If that is/was totally the way it is, then I would be livid if it was me and I would be "bashing FSD" as well!!! Talk about a load of.......Regards, Michaelhttp://mysite.verizon.net/res052cd/mybannercva1.jpgCalVirAir International VAwww.calvirair.comCougar Mountain Helicopters & Aviationwww.cgrmtnhelos.com

<>No, Tim, I could not (though there have been months when...).I'm sorry I have no solution for you. Really I am. I believe you and Steve know my position on theft, and clearly you must take steps to protect yourself. But I can't allow any provider to intrude into my privacy. Like stopping the theft of intellectual property, that is a principled stand that I must take. Nothing personal against FSD.I hope you folks great success. And I hope you understand my position (and that of more than a few others here). If an acceptable solution is arrived at, I look forward to buying more of your fine products.Regards,

I really don't want to bash them. I think they are a super good software developer that has become so wrapped up in the piracy thing that it is clouding their judgement. Like I sad in an earlier post, I don't believe a pirate would be communicating back and forth with e-mails giving comfirmation numbers, names, addresses etc. trying to get a keyfile. I do believe that the folks who buy the high end add-ons are "tinkerers" and will play around with the computers trying to get the most out of them (I know I do). Sometimes I absolutely don't have a clue what I'm doing but it's my hobby and I enjoy it. Sometimes this means that I screw up my computer and have to re-format and re-load everything but so what. I should be able to do this whithout "jumping through hoops" and insulted. Believe me I was insulted with some of the e-mails I received from FSD. I will not post them because I was asked not to. One last thing and I'll get off my soapbox. If you look back through any of my posts, and there aren't many I usually just lurk. I'm not one to "stir the pot". I do however feel strongly enough about this that I don't mind running my mouth! :)George Stoddard

Hi,I've been reading all these posts and it was asked what a customer thinks the supplier should do to prevent piracy. Well there is one such licensing system in place that EASPORTS and another company use for downloaded products they sell.They use a company called VIATECH which puts a small program in your control panel. You have from 1 to 3 licenses you can use. You put in your order number and it will pull 1 or your licenses off the server. When you have used all 3 licenses you cannot run the software anymore without calling VIATECH to reactivate.If you decide to reformat or whatever before you do so you go to the control panel applet and return the license to the server. This in essence makes the product useless until the license is retrieved again by inputting and order number again.The beauty of this system is the original company such as FSD or PSS would not need to worry about issuing new licenses or keys.Just my idea,Sean

sounds interesting ..Michael J.http://www.reality-xp.com/community/nr/rsc/rxp-higher.jpg

>I really don't want to bash them. I think they are a super>good software developer that has become so wrapped up in the>piracy thing that it is clouding their judgement. I beg to differ about having judgement clouded, so please read on ..>Like I sad>in an earlier post, I don't believe a pirate would be>communicating back and forth with e-mails giving comfirmation>numbers, names, addresses etc. trying to get a keyfile. Unbelivable ... look, mate they are far more organised. I suggest that you have a look at the URL below : we have been trying for months to get this one shut down, but the hosts do nothing. Maybe it's time this sort of thing got into the public eye.Just FYI ... the EagleSoft files were all available here within hours of their release as were our files that released - unprotected - through the F1 delivery system we were forced to discard. Even the Eaglesoft BJ400 service release updates, and their Premierjet, were made available the same way and were on Warez sites within hours - literally. The Meridian software protection system took a whole four days to bust. So far, the durability of our system (months) has been some sort of record but it is both dynamic and adaptable.We had no option other than quit developing or implement software protection. They were the only choices and in the absence of software protection systems your future choices of sophisticated projects is decidedly finite.After you read this, you may get a slight glimpse of the dimension of the problem. Tom or Forum Admin : if this needs to be edited to remove the URL I suggest you verify it, comment on it, and if you need to edite the post just do so with my blessing. I am simply trying to balance the extraordinarily naive view that piracy is not organised. It is not marginally organised ... it is highly organised.http://members.lycos.nz/sharefs/forum/index.php** Edit by Ken Salter - site verified with user name/pwd - see my reply below **Now maybe you'd like to rephrase ... ?.....Steve SmallCanberra, Australiahttp://www.fsd-international.com/team/Steve_signature.gif

You did not read what I said. I was comparing sales (as in already downloaded and installed) vs. unique downloads for service releases.Granted 30% is not an exact number. It is an estimate, and a conservative one. The actual amount could be higher. But while your point is well taken, the number of downloads "sitting on a hard drive and forgotten" undoubtedly represents a very small change in the percentage.http://www.fsd-international.com/team/TD_forum_sig.gif

