Look, it is what it is. Steinberg sells a specific software under specific legal terms. Since you can’t use two computers simultaneously (sort of) you can make do perfectly well with one license on one dongle. When you’re on one computer you stick the dongle into it, and when you move to your other computer you move your dongle. Moving a tiny USB key from a computer to another is hardly arduous work, like working in a coal mine, or very intellectually demanding, like doing quantum physics calculations. Just move the darn thing.
Now, if for some reason you need to run your two computers concurrently, then I take it you need two licenses. Again not really surprising. It just is what it is. If that doesn’t work for you then you’ll need a different solution.
As for “lose, break or be stolen”: Doesn’t that apply to like a gazillion other items you carry with you? Your laptop maybe? Your speakers/headphones? Your wallet? Your cellphone? Your house/car keys? Just treat the dongle as an expensive smartphone and never forget it and never damage it. It’s really not that hard.
None of it is “draconian”, that’s a silly word to use (although these days everything is a “disaster” or “draconian” or “atrocious” or any of the other words that really should be used for natural disasters and genocide and such). And there are probably far more people than you think, especially professionals that are getting paid and use only paid-for software, that have the opinion that Raphie has. I agree with him. He’s not ranting, what he says isn’t weird, and it’s entirely coherent.
