Filed under: Business, Developer, Internet, Text, Utilities, Windows, Macintosh, Productivity, Web services, Microsoft, Commercial
ActiveWords - The most useful utility I'm no longer using
by Jason Clarke Jul 21st 2006
To be fair, up front I should warn you: this post is an opinion piece. About two months ago I moved to a new laptop, and went through all of the nonsense that is involved with setting up a new machine. I've just noticed today that I haven't bothered to install many of the programs that I previously would have gone to the effort and jumped through the hoops necessary to get registered on my new machine. And not because the software isn't good.
I'm picking on ActiveWords in the title here, but this applies to many other programs too. In fact, it applies to any commercial software that requires some form of registration to validate it on a given PC. But since I've named ActiveWords in the title, I'll use it as my example.
ActiveWords is an insanely useful tool for power users on PCs. I've long said that it's the scripting or macro engine that Windows should have had built right in, and I still believe it. The power and simplicity in ActiveWords is virtually unparalleled.
But here's the problem. Like most other commercial software, ActiveWords requires codes to unlock it, and requires users to jump through hoops to get a new unlocking code when they move to a different machine. I understand the reason for this, and I suppose that it's a necessary evil.
But each time I've had to jump through those hoops, it has been increasingly more of a pain. And this time, I didn't even consider it. Instead, I decided to use free software that gives me a few of the crucial features I needed from ActiveWords (AutoHotKey), and decided to give up on the rest of the benefit I was getting from it. Now keep in mind that I own a valid license for this very good software, but the trouble of legitimizing it yet again on a new machine was simply too much.
Worse, even if did manage to get it legitimately installed, I then have to go through the almost always manual process of configuring it. Even if it's a manual import of settings from a previous machine (which it is with ActiveWords), it's still more effort than I'm willing to expend on this kind of thing. We now live in a world where almost every computer can be connected in some way to almost every other computer - this simply shouldn't be necessary to manually reconfigure software on seperate machines anymore!
Now all of this holds true for lots of other software as well. And as web services get better and better, I think the trouble of getting set up on a new machine will be a big motivating factor for users to start replacing desktop software with online equivalents. Obviously this doesn't work in every software category, but consider that there are online word processors, spreadsheets, email clients, task lists, calendars, RSS readers, calculators, photo editing tools, photo libraries... the list goes on and on. How many of these online replacements for traditional desktop software are you already using? What software have you abandoned simply because of the hassle of installing and configuring it on a new machine? And finally, what's the answer?
I'm not trying to say that the future of desktop software is all doom and gloom - there are too many things that can be done in a far superior fashion on the desktop. What I am saying is that for companies that develop desktop software, a solution must be created to make it painless, or even seamless to migrate from one machine to another, and to use the product on more than one machine. Today, I use at least 3 computers on a very regular basis. Most of my commercial software simply doesn't allow for that fact.
Maybe Microsoft needs to come up with a solution for all software providers. It makes sense, considering that they are (above any other software company) the ones with the most to lose if people abandon their desktop software for online equivalents and replacements.
What are your thoughts? How do you deal with "upgrade hell"? Is this a problem for Mac users as well? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tommy P said 12:19PM on 7-21-2006
This one hit the nail on the head. I have used a utility called Anagram for years and it was incredibily handy. I moved to a new company, with a new laptop, and this time I just decided not to reload it and find the stupid passcode to register it. I miss it, but just sick of going through the process every time. Nice article.
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Tim Taylor said 12:46PM on 7-21-2006
This is another wonderful example of why all software should be opensource. I believe that the software makers are eventually going to be lapped by opensource software. Firefox is a perfect upcoming example.
I think the opensource crowd is slowly but surely starting to think like consumers who don't exactly meet their own profile...a big reason why I think Firefox is so successful. (This is coming from someone whose only coding experience was a karaoke program when I was in junior high!)
