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Replying To:
Of course it's risky[ Parent ] (none / 0) (#17)
by enderlyn on Wed Feb 28, 2007 at 03:41:57 PM PDT

We are very different from Adobe, Microsoft, et. al. in several ways, the two most important are that (1) our product is considerably more expensive than Windows or Acrobat and (2) our customer base is rather narrow.

I can say the same about the company I write software for as well (day job, anyway). We have chosen not to employ DRM. Instead we put our time and energy into quality features and quality service. Believe it or not, a good number of our customers praise us for not using any sort of DRM/activation.

There is a slow backlash against this stuff building in IT. It will take time, but it is coming. I do not doubt your sincerity for a second when you say you have great customer service. I am sure you do. But understand that DRM/activation problems encountered by customers of MS, Adobe, and others is making the whole concept onerous. And, to be honest, I still believe the risks of relying on software that uses it are too high. Why add the additional point of failure that DRM brings when it is completely unnecessary to running your department? Sorry, but software without DRM/activation does not have that failure point.

Ok, every additional feature is risky. But DRM does not need to be any more risky than any other.

There are two problems with this statement. The first is that DRM, from a customer perspective, adds no value to software. It does not help them get work done. It accomplishes no useful tasks for the user. Simply put: from a user perspective DRM is not a feature at all.

As for the second problem, I don't know about you, but I work very hard to make sure a failure of one element in my software does not bring about failure in the application as a whole whenever this is possible. It's just good defensive design sense in your application architecture. DRM/activation runs contrary to this practice because a failure in this system prevents the application from working and, depending on implementation, may commit the ultimate sin of holding data hostage.

Some of the points you raised are more related to the company policies than to the technology: #2, 3 and 4. If the company has demonstrated a willingness to treat customers in that way, than they are certainly valid issues.

These issues are valid regardless of how a company currently treats its customers. Many of us that read this site regularly (probably closer to all than not) have had some favorite vendor get acquired or go through a management change that brought with it a decline in customer service and other ills. Good management and service today does not necessarily mean the same for tomorrow. One of the ways you can protect yourself from such a change is to make sure you can install and use the software you purchased without having to go through the vendor or any other third party. The same goes for accessing your data.



[ Parent ]


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