ACTIVATION: A Doomsday Scenario

[sgerber]

This thread is written not to question the ethics of Alpha Software in enforcing activation of their product to prevent unlawful use or misappropriation of their intellectual property. It is written pragmatically to call into question our rights as paid users.

Flash forward to next Monday morning. Like any other Monday morning, you awaken, have breakfast, and check the Alpha forum for postings. The web site does not respond. You try again and find the domain cannot be found. You call Alpha Software to find out if their server has problems and the phone doesn't answer. Hours pass with the same result. Where is Alpha Five?

What you do not yet know is that the company is in default, their assets have been seized, their web site has been shut down. You ask yourself "how do I get support; how do I buy more licenses for my clients". Then you realize, "You don't!" You'll simply have to rely on your own knowledge or perhaps a few Alpha friends for support, and use your last good download and install from that.

The phone rings, you learn a client had a fire and 7 machines were destroyed. They've organized a rescue team, temporary quarters were obtained, 7 new PCs are being delivered by Best Buy in 4 hours, and they want you there to assist in the installation of Alpha Five and any required data recovery.

Flash forward 4 hours, you're at the temporary site, the Geek Squad has set up the new machines, and you're there with your precious 118MB of Alpha Five on your flashdrive. The software installs and wants the license number. Smart consultant that you are, always prepared ... you have the requisite license information. Oops that dialogue box comes up asking you to press a key to continue activation. What's this, "server not found". Of course it can't be found, it was seized. Ah, a dialogue comes up informing you that in case of trouble call Alpha. Wait, they're not answering their phones. Of course they're not, there no longer are phones or people to answer them. You'll check the forums to see how others are handling this, but wait ... there are no forums any longer. Ok, you'll solve this one way or the other, after all you're an Alphaholic and you're friends with the Rabin brothers. You call Selwyn and Richard and get their recordings. They're not in. Of course, they're not. They're in the Bahamas, or the Caymans, or wherever executives of seized companies go off to to strategize the rest of their lives.

OK, now that the unthinkable has happened, what do you do?

Dramatic? Of course. Can it happen to you? Again, of course. I have a web client that used message board software I recommended, "Discus Pro". (www.discusware.com) Take a moment and enter their URL into your browser. Ran like a charm for 5 years, had a problem, went to their excellent forum for assistance, and received the same result you just got. I Googled them to see where their forum ended up, no hits. Googled some more to see what happened to them. Small company, nothing on Google. I did find hits from companies that would be willing to convert their Discus message board to something else.

I had private conversations with 3 Alphaholics asking them how they would get their clients activated in such a situation. THEY DIDN'T KNOW!

Can someone please tell Sam Gerber how he'll install his son's Alpha Five V11 on a brand new Windows 12 computer in a few years with Alpha gone?

[Mike Wilson]

Re: ACTIVATION: A Doomsday Scenario

Sam,
Are you saying that your concern is that even if you have the license for you application(s) that entering that license upon install stil requires the application to ping the company?

[sgerber]

Re: ACTIVATION: A Doomsday Scenario

Sam,
Are you saying that your concern is that even if you have the license for you application(s) that entering that license upon install stil requires the application to ping the company?

No. I'm not saying that because I do not know yet. I have had conversations with two Alphaholics who told me they don't know what will happen, but they don't quite agree with one another.

One told me that the important thing is the computer name where it is installed. The next computer it's installed on will have to have the same computer name. The file called "activation.key" will have to be transferred as well. The license number also has to be entered. All this having been done, I do not yet know whether Alpha will install, licensed, without a network "ping" to the activation server.

The other told me that the key is also in the registry and that leg of the registry would have to be copied over as well. If that's true, that's bad news. Windows registries are not necessarily compatible with each other. I have personally seen an incompatibility between XP Home and XP Professional.

Mike, to my thinking, the ONLY honorable thing for Alpha to do (assuming activation requirements continue beyond Alpha's demise) would be for them to always have an update handy which removes activation requirements. They should leave that in the hands of a responsible party who will advertise it and make it publicly available to all licensed users. Also, they should bank the funds right now, along with a legal agreement, that a designated third party will continue the forums for a reasonable period of time, specified in years.

Long answer Mike, but this has the potential to hurt a lot of people.

--- Sam

[Allen Klimeck]

Re: ACTIVATION: A Doomsday Scenario

Sam take a deep breath!!

To your last question first I doubt that Alpha 5V11 will run on Windows 12 when Microsoft gets there assuming that they (Microsoft) are still in business by then.


Sam if we're talking a desktop application NO PROBLEM. If on the other hand we're talking a web based application your concerns are valid. There should be some trust between Alpha Software & their developers. We should be able to move an activated WEB server to a new server without help from Alpha. However we need to look at it from Alpha's perspective. Some users would load as many servers as they needed! Of course that would violate the license agrement! But if you can some will.

On the desk top side goto :

Win XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\"YOUR USER NAME"\Application Data\Alpha Software\Alpha Five Version 11

Win Vista & 7
C:\Users\"YOUR USER NAME"\App Data\Roaming\Alpha Software\Alpha Five Version 11

You should find your activation.key file save a copy or print it, it's just a text file.

Name the new computer the same as the old computer copy the activation.key file to the same folder on the new computer done!! You can enter the number from the printed copy into the activation dialog if you prefer. NO need to contact Alpha Software!

WEB based WAS Server:

You must deactivate the server on line (on the old server) and activate the new server on line. Or call alpha to deactivate the old server still need to activate new server on line.

[sgerber]

Re: ACTIVATION: A Doomsday Scenario

Sam take a deep breath!!

To your last question first I doubt that Alpha 5V11 will run on Windows 12 when Microsoft gets there assuming that they (Microsoft) are still in business by then.