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Tim Dorr said 12:57PM on 7-21-2006
"Is this a problem for Mac users as well? "
No, Quicksilver is free, way easier to use, and more powerful than this :P
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Brett said 1:18PM on 7-21-2006
I haven't had a problem with it on Mac because of the Migration Assistant. When you get a new computer, the Migration Assistant copies everything over to the new computer. It copied MS Office and Photoshop over without any issues. It's definitely a much bigger problem on Windows. I'm a college student, so I don't really have the money to go around buying a bunch of little software programs, but I've definitely noticed the annoyance.
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Michael said 1:22PM on 7-21-2006
"Is this a problem for Mac users as well?"
Yes. Just ask my dad. The two posts near the top of the following page are about software activation on his Mac and his frustration with it.
http://www.theandyzone.com/computer/2005_12_01_archive.html
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Raj Mandalia said 1:39PM on 7-21-2006
Exact same situation here. Though I have ActiveWords, I moved to AutoHotKey. I use upto 3 machines and rather than get lics. for each and then sync up the the database, I find just installing the free AutoHotKey and copying the my single all-inclusive .AHK to each machine so much easier.
Same deal with other software. My list fo licensing schemes in order of decreasing prefernce are: OpenSource, Freeware, FullVersion (once you pay, no codes), FullVersion (with serial numberkeycode). Using software with an machine-dependant authentication mechanism is a last resort.
With ActiveWords and software like Embarcadero's are espically painful since the mechanism is NOT automated, you have to wait for a human to respond via email (at least it was the last time I had to do this). Argh!
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dglp said 3:07PM on 7-21-2006
This is where disc imaging comes in. Loads of good packages out there, and all you need to do is get your system to a state that you'd be happy with as a minimal restore.
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Peter J. Weldon said 8:11AM on 7-22-2006
Some clarifications:
1. The ActiveWords PLUS Version License includes the right for our customers to install, unlock, and use the software on any computer they wish, anytime. This is virtually unique in the software business and we do it for a very good reason, it is in our customers' best interest, making it easy to migrate ActiveWords from computer to computer and giving our customers the assurance they will always have their ActiveWords available.
2. The process to unlock a new ActiveWords PLUS installation is to click the "REQUEST" button on the initial startup dialog, enter your E-mail address on the form, and click "Submit". While the request is processed every new ActiveWords PLUS installation is fully functional for 5 days (which can be extented 60 more days by clicking the "Register" button on the startup dialog).
3. For a moment, just a moment, consider the quality of the software and support you would be getting if there were no financial incentive to create software. The good stuff and support for it would vanish.
Your support for commercial software is in your long term best interest.
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dglp said 9:33AM on 7-22-2006
Peter, those points are well made, but miss the larger issue of migration hassles. So while it is clear now that ActiveWords is an exception, the post above makes a good point about the hassles of installation, and effectively implies that there will come a day when semi-automated management tools will have to address the situation.
Secondly, someone more eloquent than I is bound to take issue with your assertion that good software will vanish without a financial incentive.
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Peter J. Weldon said 9:48AM on 7-22-2006
As you noted at the top, this is an opinion piece.
Every software program needs to be installed, updated, reinstalled, etc. so I don't get the point about migration hassles. To migrate ActiveWords you copy your WordBase to a backup source, install ActiveWords on the new computer, then just double click the backed up WordBase on the new computer. Done. Try that with Windows. Why pick on ActiveWords here?
I am sure there are well intentioned programmers who think they are doing good for the world by creating and distributing free software. I am also sure some of that software is good stuff. I am not willing to trust these volunteers to be there when I need support, updates, and improvements to the software I rely upon to get my work done.
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Neville Franks said 6:18PM on 7-22-2006
Will the day come that we get free car servicing, free bread, free electricity. I don't think so. So why should the "profession" of commercial software development be any different.
90 something percent of free software never goes anywhere, is unsupported and mostly crap. It is very difficult to put food on the table by working for free. And it is very hard to stay focused and produce anything of quality without the appropriate sustenance. My guess is that you'll find a lot of free software is developed while people are employed to be doing other work. Think public servants for example. And who pays their salaries?
IMO software development is on the path to self destruction as folks that can no longer sustain their businesses close the doors, putting more people in the job queue. Yes we live in a free market economy, but is this truly what folks want to happen.
