When will licensing system change?

Dorico
#1

Hi.

I have been testing Dorico pro trial on my two Mac systems (MacBook Pro and Air) and have started to enjoy using it. I am not, however, enjoying the thought of purchasing yet another dongle (it will be my third) so I can use Dorico pro on either system. I read in the forums that there will be a licensing change in the future and was wondering if it is in the near future or the far future :slight_smile:. Can I be a tester of the new licensing system :slight_smile:? This week?

I already have a small USB hub for when I have to use two dongles at once, but I have been reading that it takes a while for everything to get connected with Dorico (the last report I read was that it took 10 seconds or more) and that could drive me the very short distance left to going over the edge :slight_smile:.

Anyway, the takeaways are:

  1. I would love to use Dorico on either of two systems without a dongle (I don’t want to purchase a dongle). What is the latest estimate?
    and
  2. I have survived the trial testing and am favorably disposed to purchasing a copy.

Thanks to all who helped me get over the learning hump.

Blessings.

-Ed

#2

Ed, what kinds of dongles do you have already? If either of your existing dongles is a USB-eLicenser (as branded by us at Steinberg) or a Vienna Key (as branded by VSL) then you can put a Dorico license onto your existing dongle without needing a new one.

We are working on a replacement for the current eLicenser system, but it’s a medium- to long-term project rather than something that is going to bear fruit imminently, I’m afraid. eLicenser has been such a critical part of our business for so many years that replacing it is an enormous task, but the team is working diligently towards it.

#3

I definitely am not intending to beat a dead horse with this thread. My question (which I’m not sure if it’s been covered elsewhere in the copious threads dealing with this) is whether or not future versions (new licensing system not withstanding) might be able to still open files even if you cannot save or print. At the moment, I have to keep my dongle at work most of the time, however from time to time, I want to check on files I have at home, but if I can’t even open them to view them, I have no idea how far along a particular file is. It’s also frustrating when you have a sequence of files that are named similarly (“Etude” for example) but you can’t open them to see which one is which to even email the file to yourself to open on another computer.

#4

I think you can tell your horse that when Dorico/Steinberg comes up with a solution they will tell us. Your horse (dead or undead) probably knows that the Dorico Team does not promise features or a timetable for them until they know they can deliver.

#5

Again, I’m not disputing the issues surrounding only having one active license/computer. I’m just wondering if we can be allowed to open and view files even if we can’t edit/print/save them. That’s a horse of a different color. There are other programs I’ve used that allow this exact functionality. It would also be nice from time to time to open up an xml document to see how it renders even if I’m not going to be saving/engraving now (xml files are often shared in places like CPDL). Sometimes when I’m trawling for scores for my choir, I’d like to open up an xml document to see what type of data cleanup may or may not be required to make a better edition, even if I’m not going to work on that now because my dongle is in my work computer.

#6

The answer is that I hope so, but we have absolutely no idea whether or not it will be technically possible.

#7

Romanos401, for this purpose I have put a Dorico Elements version onto my second computer.

#8

Daniel, thanks, I understand. As long as it’s on your radar I’m content.

KB, that’s not a bad idea. I’m loathe to spend the money now, but the number of times I’ve been caught unable to even open documents because I forgot my dongle at work is becoming increasingly frustrating. Sometimes I just want to view xlm files at home in the evening to assess whether or not it’s worth the effort to do my own engraving. Other times I think, “do I need to email this to my work computer?” but then I can’t remember precisely what’s in the score or which version it is and can’t even view it to double check. Elements may be an acceptable workaround right now. My workhorse setup is at work (go figure) so most of the time I only want to do light editing/entry at home anyways because I miss all my hotkeys at work. [Hopefully we will be able to export settings and import to new computers in the future too!]

Unlike many on the forum, I don’t think Steinberg is terrible just because we are limited to one license or are forced to a dongle. Where they get stung is simply the fact that the competitors use a different system to which we’ve all become accustom. In fact, I sympathize with Steinberg. This is not the only expensive piece of software that I use that requires a USB key to function. (Fortunately that particular license doesn’t need to travel.) These programs take so much development and consist in millions of lines of code and millions in investment… we all know about bootleg copies of very (in)famous pieces of software that are relatively easy to get (photoshop anyone?) so I have no beef with it, although like others I hope things change in the future. That’s why I bought a dongle right away, no fuss.

#9

You can easily move your Dorico user settings between computers: just take a copy of the “Dorico 2” folder in /Users/your-username/Library/Application Support/Steinberg (Mac) or %APPDATA%\Steinberg (Windows) and copy it to the corresponding location on your other computer.

#10

Excellent! Thanks!