Sam if we're talking a desktop application NO PROBLEM. If on the other hand we're talking a web based application your concerns are valid. There should be some trust between Alpha Software & their developers. We should be able to move an activated WEB server to a new server without help from Alpha. However we need to look at it from Alpha's perspective. Some users would load as many servers as they needed! Of course that would violate the license agrement! But if you can some will.

On the desk top side goto :

Win XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\"YOUR USER NAME"\Application Data\Alpha Software\Alpha Five Version 11

Win Vista & 7
C:\Users\"YOUR USER NAME"\App Data\Roaming\Alpha Software\Alpha Five Version 11

You should find your activation.key file save a copy or print it, it's just a text file.

Name the new computer the same as the old computer copy the activation.key file to the same folder on the new computer done!! You can enter the number from the printed copy into the activation dialog if you prefer. NO need to contact Alpha Software!

Allen, very glad to see your post. I'm personally concerned only with the desktop version. Is sounds like you've done this yourself and there was no mandate to go to the internet for activation. Is that correct? Alpha Five V11 installed fully licensed, having seen the activation.key in place and with the correct content, and also seeing the Computer Name had not changed. Is that correct?

You said:

You can enter the number from the printed copy into the activation dialog if you prefer.

Don't quite get this part. Allen are you saying here that entering the license number during the installation dialogue is an alternative to having the "activation.key" file in place? Once the license number is added the installation procedure will then create the activation.key file. Please just clear us up on this one point.

Allen, you may be bringing a major sigh of relief to a LOT of people.

I know the registry contains the product license number but to reiterate what you explained, that's not our concern. Is that correct? (I was told by one gentleman that part of the registry had to be ported to the new machine but I believe that was hearsay to him).

Would you kindly read my remarks, Allen and then tie this into a tight knot.

Thanks so much ... Sam

[Allen Klimeck]

Re: ACTIVATION: A Doomsday Scenario

There is no mandate to goto the internet for activation just save a copy of the activation.key file. Sam you enter your license number in the dialog provided when Alpha 5 starts. There will be an activation dialog and an option to request an activation number or enter one you already have click the second option and paste in the number. Keep in mine that each activation number is unique to the machine name you need to keep track of both.

[Editor]

Re: ACTIVATION: A Doomsday Scenario

UNFORTUNATELY - this is the same scenario with Adobe products, and it is near impossible to just "copy" the activation to a new machine. Every time I upgrade or build a replacement editor, I have the same issues. So -> Kill the hackers and software pirates and we can go back to a simpler time when the floppy discs would just run!. Seriously, I agree this could be catastrophic for any software user.

[DaveM]

Re: ACTIVATION: A Doomsday Scenario

As far as the development a5, I can't answer that. I do believe that you can install to a machine with the same name with not much problem. I do change the registry by adding alpha to it and have never had a problem with that (xp - win7 all varieties). Follow allen's good advice on the file.

The runtime will work as long as you have the license key. I have put this on a machine with no internet access with absolutely no problems.

[sgerber]

Re: ACTIVATION: A Doomsday Scenario

and it is near impossible to just "copy" the activation to a new machine. Every time I upgrade or build a replacement editor, I have the same issues.

"Editor" your reference to Adobe is likening it to Alpha Five. Let's put Adobe aside. Are you saying that you cannot activate Alpha Five on a new machine using the procedure Allen Klimeck discussed?

Also, the expression "near impossible" is like "usually always". Do you mean "difficult", and yet you succeeded anyway?

If your procedure failed, it would be helpful if you explained it, step by step, and we could use that as an example of what to avoid.

Thanks ... Sam

[DaveM]

Re: ACTIVATION: A Doomsday Scenario

Guess we will just have to wait til dec 21 this year to find out, assuming we don't float off into space.

[sgerber]

Re: ACTIVATION: A Doomsday Scenario

Guess we will just have to wait til dec 21 this year to find out, assuming we don't float off into space.

Somebody owns a Mayan Calendar or watches too many CNBC commercials.

[2ninerniner2]

Re: ACTIVATION: A Doomsday Scenario

As a relative newcomer to Alpha (April this year), I have to say that I share Sam's precise concern, as I am ONLY doing the web side of things. Although new to Alpha, I am not new to "this" as I have been doing it since '81 and have seen my fair share of "industry stalwarts" suffer a similar fate as Sam describes.

This is the only product that I have used to create solutions that I sell where online activation is required to set it up (WAS) and that scares the crap out of me.

What initiated my "paranoia" is the constant barrage of "squeeze-page"-like emails from Alpha; their constant "preaching to the choir". When, and where, was the last advert you have seen for their product? Or a review of their current one? They are few and far between.

Don't get me wrong; I totally love the product and wish Alpha indefinite success! But I continue to have this nagging feeling about the scenario Sam has written about above.

[Ted Giles]

Re: ACTIVATION: A Doomsday Scenario

When, and where, was the last advert you have seen for their product? Or a review of their current one? They are few and far between.

+1.
It would help in the UK if anyone apart from us choirboys knew a bit more about Alpha.
As I don't have V11, I guess I'm out of the danger zone as I have a usable stable version and unlimited runtime.
Or maybe I am in the danger zone but blissfully unaware.

[Ted Giles]

Re: ACTIVATION: A Doomsday Scenario

Osiyo Dave.
Dousdi Hina?..

Guess we will just have to wait til dec 21 this year to find out, assuming we don't float off into space.

[DaveM]

Re: ACTIVATION: A Doomsday Scenario

dohitsu Ted

osiquu

I think the scientists say all the planets align with the sun at that time(or at leat most of them). That could be a real problem if my thinking is correct.