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General discussion (archive)Punish the innocent, betray the loyal(52 posts)(52 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted July 08, 2014
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IAmSinistar: ...the $500 program...

...I'm installing the GNU Image Manipulation Program...
$500?! **** no! GIMP is pretty good so your switch may be overdue anyway
Posted July 08, 2014
I've so much trouble with these issues. Our schools AutoCAD program ran into this. They purchased the correct amount for all the computers in the tech wing, than 5 years after that they all shut down saying it was stolen... after 5 years! yes the programs were way out of date but that's because teh school didn't have enough money to upgrade. At this point it was equal money to try and get the license again as it would be to get a new version and train the teachers to use the new version.
Posted July 08, 2014
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IAmSinistar: This is a rant. It is software related, but not specifically to gaming.

Recently my installation of CorelDraw started popping up a dialog when starting saying that my key was no longer valid. This after two years of running the program without any trouble. And yes, this is a purchased commercial copy of it, box and manuals and discs and all. In spite of all this, it eventually shut itself down into "Viewer" mode, and now wants to extort another $150 from me to get a "legitimate" key.

So basically, due to overzealous and poorly written anti-pirate coding by Corel, the $500 program I purchased now will not function. I don't even have the desire to sit in their Support Desk wait queue to get it straightened out. They have taken 15 years of product loyalty from me and thrown it out the window for the sake of stopping pirates that they'll never stopped. But they sure stopped me from using what I paid for.

Once again, you're punished by a software company for doing the right thing. Guess they're following the lead of the movie and music industries.

F@#$ Corel. I'm installing the GNU Image Manipulation Program and saying goodbye to one of the last non-Open Source programs I still used.
Good luck getting any response from Corel. I also had a copy years ago, my code wouldn't work on my new Vista computer, couldn't even get a reply from them to tell me if it was the OS or their DRM. Never tried it on WIn7. I think I gave it away.
Posted July 08, 2014
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the_atm: I've so much trouble with these issues. Our schools AutoCAD program ran into this. They purchased the correct amount for all the computers in the tech wing, than 5 years after that they all shut down saying it was stolen... after 5 years! yes the programs were way out of date but that's because teh school didn't have enough money to upgrade. At this point it was equal money to try and get the license again as it would be to get a new version and train the teachers to use the new version.
That's just evil. Sounds to me like they decided you had gotten your money's worth and you needed to pay the vig again. That's basically gentrification through license management - making sure that the only people who learn AutoCAD are the ones going to the schools rich enough to keep buying the latest.

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jadeblackhawk: Good luck getting any response from Corel. I also had a copy years ago, my code wouldn't work on my new Vista computer, couldn't even get a reply from them to tell me if it was the OS or their DRM. Never tried it on WIn7. I think I gave it away.
Yah, they've already made their lack of caring quite clear. They've got the gold-digging attitude down pat, though - "Yeah, you spent a lot of money on me before. But what you spent on me TODAY?"
Posted July 08, 2014
Another purchased product that reveals to be an unclear limited rental.. f**k this!
Post edited July 08, 2014 by phaolo
Posted July 08, 2014
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IAmSinistar:
What exactly were you using Draw for? - Might know of some other programs you should check (free / cheap ones).
Post edited July 08, 2014 by Sachys
Posted July 08, 2014
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Sachys: What exactly were you using Draw for? - Might know of some other programs you should check (free / cheap ones).
A variety of things - photo editing, prepress layout, web design, screenprint patterns. I'm installing GIMP and Inkscape to fill the void, but if you have more suggestions, please post them. Everyone can benefit from a good toolkit of free software. (You and I have already swapped free 3D software suggestions before, there are a lot of those which are fab.)
Posted July 08, 2014
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IAmSinistar: This is a rant. It is software related, but not specifically to gaming.

Recently my installation of CorelDraw started popping up a dialog when starting saying that my key was no longer valid. This after two years of running the program without any trouble. And yes, this is a purchased commercial copy of it, box and manuals and discs and all. In spite of all this, it eventually shut itself down into "Viewer" mode, and now wants to extort another $150 from me to get a "legitimate" key.

So basically, due to overzealous and poorly written anti-pirate coding by Corel, the $500 program I purchased now will not function. I don't even have the desire to sit in their Support Desk wait queue to get it straightened out. They have taken 15 years of product loyalty from me and thrown it out the window for the sake of stopping pirates that they'll never stopped. But they sure stopped me from using what I paid for.

Once again, you're punished by a software company for doing the right thing. Guess they're following the lead of the movie and music industries.

F@#$ Corel. I'm installing the GNU Image Manipulation Program and saying goodbye to one of the last non-Open Source programs I still used.
That is why being blinded by fear, ignorance and greed is not a good thing. When will companies learn... I think you should give them a chance to fix this but if their support sucks then fuck them. Then you should stop being loyal to them.
Posted July 08, 2014
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Sachys: What exactly were you using Draw for? - Might know of some other programs you should check (free / cheap ones).
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IAmSinistar: A variety of things - photo editing, prepress layout, web design, screenprint patterns. I'm installing GIMP and Inkscape to fill the void, but if you have more suggestions, please post them. Everyone can benefit from a good toolkit of free software. (You and I have already swapped free 3D software suggestions before, there are a lot of those which are fab.)
Well, you may want to try:
Alchemy - http://al.chemy.org/ - abstracted vector program. Can be used for a lot of things, dependent on howyou percieve it.
Free!

Artrage - http://www.artrage.com/ - natural painting software, but the newest update includes some vectoring, grids etc.
Cheap!

Sketchbook - http://www.autodesk.com/products/sketchbook-pro/overview - Similar to above, but has more of a graphic design element to it as well if I remember rightly.
Quite cheap!

I'll have a think for some more that I've used!
Posted July 08, 2014
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Sachys: snip
Good stuff mate. Here's links on the two previously mentioned packages as well:

GIMP - http://www.gimp.org

Inkscape - http://www.inkscape.org

If one is looking around at the right time, one can also spot promotions from companies when they give away free versions of their products. I got a number of good programs from DAZ that way.
Posted July 08, 2014
I have seen this happen in the past very similar, a software that I purchased happened to have the great luck of being a key that someone with a keygen must have used and then posted somewhere, so my key was flagged as pirated. Customer support was really cooperative, until the part where I no longer had the back of the manual with the printed key, because it got tossed in spring cleaning.

Had I been able to show them the back of the manual, it would have been fine, but since I could not, I was unable to use the software or at least not with that key any longer. This may be what happened to you, enough pirates used a keygen that matched your key so that it was flagged as an abused key.
Posted July 08, 2014
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IAmSinistar: I'm f'd because their machine says I'm f'd, and cough up the extra dosh if you want to keep playing Sammy.
...
I don't like to endorse piracy, but treating your customers this way makes it attractive as all get-out.
These people have lost all moral justification to complain about piracy. They have taken something away from a paying customer without refunding them, and that's no better than outright theft. It may be legal, but the laws are written by those who lobby the hardest. We all know that if it was a big corporation getting screwed over, this would become illegal in a heartbeat.
Posted July 08, 2014
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IAmSinistar:
yeah been using inkscape and daz for years now, never really needed gimp (though have used it) as I have cs3 edition of photoshop.
Posted July 08, 2014
BURN THE HERETIC! PURGE THE UNCLEAN!

Am I doing this right?
Posted July 08, 2014
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Spinorial: BURN THE HERETIC! PURGE THE UNCLEAN!

Am I doing this right?
Make sure to salt the earth afterwards, so that nothing grows for three generations.
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussion (archive)Punish the innocent, betray the loyal(52 posts)(52 posts)
(52 posts)