You've been heard. Response re: 4.9 and Encryption
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Yes, but isn't that the failsafe they're talking about? By which I assume it won't be available unless there's a "Dazpocalypse" or whatever.
Oh, and I am sticking with 4.8 for now. Computer issues, among other reasons. (As in, "it ain't broke".) Not to mention I'm a file dinosaur too.
I don't have such a negative feeling about this as some of the other posters (and anybody who follows the forums knows what a complainer I can be!). I see it as great news! Thank you for listening to customers and taking steps to address issues. That willingness to adapt means so much. I'm looking forward to getting the kinks worked out and getting back to a productive framework that will really be enhanced by some of the DS 4.9 Smart Content changes. DRM has come a long way, I think, from the early days. I have not had any issue with any software/content that I own that uses DRM. Perhaps I am unusually lucky. If so, I hope that luck holds!
I didn't see any mention of clarifying/restoring/enhancing the way users can create their own Content Library products and Smart Content metadata. I hope that will be addressed in the coming changes. It worked (seemingly) well in DS 4.8 and less so in DS 4.9.
* i.e. not
To illustrate the bottom line, I ever-so-nearly jumped into the G3 world the other day with the Gianni 7 related sale. But then thought, since so much of the following supporting content is likely to be DRM - what's the bloody point.
Really glad I didn't go for G3 from the start now.
I'm still ONLY going to use DIM to control my downloads and installs. If I could remove Connect entirely from DS I would.
Although I may turn out to be in the minority, I will still attempt to respectfully outline my position.
1. I like DIM. I shop at DAZ3D because of DIM, and its convenience. The sales aid in my decision, but the reason I even look here is DIM.
2. Even though I use 4.8, I do not have the SQL database installed. If I eventually decide to install 4.9 or higher, SQL will remain uninstalled or disabled. Therefore, any content that is Connect-only (encrypted or not) is useless. Doubly so because I am also a Poser user.
Thank you for clearly outlining your plans. Thank you to every DAZ employee remaining (as far as I saw) respectful and courteous for the past few days.
I will not purchase through connect. I will not purchase encrypted product. The decryption utility sounds like more of complication than a solution. I will only buy .zip files.
"The area's secure, Ripley."
Probably less news on what the best de-crypto teams on Earth are saying.
Seconded; no change here, I won't be buying anything encrypted-only. I'll be double-checking everything I put into my cart from now on just to make sure.
I appreciate the effort from DAZ, but all this is going in a direction that's incompatible with the style of working that I've been comfortable with since the D|S1.0 days. I already don't use DIM or Smart Content; this is one more chunk of D|S I'll just avoid using when I finally take the plunge to 4.9 — I do want to use the various other fixes and updates that were included.
can you build this utility into Carrara at least and make a Poser script for content that would work in them otherwise?
Wow, that's a big surprise. (I hope you can detect the sarcasm there.)
What bothers me is the highlighted portion. In one fell 'sales-speak' swoop, they point out the one concern that had already been promised as resolved, and that most of us with DRM concerns had already accepted....but conveniently ignore ALL THE OTHER RAISED CONCERNS. Not even listed. Yes, there's a brief blurb at the very end of that section indicating there ARE other concerns....but also only list those they want to address, not those that have been raised time and again by many of us here.
Very disingenuous. I had hoped for better....but corporate doublespeak and marketing ploys continue to rule the day here.
Excellent. This should have been forseen, but I (being a developer myself) understand that not all bugs get caught before release. Though I think the release of 4.9 was a bit premature, given the number of unresolved issues beta testers were still reporting.
Again, excellent. And again, release was premature. Plenty of reports of issues during beta, release was pushed forward anyway.
Well, you're welcome.....glad you heard us, though I don't think you really listened. Or at the very least, our opinions don't matter as much as looking good in front of the Board.
VP of Marketing. That explains a lot of how and why these were phrased the way they were.
