Download of Past Purchases at FSPilotShop

[harrry 322]

I do not buy any more from them because of the download charge.  There are others.  To those who say we should keep our own in case the store goes out of business I would put it that a reputable firm will ensure continuity for its customers and transfer them to another dealer.  Of course this costs, but they have already been paid.  Firms that close without looking after their liabilities are not worthy of respect.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,929]

2 hours ago, surfcandy said:

That is exactly what FSPiliotshop does.

I asked you some questions. Care to answer them?

[Ray Proudfoot 8,929]

1 hour ago, harrry said:

I do not buy any more from them because of the download charge.  There are others.  To those who say we should keep our own in case the store goes out of business I would put it that a reputable firm will ensure continuity for its customers and transfer them to another dealer.  Of course this costs, but they have already been paid.  Firms that close without looking after their liabilities are not worthy of respect.

When you have downloaded purchased software and installed it what do you do with the downloaded zip? Delete it? Why? Why not move it to a external HDD for safe-keeping?

A 2Tb external HDD can be purchased for 40UKP (40USD). I'm guessing you don't backup your computers either so if disaster happens what would you do? Does L-M allow you to download the P3D install file again?

Yes, buying a NAS box costs but it provides valuable backup should the worst happen. When I buy software I'm responsible for keeping it safe. I fail to understand why you feel it's still the responsibility of the seller. This obviously doesn't apply to new versions of software.

Edited September 16, 2018 by Ray Proudfoot

[pete_auau 1,153]

8 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

When you have downloaded purchased software and installed it what do you do with the downloaded zip? Delete it? Why? Why not move it to a external HDD for safe-keeping?

A 2Tb external HDD can be purchased for 40UKP (40USD). I'm guessing you don't backup your computers either so if disaster happens what would you do? Does L-M allow you to download the P3D install file again?

Yes, buying a NAS box costs but it provides valuable backup should the worst happen.

Yes  L m  allows  you  to  download  again,  think  that  most  addons   your  able to  download again  as  long  as  you  got  your  order  codes  and  keys  etc  

Edited September 16, 2018 by pete_auau

[Ray Proudfoot 8,929]

Just now, pete_auau said:

Yes  L m  allows  you  to  download  again

Okay but I would still keep the file I downloaded and use it unless it had been replaced with a newer version.

[surfcandy 4]

You have to PAY for an update download once the regular allocated download period has ended....period.

I hope that makes it clear enough.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,929]

25 minutes ago, surfcandy said:

You have to PAY for an update download once the regular allocated download period has ended....period.

I hope that makes it clear enough.

Surely once you’ve bought something it’s your responsibility to secure it so you’re not charged for downloading it more than the limit. How do you know what software you’ve bought from various vendors?

[honanhal 1,420]

3 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Surely once you’ve bought something it’s your responsibility to secure it so you’re not charged for downloading it more than the limit. 

Are we living in the same world? Unlimited redownload became the general electronic commercial norm years ago, when the advent of “the cloud” made bandwidth costs basically trivial. If we’re upending that nearly universal expectation/duty in our FS world it’s going to be just one more barrier to entry/source of frustration for fresh blood.

Most people these days back up their personal files — pictures, documents, etc. Not programs. Why would they?Sure, in theory you’re safer backing those up than not, I suppose, but with platforms like Steam you’re just wasting time/money/storage. Again, to the extent that’s the expectation in our little FS world (and apart from a handful of vendors I’m far from convinced it is) we’re simply out of step with the wider e-commerce world.

James

[harrry 322]

On 9/16/2018 at 3:18 PM, pete_auau said:

Yes  L m  allows  you  to  download  again,  think  that  most  addons   your  able to  download again  as  long  as  you  got  your  order  codes  and  keys  etc  

In fact if you do install an archive file from LM you miss out on the point releases as they constantly upload new fixes and improvements to the server.  These are generally not announced until it is the next time for a major upgrade.

Many companies now do the same so I am sure if Ray does as he says he is he is using outdated software.

 

 

[Ray Proudfoot 8,929]

7 hours ago, honanhal said:

Are we living in the same world? Unlimited redownload became the general electronic commercial norm years ago, when the advent of “the cloud” made bandwidth costs basically trivial. If we’re upending that nearly universal expectation/duty in our FS world it’s going to be just one more barrier to entry/source of frustration for fresh blood.

Most people these days back up their personal files — pictures, documents, etc. Not programs. Why would they?Sure, in theory you’re safer backing those up than not, I suppose, but with platforms like Steam you’re just wasting time/money/storage. Again, to the extent that’s the expectation in our little FS world (and apart from a handful of vendors I’m far from convinced it is) we’re simply out of step with the wider e-commerce world.

James

Clearly not. I much prefer to have programs I have paid for stored on my system. Maybe it's a generational thing. One thing is for sure. I will never be charged for exceeding the download limit.

I don't have any Steam products on my system and the only data that is held on the cloud are my settings for ChasePlane. And as you say, it's safer having backups at home than relying on internet companies as this topic proves.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,929]

3 hours ago, harrry said:

In fact if you do install an archive file from LM you miss out on the point releases as they constantly upload new fixes and improvements to the server.  These are generally not announced until it is the next time for a major upgrade.

Many companies now do the same so I am sure if Ray does as he says he is he is using outdated software.

No I'm not Harry as the seller sends me an email when a new version is available. And some software like SimStarterNG does a check itself.

I'm running P3D v3.4 which has remained unchanged since the day I bought it. But if it hadn't then by reading these pages I will be aware when a new version is available.

[scianoir 610]

I had a meltdown of an external HDD many years ago losing most of my stored downloads (mainly FS9 but also some FSX products as it was in my early days of FSX). For this reason, I have now adopted a ‘belt and braces’ policy and, as well as storing my payware downloads on an external HDD, I also make additional copies of most payware items on DVDs. Overkill, I know and, as Ray says, it may be a generational thing but “once bitten .....”

Bill

[Ray Proudfoot 8,929]

Bill,

That's the beauty of a RAID0 NAS box. Two HDDs but one is a mirror of the other. If one fails you simply replace it and the software will copy data from the other good drive. Yes you only get 2Tb of storage for two 2Tb HDDs but it gives you security.

And I also backup that NAS box to an external HDD. For £40 it's double insurance. 👍

[n4gix 4,947]

6 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

 Yes you only get 2Tb of storage for two 2Tb HDDs but it gives you security.

And I also backup that NAS box to an external HDD. For £40 it's double insurance. 👍

That is true unless like me you are cursed with mega bad luck. I had a 2TB drive fail in my NAS and installed a new 2TB drive to replace the failed drive. During the cloning of the new drive, the so-called good drive failed. Both were Seagate HDs. They were also the last Seagate drives I'll ever purchase...

[Wolf0 31]

There is another issue at play here. Even if you keep your downloads from let's say FSPilotshop (and I have them on a backup also) that doesn't guarantee that you'll be able to install them again in the future due to the anti-piracy features.

The .exe contacts the server during setup to validate the installation key. Suppose there is no server online answering these calls (the vendor goes kabum for instance...). Thus the software will not install.

A way to circumvent that would be to have all files that the installer installs copied to a backup. But again, with the hundreds of aircraft and sceneries that we have installed its almost impossible to keep track of the changes that the new installer performs...

So... let's just hope no one goes kabum shortly. Long live FSim!