Re: MacSpeech Dictate Amazon reviews - comments?

On Apr 4, 3:20 am, Lewis <g.kr...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
In message <abbottNOSPAM-F39D6F.07322103042...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  Abbott <abbottNOS...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

But I need to install on two machines: my Mac Pro in the office, and my
MacBook Pro when I'm on the road. Clearly as a single user, I will only
USE one machine at a time, but I need it on two machines.
In article
<e70d20ac-60f5-4591-82f7-1a6790e57...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
 billmcc <william.mcclatc...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
2.  The real deal killer for me is the license structure.  I don't
believe that anyone has addressed this issue in the thread.  Unlike
many other software packages, and indeed unlike Dragon in Windows, the
license is to the hardware and not to the user.  ie you can only
install it on one machine at a time.

Wow, that was a spectacularly bad move on MacSpeech's part.  Seriously.

That's actually hard to believe.  Even the asshats at Microsoft let you
install software on a desktop and a laptop.

However, for businesses it likely makes no difference, right?  You install
it on the machines and whoever is using them uses the software.

And by 'enforces' this do you mean that Dictate has some sort of copy-protection
beyond the serial number?  How 1990's.

--
I do believe Marsellus Wallace, my husband, your boss, told you to take *me*
        out and do *whatever I wanted*. Now I wanna dance, I wanna win. I want
        that trophy, so dance good.

As Mark mentions, you can activate the software over the web on
sequential machines, but it is time consuming and laborious, and I
believe requires your serial #. As a comparison, at our 600 bed
hospital, we have Dragon installed on one desktop at each nursing
station. The facility is totally paperless with no paper charts, so
VR is a big deal. The license structure for Dragon is tied to the
individual user, you can have multiple machines, but each user must be
licensed. As a fully licensed and paid Dragon user, I can go to any
machine and use the software. Many of our users carry their voice
files on a jump drive and simply plug in to the machine, and it is up
and running in moments.

The Dictate license makes the assumption that I am fixed in one
location and use only one machine, or move to another machine for a
period of time and am willing/able to spend ~5 minutes to bring out my
serial # and activate over the net. This just isn't going to happen.

I am very sympathetic to vendors' needs to preserve their intellectual
property, and never knowingly violate a license agreement. Indeed, it
does me no good for a company to be less than successful to a point
where they can't continue to upgrade and improve the quality and
performance of their products to my benefit. I just hate it when
vendors cripple the usability of otherwise useful software in the name
of property protection.

It always feels as if in an effort to prevent thieves from stealing
your plasma TV, you put it in a safe and never are able to use it
yourself. You effectively give away your ability to watch TV in an
effort to prevent someone from stealing it. A Faustian bargain at
best.

So I guess I am stuck with four Windows XP machines in my life, whose
only function is to run Dragon and remind me how happy I am with my
other Mac machines where I don't have to mess with dreaded Windows.

I don't know what I am going to do in the future if the guys from
Redmond cease to support XP in an effort to force me to spend money on
the bloatware of Vista, just to run my one application.

Bill
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Cannot Install SP-1
    ... Windows Update pops up on my screen as it is at this moment telling me I have ... MICROSOFT SOFTWARE LICENSE TERMS ... Microsoft and install it on your device. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsupdate)
  • Re: MacSpeech Dictate Amazon reviews - comments?
    ... many other software packages, and indeed unlike Dragon in Windows, the ... license is to the hardware and not to the user. ... install software on a desktop and a laptop. ... am still anxious that it will require internet access, ...
    (comp.sys.mac.apps)
  • RE: Windows XP Service Pack1 problem with activation
    ... Windows XP Service Pack1 problem with activation ... all neatly logged by microsoft's install log on the site. ... > benefits of owning their valid license. ... If Windows XP needed to be activated before applying SP1, ...
    (Vuln-Dev)
  • Re: Transfer XP to different computer
    ... deactiviate so that I can install on other computer. ... The versions of Windows XP include: ... - BIOS Locked OEM version ... Volume License version ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment)
  • Re: Windows XP Desktop & Laptop Same CD
    ... installed in my desktop computer and I would like to know if I can use the same activation for my laptop that I used this cd to format and install windows on. ... You need to purchase a separate WinXP license for each computer on which you install it. ... As long as you have multiple identical licenses, it doesn't matter if you use the same CD for the installations, as long as you use a different license on each installation. ... The only way in which WinXP licensing differs from that of earlier versions of Windows is that Microsoft has finally added a copy protection and anti-theft mechanism, Product Activation, to prevent multiple installations using a single license. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)