Online activation and greed, or why I'm not buying FSX on ..

I only learnt of the requirement of online activation with FSX today. I
guess I'm not too surprised. Yesterday I learnt that the inital release
of FSX will only ship with the Max Tools, not Gmax. Presumably Gmax for
FSX is coming later (though my understanding is that Autodesk is doing
their best to encourage people into buying Max, has end of lifed Gmax
and had to be persuaded to continue with Gmax for FSX given its no
longer offered for any other piece of software. So if I never see Gmax
for FSX again I won't be too surprised at the development). These 2
things have put me off buying FSX now and a new machine in the next few
months.

Gmax being yanked has put me off learning to 3D model for an R/C flight
sim called Realflight G3. There are legal ways around this now in the
form of other cheaper software, but if you don't want ot jump through
hoops and aren't willing to pirate it's messy and difficult. I think
this is an awful move by Autodesk by the way. They owed us nothing
until they got people hooked on using their "free" product, then
promptly yanked it to replace it with a very expensive one. I could
compare this behaviour with an illegal industry but I'm trying to make
sure nothing I say here is libelous.

There are a lot of weak arguments going on around why activation is
bad. I wanted to make a stronger case. In my honest opinion software
makers have well and truely crossed the line trying to protect revenue.
If you think I'm a software piracy apologist, or a cheapskate, I can
show you 3 draws full of original current computer games, and a large
storage container of old folded up CD boxes (again all orginal and paid
for). In my life I'd conservatively say I've spent around AUD20k on
software and only a little less again on hardware.

Apart from the hassle, activation basically turns FSX into a rental
game. As soon as Microsoft decide they're no longer supporting it,
you'll no longer be able to reinstall it. If they promise otherwise you
only have their word on that. On the other hand if you have Flight Sim
95 or 98 right now, and still have hardware that will run it, there's
nothing to stop you from re-installing. Any on CD copy protection will
still work (Of course I acknowledge 10 year old copy protection isn't
going to be hard to defeat if you're so inclined). This will not be the
case for FSX in 10 years time. Not long after MS ship FS11 or if
they're generous, FS12, you'll find yourself unable to activate the no
longer supported FSX. If MS get taken over or go bankrupt (unlikely
right now, but big business can suddenly change) you won't be able to
activate. If they sell of FSX, you may not be able to activate. No one
but the owner has the right to activate the product for you unless
those rights are assigned by the owner. There is no such thing as
competing 3rd party activation and the legal rights to do so can be
sold or discarded if a company gets in trouble. THIS is why I don't buy
the payware 3rd party addons for FS2004 (from smaller less financially
secure companies than MS). THIS is why I can't bring myself to buy FSX
right now.

Can you imagine what it would be like if aircraft manufacturers did
this. (Perhaps they already are with aircraft software these days). All
those air museums that actually fly aircraft would sit idle because no
machine over 7 years old would fly. Getting back to FSX, even if the
copyright on the software expires, activation will prevent its use.

So lets say that a no-activation crack comes out. I have to break the
law to use the flight sim in a few years? No thanks. Typically enforced
or not, explain to me why I should risk time in prison and/or financial
ruin over any piece of software? Perhaps I'm paranoid but I can't
believe people openly and freely talk about using nocds and other anti
piracy circumvention tools on the forums. Any time in the near future a
gung ho law enforcement official may decide to collect information from
the groups and make an example out of a lot of people.

Just remember this any time someones tells you activation is only to be
feared by pirates or is better than CD/DVD copy protection. This is
true of any DRM based copy protection. DRM and activation on
games/movies/music/books are nothing more than a rental scheme with an
enforced return date and conditions that you cannot know fully in
advance. Each time you install or other conditions are met (eg. change
computer parts), you must go back to the original company for
permission to use the product. This may be refused at any time for a
variety of reasons. THAT is not FUD, that is fact.

Another thing. Right now I can download a multitude of free aircraft,
scenery and utilities for FS2004. Now where's the insentive to continue
freeware development? Unless Gmax for FSX is released you're going to
have trouble using the latest tools for free. 3DSMax cost around US4k
last time I looked - no problem if you sell lots of aircraft but I
don't want to try to do that. If I do develop an aircraft for FSX they
may not work in the following version, and as described above FSX
actviation may disappear. Why am I going to spend the time and effort
learning to 3D model and build for FSX to create something with a shelf
life the length of supported activation? What's worse by giving away my
work I'm making a product with these restrictions sold by a company
that does this to its customers more attractive to others. I simply
can't justify it.

The flight sim industry isn't moving forward as claimed at the AVSIM
conference. This kind of greed and stupidity will eventually see flight
sim become less and less mainstream, more arcadish, and more expensive.
People will press on for quite some time and we'll see some good stuff
as features of FSX are taken advantage of. However in 10 years we'll be
living in a world where it costs a lot to make freeware for such a
proprietary product, and your old software no longer installs. DRM,
activation and expensive development tools are a cancer that will eat
away at the hobby. They've basically forgotten what made Flight Sim the
franchise it is today - the open architecture. Open to anyone with time
and a willingness to learn (as opposed to an elite who can afford it).

This really upsets me. I want FSX. I want things to move forward. I
don't mind paying some money for it, but you can bet I'm not going to
spend 2-3k on a machine, money on the software for each computer I want
to use the sim on, 4k on development tools, and another 4k on addons
for flying and development. I'm now thinking of buying a decent machine
while I still can that will run FS2004 as smoothly as possible, and
have no idea where to put my development effort.