DP8 *requires* internet ???

[dave007]

hi all,

i've just downloaded the dp8 demo and installed it on my machine. when i try to run the demo, the first thing it does is pop up a window asking for name, email, and activation key. i enter my name and email, and leave the activation key blank, then press 'start demo'. the program tries to contact the internet and complains because it can't, which is normal, because my daw isn't connected to the internet!!!

i know so many other composers whose daws are also stand-alone systems, it seems surprising to me that this would be an issue. am i required to have my machine connected to the internet in order to use dp? if not, how do get past this?

thanks much.

-david

[bayswater]

You only need the connection the first time to authorize DP. After that no connection is required. Or you can use the off line authorization process described at the MOTU web site in the Support pages.

[dave007]

thanks much for the reply, bayswater. i think this is the page in support you're referring to :

http://www.motu.com/techsupport/technot ... horization

the first pop-up on my screen has three buttons [ok, cancel, and demo, iirc], and when i press demo it tries to access the internet and fails out, never reaching step 2 where i can save a challenge file.

i even tried entering a bogus key ['demo'] in the keycode field, just in case it needed something in that field, but got exactly the same results.

what am i missing?

[bayswater]

That looks like the page for off line authorization of a purchased copy of DP. The key code is something you get when you buy it. I ran the Windows demo on PC that didn't have an internet connection, but I don't recall exactly what I did. A call to MOTU support seems in order.

[dave007]

well, as it turns out (confirmed from motu support), it's impossible to run the demo unless you're connected to the internet. the only thing i could do would be to buy dp8 full out, and try it to see if it works, since the actual production version allows off-line validation. they've told me they do offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so this option isn't totally unsatisfactory. their approach does seem sort of strange, though; i wonder if they truly understand their market. i don't know of anyone in my field whose production machine(s) is used for internet, or is connected to the internet, and i'm skeptical about the number of people who'd just 'take the plunge' and fork out $500 on a piece of software they haven't tried yet, guarantee or not. i think motu may have shot themselves in the foot w/this one.

[mikehalloran]

i wonder if they truly understand their market.

It doesn't really matter as long as they understand how their license manager software works.

It's better than the old version in many ways. For example, it allows a Demo. This was never possible before plus it works with Windows, another bit of functionality that didn't exist before DP 8.

[bayswater]

well, as it turns out (confirmed from motu support), it's impossible to run the demo unless you're connected to the internet. the only thing i could do would be to buy dp8 full out, and try it to see if it works, since the actual production version allows off-line validation. they've told me they do offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so this option isn't totally unsatisfactory. their approach does seem sort of strange, though; i wonder if they truly understand their market. i don't know of anyone in my field whose production machine(s) is used for internet, or is connected to the internet, and i'm skeptical about the number of people who'd just 'take the plunge' and fork out $500 on a piece of software they haven't tried yet, guarantee or not. i think motu may have shot themselves in the foot w/this one.

It could be said that until now, DP was Mac only, and MOTU might not have considered the security sensitivities of long term Windows users. I don't worry about it on my Mac, but when I trialled the Windows version, the PC I used had no virus protection, so I only made a temporary internet connection via Internet Sharing on the Mac, long enough to authorize the trial.

Let them know. It looks like they invested a lot in a Windows version and if this problem is preventing sales, they'll likely put an off line process in place, or some alternative, like other suppliers.

[dave007]

It's better than the old version in many ways. For example, it allows a Demo. This was never possible before plus it works with Windows, another bit of functionality that didn't exist before DP 8.

i understand your point of view -- which is, i think, a normal mac user point of view. but from the point of view of a windows user, it's not important whether or not this piece of software has x number of features more than its predecessor. what's important to me is, 'does it help me do the work i need to do better than the other software choices i have available?' i can understand how the motu development team might think, 'hey this is great! we can do x and y and z that we couldn't do before! and it's on windows too!'. but if the competitors already running on windows can already do x+y+z -- and a+b+c besides -- then does it really matter whether it was possible before?

Let them know. It looks like they invested a lot in a Windows version and if this problem is preventing sales, they'll likely put an off line process in place, or some alternative, like other suppliers.

good idea. i'll write something up.

[James Steele]

If you have a Windows DAW that can do much more than DP, I don't understand why you're trying to demo DP? The money back guarantee isn't too bad. Hopefully they'll figure out a way to authorize the demo offline for Windows users.