Very well said Bob.http://www.fsd-international.com/team/TD_forum_sig.gif

As verification I went to this site. The first thing I see is a link on a p2p service for PMDGs files...WITH A CRACK!!! That's just great...no doubt what else I could find with a little digging...disgusting...http://saltydogfly2.avsim.net/images/avsim_sig.jpg

I feel the same way about privacy. We do not install any "spyware" of any kind of the user's system. It works exactly the same way as Microsoft's system for validating Windows XP installation. You send a unique machine identifier. We do not intrude on the system in any way and "look around".This comes back down to the same issue. If a software vendor cannot identify where the software is installed, how can they manage it's usage at all? The answer is: they can't. They either have to accept the losses, or move toward license management.Like I said. You can't get half pregnant.http://www.fsd-international.com/team/TD_forum_sig.gif

"You can't get half pregnant."Yeah, a few months ago I would have agreed. But my brother

Steve,I was not referring to e-mails back and forth between the crooks. I know that there are scumbags out there that are organized and will do anything they can to steal anything they can. I was referring to e-mails between YOU and I. I don't think any of these crooks ( unless they really are dumb as a brick:) ) would communicate with you to get keys that they pass on to others? If I'm wrong, correct me. But that still doesn't negate the fact that 1> I'm not a crook 2. I tried to give you all the information I could in a courteous, thoughtful manner 3. I didd indeed feel bad when you told me you had spent too much time fooling wiht me, that's why I offered to pay for another license, 4. I was snubbed off, refunded my money and basically told to take a hike. Keep in mind that I have payware from several other developers that have keyfiles etc. that I had to get new files for. I did not have a problem with ANY of the others. Just FSD. Now maybe I'm missing something here but I've been in retail sales for many years and I fully understand that when you are dealing with a customer that is acting like a jackass, it's sometimes better to cut your losses and move on. But I do believe you are an honest and upright individual and have to admit that not once did I act arrogant, hostile, impolite, or anything else. THAT is why I am so strong in my feelings. I want to be a long term customer. Just seems like FSD doesn't.George Stoddard

This is exactly correct Michael. We detest spyware more than you can know. As does Avsim (one of the only FS sites that does not cater to vendors planting spyware via your browser).And your analogy of the credit card is right on. We, like many online vendors now, do not even keep credit card numbers in the server database. Too much potential for theft/security fraud. It's inconvenient for the returning customer, who has to pull out the wallet again and get the card number, but we defer on the safe of fraud protection.http://www.fsd-international.com/team/TD_forum_sig.gif

:-lolhttp://www.fsd-international.com/team/TD_forum_sig.gif

>>I really don't want to bash them. I think they are a super>>good software developer that has become so wrapped up in the>>piracy thing that it is clouding their judgement. >>I beg to differ about having judgement clouded, so please read>on ..>>>Like I sad>>in an earlier post, I don't believe a pirate would be>>communicating back and forth with e-mails giving>comfirmation>>numbers, names, addresses etc. trying to get a keyfile. >>Unbelivable ... look, mate they are far more organised. I>suggest that you have a look at the URL below : we have been>trying for months to get this one shut down, but the hosts do>nothing. Maybe it's time this sort of thing got into the>public eye.>>Just FYI ... the EagleSoft files were all available here>within hours of their release as were our files that released>- unprotected - through the F1 delivery system we were forced>to discard. Even the Eaglesoft BJ400 service release updates,>and their Premierjet, were made available the same way and>were on Warez sites within hours - literally. The Meridian>software protection system took a whole four days to bust. So>far, the durability of our system (months) has been some sort>of record but it is both dynamic and adaptable.>>We had no option other than quit developing or implement>software protection. They were the only choices and in the>absence of software protection systems your future choices of>sophisticated projects is decidedly finite.>>After you read this, you may get a slight glimpse of the>dimension of the problem. >>Tom or Forum Admin : if this needs to be edited to remove the>URL I suggest you verify it, comment on it, and if you need to>edite the post just do so with my blessing. I am simply>trying to balance the extraordinarily naive view that piracy>is not organised. >>It is not marginally organised ... it is highly>organised.>>http://members.lycos.nz/sharefs/forum/index.php>>** Edit by Ken Salter - site verified with user name/pwd - see>my reply below **>>Now maybe you'd like to rephrase ... ?>.....>Steve Small>Canberra, Australia>>http://www.fsd-international.com/team/Steve_signature.gifOMG Steve, you weren't kidding!!!!!!!!! I just visited that site you posted...what a group of *insert colorful metaphor here*Is there any way to stop them?????