Not exactly as short as some of the Bluetooth transmitters but significantly shorter.
Cubase Artist also requires a USB-eLicenser, it would have to be Cubase Elements and depending on the project, this might not be enough as a interim solution as features are missing. It should be possible to continue to work with the version you purchased.

I thought Artist was a soft e, not a problem then

:astonished:

Thank god I didn’t purchased the Arstist versión (as wantend a while ago) for on location recording the :confused: