Please get rid of the dongle

+1 @ skijumptoes because start the software without an internet connection is very important. I just wish the dongle is better (like the ilock or the Codemeter Magix) because I walk for a few months and the connector moves in the plastic casing, which is not very reassuring. It should be possible to install the license on the hard disk of (1) computer in addition to the license on the dongle. A question: on the of Zero Downtime, Steinberg explains “We reserve the right to decline license replacements for repeated claims”: what does that mean? :frowning:

100 years ago our whole show we didn’t rely on a tiny crappily made piece if plastic
The moonlander was not made out of cheap plastic either…

No. This doesn’t work. You can only store the licence on one dongle at a time. Spare dongle - Nuendo - Steinberg Forums

You can buy the e license fongle but only store on one dongle at a time. You have to write to them you can have some emergency 24 hour thing… That was last time I checked.

No. I tried this I bought a spare e licenser dongle to have a reserve but it was not permitted. . This doesn’t work. You can only store the licence on one dongle at a time. Spare dongle - Nuendo - Steinberg Forums

Read, think, learn:

. I am already aware of this, in fact I have already done it once. How about you read think and learn possibly even listen instead of just making facetious remarks before having even a modicum of an understanding of people who use software in a different way to you ? Having a spare USB dongle for 24 hours is useless when you are running a week long installation that relies on Nuendo at some field or theme park where the Nuendo is running for days on end constantly not just 24 hours. . Aside from the wI often do events without decent internet connections in the first place you’re not likely to be able to receive youre new dongle “in the post” either when your up to your eyeballs in work at an event miles from home with thousands of people in attendance in a highly pressured professional show environment where everything needs to be bullet proof - something you patently understand nothing about. Primitive as the lunar missions technology may have been - you can be sure it was built like a tank.

" Please get rid of the dongle"

… no, please don’t. Allow for temporary on-line license checking for those who need it, but in general these dongles make things easy to handle and secure our investment.

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I came in situation where dongleless software would have made me fall flat on the nose. Therefore, I am for keeping the dongle, unless they come up with something like DNA or iris scans. What about the other licenses stored on the eLicenser dongle? Do you carry a dongle for those with you, nevertheless?
Learned, thought, done it, been there, left it and came back…
Introducing an alternative for the dongle is absolutely fine with me,
but not for me…
Servus, Big K

I am already aware of this, in fact I have already done it once. How about you read think and learn possibly even listen instead of just making facetious remarks before having even a modicum of an understanding of people who use software in a different way to you ?

Sorry if I came off that way, I understand that I did. It’s just that what you wrote wasn’t clear so it looked as if you didn’t understand what the options were.

Having a spare USB dongle for 24 hours is useless when you are running a week long installation that relies on Nuendo at some field or theme park where the Nuendo is running for days on end constantly not just 24 hours. . Aside from the wI often do events without decent internet connections in the first place

So while I agree that you’re indeed describing an issue, and that if a product is sold it should work, there really are several things to consider.

One thing was that an earlier objection was that the dongle would get damaged. As some pointed out there are ways around that. I personally don’t recall ever reading about one of these dongles just breaking by itself. Granted, sooner or later they all probably break, but I’ve never read that. So that leaves poor use which can be mitigated.

The other thing was losing it. See previous comment.

As for 24-7 operation to me that is likely better served using dedicated tools, not a “general” DAW. And not only that, but if we are really talking about truly mission-critical operation then a backup unit should absolutely be on stand-by at all times. I would never ever set up such a system for 24-7 use with zero redundancy. And if we give that some further thought:

Are you set up with only one computer? What happens if the system drive fails? What if the motherboard fails? So if it’s truly mission-critical 24-7 operation you’re already going to have a backup computer, and whatever that computer costs another license+dongle of Nuendo is going to be a fraction of the cost. I think Nuendo right now is about 700 USD, add 30 for the dongle. Completely regardless of whether or not the dongle should work that’s just the most sane and professional approach as far as I can see…

As for the lack of an internet connection: I can see the edge case for that. But it really is a somewhat peculiar edge case. If I was out in such a location doing such work I again would likely look at complete redundancy and possibly purpose-built solutions.

you’re not likely to be able to receive youre new dongle “in the post” either when your up to your eyeballs in work at an event miles from home with thousands of people in attendance in a highly pressured professional show environment where everything needs to be bullet proof - something you patently understand nothing about.

