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Product Activation and ColdFusion

Lots of chatter on the lists today in response to the announcement that Contribute 2 has a product activation feature designed to curb the use of unlicensed software. While I am not a big fan of activation schemes in any form, the fact of the matter is that casual piracy is a big problem (decreased revenue translates into less money to build the products we want, simple as that). Details about the product activation process are posted at http://www.macromedia.com/software/activation/faq/.
But what about ColdFusion? For starters, for now this only applies to Contribute. In some ways this is a bit of an experiment, and the powers that be will be watching this one closely before using similar processes in any other products.
“Red Sky” (the ColdFusion MX maintenance release due out this summer) does not employ activation technology of any kind (just the same serial number requirements that have always been there). As for future ColdFusion versions, there are no definite plans one way or the other at this time – there is definitely an ongoing discussion about casual piracy (which has a significant impact on ColdFusion numbers), but there is also a realization that server products are different and necessarily require a different set of rules.
Bottom line? Don’t panic. If (or when) this becomes a relevant discussion we’ll be sure to gather all input and concerns, and we’ll then have the appropriate discussions.

3 responses to “Product Activation and ColdFusion”

  1. Gian Mario Migliaccio Avatar
    Gian Mario Migliaccio

    Hi Ben, I met you on Milan, I liked saw you yesterday but, unfortunatly, breeze live doesn’t speak and I didn’t listen nothing.
    See you again
    Gian Mario
    Made In It

  2. Ben Forta Avatar
    Ben Forta

    Sorry for the misuderstanding. We were not using Breeze for the audio this time, just for slides and chat. Audio was on a teleconference.

  3. Kowen Avatar
    Kowen

    Greetings
    I agree product activation is needed, equally the prices for such products, should be reduced.
    However that does not excuse the companies like Mircosoft ripping us off. If I could by for example Windows 2003 Server for say x3 times the price of a music cd, I can assume you or I would rather buy, and be proud of it.
    I known it is a case of who first: chicken or egg
    (stock market software pc companies or soft warez lifter)
    When I started with CF, I had to ftp, my stuff to test, but thankfully for the Dev. Edition, my learn and dev speed up.
    Pleas tell the the difference between "casual piracy" and other piracy, if it means getting all the small people, not the mass production asia market piracy, you are gojng about it wrong.
    Sony Music did that with Music CD’s and found that created a greater demand of "Asian Copies".
    In the word of one of thier poeple "it created a a greater monster".
    I leave you with that!
    Cheers
    Kowen

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