ASP 11.1 now available

[FloridaJo]

I just found out if you don't have you computer connected to the internet,
SmithMicro's EULA gives them the right to disable your software.
What kind of BS is that?????
Support tells me I have to reactivate it with an internet connected computer somewhere.
They gave themselves the right to disable / deactivate / cripple my legitimately purchased software.
I can't tell you how angry that makes me.
I know I'm in the minority, but what if I want to be free of the internet in some cabin somewhere while I work on a long project?
Not possible says' SmithMicro, you have to come back and check in with us or we are going to disable your software. BS!

[synthsin75]

There is a Manual Product Activation process you can use if you plan on being away from an internet connection for prolonged periods. It's explained here:

I'm pretty sure all this still applies to AS11.

[FloridaJo]

Yes, of course, that is what I used.
But if you are not connected to the internet, after only two weeks, it comes up again and you have to do it all over again.


This from an email from Matt Ko Technical Support Lead (I have both Debut and Pro):

"As for your Debut, that just means you need to activate it again. Per the license agreement, the program occasionally “checks in” with our activation server to make sure your serial number is still in good standing (and example of why it might not be is if it was returned for a refund)."

Again, after only two weeks of no internet, my software became unactivated.

[Greenlaw]

Two weeks does seem a bit short--even Adobe gives you 30 days before you need to 'check in'...but you still have to.

Have you considered a mobile hotspot? I have a KarmaGo, which is a small 'coaster-like' wifi hotspot with a reasonably priced pay-as-you-go plan which has no contract and never expires. I use it when I visit my parents and go to places where I'm not expecting to have internet access for a long time. The KarmaGo seems to have greater coverage these days--the only time it didn't work for me was when I stayed in Death Valley for a week last year. BTW, the reason it's called 'Karma' is that you can share the device anonymously in the area and you earn data credit when a new user signs on. (I wrote a short review about my Karma on my website.)

If you had something like that, you could switch it on only when you need to refresh your license or need to do some research. (Assuming coverage extends to your cabin of course.)

G.

[Greenlaw]

I was looking into using ASP's online license manager this morning (needed to move my daughter's license) and I noticed that one of the options is a 'permanent' activation. I wondered if that might be what you're looking for. Here's some info from the LM server page:

- You may request permanent activation capability for your license through the P&G License Manager at https://pgportal.smithmicro.com

There's more info on the License Manager page. To get to it, select License Manager from the Help menu and create an account. Naturally, you need internet access to reach the page but once the activation is set to 'permanent', I don't think you'll need to do this again.

Note that there is a catch: My understanding is that once you activate the 'permanent' status, you can't deactivate or move the activation yourself like you can with the regular activation. If you want to change it, you need to contact tech support. But if you're certain you're going to be off the internet with that computer all the time after activation, it may be the way to go.

Before doing that, however, I would confirm this info with tech support since I've never used 'permanent' option myself.

[FloridaJo]

Interesting. I wonder why customer support didn't mention this at all.
It says one can get in with their SmithMicro account and password, but I found that I could not do that.

Here's another forum post about that on SmithMicro's forum:
https://forum.smithmicro.com/topic/164/ ... oming-soon

[Greenlaw]

To access the License Manager I had to create a new account from the portal's home page because it didn't recognize my regular login. It's probably because this is a new system and that needs to be initialized for each customer.

When I first accessed the License Manager, it contained no data about our three individual licenses (mine, my wife's and my daughter's.) I had to enter each serial number (even though they were previously registered) and after that, I could see info for every computer where each license was installed. The nice thing about this was that I could remove activations from old computers that were no longer in use, freeing up activations if we ever need them in the future. (If you choose 'permanent', I'm guessing you lose this capability until you contact tech support.)

Hopefully, somebody from SM will pop in after the holiday to comment on this in case I have some of this info wrong.

[FloridaJo]

I wonder how it handles an offline license when made 'permanent'. (the offline computer doesn't know it's permanent.)
Next offline activation maybe?

[Greenlaw]

I'm guessing that once the license has been made 'permanent', that serial number is flagged in their database so it can't be activated on another computer until the flag is removed. This is probably why the initial activation requires internet connection. To 'un-flag' it so you can move it to another computer, you'll need tech support's assistance. If the computer is no longer in service and the license can't be deactivated on that computer, they'll decide then if the number should be released to be reused. They'll probalby make allowances so long as there isn't a frequent pattern of license change requests. This really is just a guess though since I've never had to do this myself.

If you do need to change the state of the license often, it's probably easier to use a mobile hotspot and log-in occasionally. If not, you can probably just set it and forget it with the permanent setup.

Of course, if you never have internet access, you won't get new feature updates and bug fixes as they come out. (The last few updates added a ton of new stuff to ASP.)

I don't often work in very remote places but it is one of the reasons why I do a lot of my personal work on a mobile computer and have a mobile hotspot. This allows me to work anywhere, even when my Karma is out of range. Since I keep the computer with me most of the time, eventually, I'll be 'in range' or at a location that has open internet access (a coffee shop, hotel, or public library,) and I can sign in and get updates then.

[tborrens]

How far beyond the minimum requirements must your computer be to run it smoothely ( no crashing , freezing ect...)?