Yeah ! That's it !Dongle = Techno-hemorrhoid
I fully support protecting developers from piracy, but not at the expense of the consumer. iLok at least has the option of a computer only version of protection and it works just fine. There's no reason to use a hardware solution.The dongles exist for one reason: to protect developers from piracy.
Oooh I've got some hate to pile on
Plugins using ilok will often corrupt on reopening a cubase project, crashing cubase unless I remove that plugin. The only solution has been to stop using ilok plugins on any project I ever need to reopen. I don't know - or care - if it's been fixed; that was a sufficient breach of trust for me to immediately disqualify any new plugin that uses ilok.
I won't go anywhere near VSL, as if the dongle gets lost/ broken, they won't just restore your licenses; no, you have to buy them again (at an, ahem, "generous" 50% discount, I believe). Reprehensible policy.
Ditto the ilok zero downtime con. Lumping extra, unnecessary costs on paying customers is quite the dick move.
There are more than enough developers that make fantastic products and don't require ilok - u-he, fabfilter, valhalla, spectrasonics, to name but a few - so I don't especially feel like I'm missing out now that I've stopped buying any new plugins that require ilok.
When think about it if we had a world with out dongle license there would be nothing to rant about,
I think forums need to have a vent about something, kind of mixes it up.
this is just bullshit. fix your computer.Plugins using ilok will often corrupt on reopening a cubase project, crashing cubase unless I remove that plugin.
I'm not sure how unusual it is, but it was confirmed by Steinberg support that it's an ilok issue, and they indicated that I wasn't the only one with the issue.I use Cubase and never had this problem. Are you sure it’s not the plugin itself? (which HAS happened to me, but they were not iLok plugins). The idea that ANY iLok plugin would do this is a pretty big deal. I think we would have heard this from the hundreds of Cubase users here. But that’s not to say it isn’t a reality in your case, just seems unusual.
Incorrect, it's very much an ilok issue confirmed by a Steinberg developer:this is just bullshit. fix your computer.
iLok at least has the option of a computer only version of protection and it works just fine. There's no reason to use a hardware solution.
I'll give another reason: PACE is actively trying to prevent paying customers from contacting them.
If you want to ask a question you cannot. Their online troubleshooter is not just garbage, but actively so: it works very hard to prevent you from contacting them. If you have a question not on the troubleshooter? Too bad. You must go through our flow. Some just end with an answer, you have to work very hard to find one that has a 'create support ticket' option. And it may or may not apply to your case, but as a result of it being forced via code/forms, each is different and asks different questions.
In the industry this is known as 'dark patterns'.
https://www.darkpatterns.org/
For example you can get there saying you can't log in, but it asks for all your personal information (birthdate etc.) to verify your identity. But maybe you just want to email them to ask which vendors are supporting iLok Cloud, because the cloud icon is greyed out on all the 100+ plugins you own but are very curious about it. Which is my case.
But PACE says, no, we hate you, we hate all customers, so go pound sand.
I can't imagine having to deal with this company in any serious capacity but perhaps once you buy their protection money (zdt) you can get treated like a human being instead of a dog.
Seriously F@#$@! PACE. Garbage company.