Sorry, DAZ. I'm very disappointed by this response. To sum it up without all the doublespeak:
"We skimmed through what customers are saying, but we already spent all this money on development. So we're going ahead with our plans anyway, and we'll fix the bugs left over from the beta as best we can."
The custom category migration issues have been identified and fixed. New builds are going through testing now; the change log has been updated to reflect some of the changes and Daz will be updating it again tonight with the fixes from follow-on work today that addresses the rest. The Dev team has been going non-stop to get these issues adressed since we learned of them. Assuming nothing new (significant) pops up in testing, the Public Build channel will likely be seeing a bump as early as next week.
Daz will also be posting a new response to the FAQ thread later tonight. The post will contain information that specifically addresses custom category creation/export/impot/migration. It was the writing/validating of this response that identified the problems and formed the solutions.
While I do appreciate the fact that you are trying to appear you are "working with us", I still refuse to purchase DRM Encrypted content. Sorry DAZ.
Well since everyone feels the need to announce their plans, I'll join in.
I plan to continue to buy whatever I want at DAZ whether it's encyrpted or not because I don't begrudge them trying to do something to protect their content rather than do absolutely nothing or reverse their position because a vocal group of people, many of whom complain about absolutely anything DAZ does, want them to. I also have no plans to threaten to reduce my spending here or shop elsewhere because the content at other stores pales in comparison to the content here, and if Studio has to connect to DAZ once in a blue moon to verify that I am the owner of a product, I don't mind it doing so.
Thank you. :)
Cris, my concern goes beyond "cusotm category" creation/export/import/migration.
I want to retain the ability to create my own "Products" and use the Content DB Editor to create complete metadata for those products. I have already done this for many non-Daz products in the past with DS 4.6, 4.7, and 4.8. I want to continue to do so. I want full control to see and manipulate those products in the Content Library Product view and Smart Content, the same way Daz products are handled. I do not want everything I create just lumped into one unmanagebly huge Local User product.
I also want to continue to fix bad Daz metadata in what is being referred to here as "vendor data". Historically, Daz has not been good about fixing bad metadata, so I did it myself. Daz has now committed to making metadata better and adding it to older products. Great! But I am still seeing new products come out with BAD metadata. I've written bug reports, but I am not seeing fixed metadata for those reports yet. Why can't I fix it myself, knowing that my fixes will be overwritten if Daz ever gets around to addressing my bug report? The only other option is leaving it bad and not having the product usability that should have been there.
Barbult, I recommend putting a ticket with just what was discussed here so it gets on their list to go over. Even though Daz is actively monitoring, I would go that extra step just to be sure. :)
I second this.
You can still create your own products.
Well I have no problem with it either as long as the encryption doesn't cause any restrictions in the way I'm using and working with my content.
does this mean this outfit http://www.daz3d.com/troubadour-for-genesis-2-male-s will be manual d/l soon?
thanks. wishlisted for now, will check next week, it's rent weekend lol
What I am seeing though, is that everything I put into my own created product, is also lumped into Local User. Do you see the same? I have suffered from some database corruption due to beta bugs, so I sometimes wonder if trouble I see is due to that. Last I heard, DAZ_Spooky was still trying to figure out how to fix that kind of corruption. I ran his first fix script, and that helped a lot, but I still have strange issues. One issue is that I have duplicated file icons for many things - one in Local User and one in the created product. That makes a mess, when every file shows up twice. I already had to reset the database on second computer that lost ALL categories (custom and DAZ default categories) after successfully running 4.9 for a few hours with all categories working. If resetting is what it takes, I'll do it to this computer, too. I accepted the risks of running a beta, and I got bit by beta bugs. That's just how it goes. But I don't want to reset if it won't help.
Will do. I may have already. I've written so many software and content bug reports in the last month that I've lost track. I'll have to look back through the list. I like to look for help in the forum, too, because bug reports get thrown over the fence to the "dev team" and I seldom hear anything back. Here, there is a chance for meaningful two-way conversation - like with you, right here!
