While I’m all for some solution that would negate the use of a copy protection dongle, the last thing I’d want to see is a cloud-based scheme requiring an internet connection. Think about it. the connection goes down or, you’re in a venue where internet connectivity is an impossibility. I think you’d be singing a different tune then. Also….think about this: making the program cloud-based could open the door to Steinberg considering the rent/subscription model. And that would completely suck.*
As much as the dongle is an inconvenience to some and despised by many, you have to admit, it’s been extremely effective blocking piracy of the program. Seriously….when was the last time you saw a cracked working full copy of Cubase on the ‘net?
* If you think I’m kidding about this, check out this HALion survey near the end of it:
https://www.questionpro.com/t/ADNbVZcj9o
Edit: this survey lapsed on March 20th. Somewhere near the end of it, there were questions asking if you’d consider purchasing HALion on a subscription basis. This line of questions makes it obvious the Steinberg braintrust is considering adopting this business model. Software rental works for a 2.6 billion dollar company like Adobe because they basically have a monopoly on a wide range of visual editing tools. Steinberg doesn’t, as the DAW market is quite competitive.