Hate to be that guy, but… If you’re truly running a mission critical operation in front of thousands of people at a professional show then you’d go for full redundancy.

Imagine for a second that you are the manager of a place like the one you’re talking about and you hire someone like me to run audio, and all of a sudden there is none. Just silence. You ask me what happened and I say “the dongle broke”. You ask about backup and I go “Didn’t wanna spend another $750 on it”. What would you think? In a professional environment… I’d argue that that’s a subcontractor that has priorities backwards.

Having said that I agree with Big_K that it’s fine to have dongle-less authorizations as an alternative. I just happen to be ok with dongles

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One thing could help with the milder “Omg, my dongle is…gone, lost, broken, not working…” obsession . Have SB to issue the 30 hours ( NOT x-days from activation) full version no limits demo version, again. And that also ( or exclusively) for Nuendo owners who already have bought the version in question who seem otherwise not to be eligible to the demo. Put it on a spare dongle and you are good to go in case of an emergency or keep it as a safety spare.
Servus, Big K

Hello, all I can say at this moment is that the dongle is certainly not a direction to move forward and won’t be developed further in future.

Thanks,
Timo

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for you they make things easier. But not for others - its not all about you. Some events we dont even have internet access.

Please read the whole thread before commenting further.

As someone whos worked in these kind of environments for decades- Im not going to take online lectures on backup plans from someone who patently doesnt have a clue what theyre talking about . Just because its a professional environment doesnt mean we buy two of everything thats made like crap - Nuendo is great software - the dongle is cheap unprofessional piece of plastic crap - which is totally unnecessary. The other piece of software I regularly use is max msp - no dongle - and no=ones cracked it in years. . I understand people like me probably have quite a niche use - but still. as it happens most of us doing this kind of work (theatre, festivals, parks etc etc) now end up using reaper as its just far safer. Which is a shame - because Ive been using cubase and nuendo for nearly 30 years and it has some excellent features.

Thanks Timo - for listening!!

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Well - it’s as much about me, BigK or Mattias as it is about you, isn’t it. Don’t post in a public forum if you don’t want to read antithetical opinions.

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just chiming in to say that good to have choices but I have zero problem with the dongle (And ilok !)

3 questions, if I may.

  1. Do you own a car?

  2. Do you have a car key that is required to drive your car?

  3. Do you manage to drive your car on a consistent basis?

I prefer the dongle. I am also happy if Steinberg decides to also provide dongle free copy protection assigned to a specific computer.

Doesn’t really have to be either or, does it? Why not both? So possibly the title of this thread could be, “Please add dongle free copy protection as an option.” And thereby ultimately become a more effective request.

Okay, I admit that ended up being 5 questions. My apologies.

There’s clearly more than one way to skin a cat, and here’s to finding more options.

Just to address your questions:

  1. Yes, I own a car. But I rarely have to drive it in the window seat of a crowded passenger plane.

  2. Yes, I have a key for my car. And… it sucks really badly when it doesn’t work (as with, for example, a dongle, sometimes the tech fails us).

  3. Yes, my car generally works pretty well, thanks! But it sure is unwieldy from that window seat… and since I hardly ever have to drive it while simultaneously being squished by spatially-unaware middle seat occupiers, I have even less worry about my (much more robust than a dongle) key being crunched when they’re reaching for their third cocktail.

I know most people use their DAWs at home. And I don’t JUST work on airplanes. but I do have a little basket of crunched, battered, Scotch-taped and glued back together and finally retired old Steinberg licensers, and the corpses of old laptops with no-longer-working USB ports.

I know I’ve just opened myself up to ridicule in regards to hoarding. Be kind.

Bottom line: I don’t care about the title of the thread. And if people really are attached to their dongles ( :wink: ) then more power to them. But for those of us who work as much on the road as we do at home, that additional thingy sticking out of the side of the machine is a real liability. I am one of those! If the elicenser were smaller and could just stay in there without causing on the port I’d be whining a lot less loudly. But that’s not the case.

But… and I say this with love and fraternity, whatever the title of this thread might be, the bottom line is that Timo’s responded to it in a way that is at least encouraging to people who work as I do. Making it less a matter of “how” (though that’s clearly of interest) than of “when.”

Chewy