Well I got your email & I read everything you wrote you were going to change. you seem to approach some of the concerns we have . But see you still plan on keeping encryption, thats a deal breaker. , But thanks for giving us some words of comfort if daz has a unforeseen catastrophe you have a back up insurance plan. . But that was not my only issue with studio 4.9 It seems you forgot to listen to the part about removing store front in the software I am using trying to sell me something using precious resources I need to render high end animations & stills. . no matter how tiny the data your software storefront uses I don't need or want it. when I need or want content I will visit the store. thank you.
I do not want my content and runtimes restructures to suite or support a new file version when its pretty much the same software with a new name., nor do I want any work around to make it work with my file organizations. Please give us a option to op-out completely from using any file restructuring solutions you may have offer.. I have my own file solutions thank you very much..
And lastly... Wait for it.. Its a biggie.. I do not want to connect to a cloud -server or DRM or even a GoofyRM. or what ever you choose to name it at the moment.No DRM to get paid for content decrypted, Even with a Daz insurance plan.NO! NO! NO!
Reason: when I am working with animations or any other project. I do not want to have to have another work around to get full control over what ever I working on when I need to completely edit a item I am using to make it animation friendly. No encryption. for me Ever ah!
So Sir no thanks . But thanks for listening, sort of , Kinda of. A little bit.
I was looking for the Connect FAQ and had a hard time finding it:
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/65509/daz-connect-faq/p1
How about putting it up as a sticky?
I doubt very much they'll do that, that would probably be comitting suicide. I don't think either that they legally can terminally lock encrypted content that you have purchased under a TOS that promises that they will provide means for having it decrypted in case they go out of business.
I point to this:
It seems they are willing to recognize the possibility that changes in management or policy could occur and DAZ_Steve has stated they are trying to make sure customers can decrypt their content in the event of such a drastic change in policy.
I find their decision to implement DRM distasteful, and I have nothing but contempt for the DRM fanatics who hail this as a great thing instead of the shamefully regrettable one that it is. But I recognize that DAZ trying to mitigate the damage being caused by the decision.
I don't think mitigation is enough given how blatant the change in situation is and I still won't pay for any product with DRM, any product sold in order to promote a DRM item, any product by a PA who has products with DRM whether or not it's a DAZ Original, or any product made by someone who advocates DRM. Again, I find I take exception to the implied loss of trust involved. Still it doesn't do any good to mis-state DAZs position when it has actually been stated.
Edit: I was considering giving the encrypted products a try if a truly free one were available and it didn't restrict my usage, but between the current issues with having to login while I reload my library and the DRM fanboys banging their 'DRM is wonderful' drums, i'm just too tired. I'm done. I've stated what I won't purchase, and I doubt I'll miss any of it.
+1 to you and SimonJM on using DIM. If DIM gets discontinued, I'll have to look at what I buy, if anything, because DIM shows me in list form, very easily, what's installed and what isn't. It's fast and easy to click on a bunch of items and click to start them all installing. Why mess with something that is so easy to use and well structured?
Steve, I hope you have the answers for people on the rest of these concerns, at least you posted and hopefully some headway will be made. While trying to please folks regarding encryption, just don't underestimate the impact of DIM users when it comes to their shopping habits. If it's clunky/not as convenient to get things installed, we won't buy as much, if anything.
At least one good thing came out of this...the old sticky threads were finally removed!
+1
I'll be feeling this. till I get a new computer (which having one built now) I'm left with using 4.6, I'm getting the impression that any new product will have the encryption, and now I will be out of luck ever getting to use it.
this encryption would have alienated me from new products . ( still does till new computer).
I only use DAZ and Hex, so really not affected by the DRM, but like others already mention , if you think DRM will stop hackers and crackers .. you're kidding only yourself, it'll just be a brief delay.
I'm just bummed that new encrypted items I will not be able to use on this old machine, basically only any new free/paid items from else where.
It is a sticky.