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Jason Clarke said 4:03AM on 7-23-2006
Peter - I'm very sorry that you took my post as picking on ActiveWords. I did my best to try to paint ActiveWords in the best light possible, as I do in fact believe it to be a superior product.
My point was simply that I have had registration difficulties in the past which caused me to postpone the process on my new machine to the point where I was surprised to realize that I still had not done it, and my resolve to do so had waned.
In fact, the whole reason I felt this topic to be significant enough to post about was the fact that ActiveWors is an intensely useful product, and one that one would think I would be inclined to ensure I had available to me. My commentary named ActiveWords, yes, because it is a tool that has been so important to me that I was surprised I don't currently have it available to use.
Please note that the point here isn't that commercial software is bad. It's that the trouble of moving from one machine to another *hurts* commercial software vendors. Wouldn't ActiveWords (or any other commercial software vendor) be better off if I was still using, demonstrating and evangelizing their product, rather than lamenting the fact that it didn't make it onto my latest machine? Wouldn't it be in ActiveWords' best interest (and again, any other sofware vendor) to allow me to use their product on the various machines I regularly use, to the point that I can't imagine not having it available?
I believe that is the future of commercial offline software (in other words, non web-based software). Easy upgrading, no fiddling with unlocking codes, automatic synchronization of settings - make it just work. Then as an unpredictable user, I have no excuse not to continue using the product.
By the way, comparing software installation to operating installation is unfair; the operating system is required. Everything else is optional.
Thank you for taking part in the dialog!
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Dave A. said 4:07AM on 7-23-2006
Peter:
First off, you answered your own question. Jason is picking on ActiveWords because it's an opinion article. Migration hassles are really the bane of computer transitions. I know. I had to re-install everything after my registry was erased. I'm talking hours upon hours of entering codes and babysitting my computer just to get it back to where it was before my registry vanished. Just try saying you "don't get the point about migration hassles" when you have over 100GB of stuff to install. It's not as easy as point-and-click when Windows won't even start up.
And I've been using free and open-source software for years. You don't just have some random "volunteers" but an entire community of people giving you support when you need it because it's an open forum setting. I'd rather take that instead of a one-on-one conversation with someone who's probably in Bali working for not even US$100/week. I have a lot of free software, including anti-virus and firewall software. I haven't had a problem yet with either of them.
I think you're short-changing yourself when you don't actually give them a fair shake. That's pretty sad.
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Richard said 9:09AM on 7-23-2006
"90 something percent of free software never goes anywhere, is unsupported and mostly crap."
So is 90 percent of commercial software, the difference being you usually don't know until you've already paid for it.
One of the reasons I'm not using Windows for my personal work anymore is that I'm sick and tired of dealing with things like "Windows Genuine Advantage", "product activation", et al. I shouldn't have to call Microsoft on the phone and prostrate myself before them, hoping for their benevolence, just because I put in a SATA RAID controller and have to re-install the OS from scratch. (That really happened to me on my work machine.)
For the same reason, I haven't upgraded Photoshop since version 7.
And I think the blogger's point is relevant to this: I am a paying customer. But Adobe hasn't seen any money from me for Photoshop 8, Creative Suite 1, and Creative Suite 2, any version of Acrobat since version 5.0, any version of GoLive since version 6. Microsoft hasn't seen a dime from me for Office 2003 or 2005. If the Universal version of Office for Mac requires activation, I'll continue using 2004 even if I have to run it under Rosetta because it is good enough.
I like commercial software and I have paid for everything installed on my computer. I prefer Photoshop to GIMP, Office to OpenOffice; but rising costs and deployment headaches like activation schemes have me looking at OSS alternatives where possible.
On a more personal note, I resent being automatically assumed to be a criminal, and that is what these activation schemes feel like to me.
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Peter J. Weldon said 4:58PM on 7-23-2006
This is good stuff! To me, having ActiveWords the "taking off point" for this discussion is conflicting because Buzz and I run the ActiveWords show.
I am going to add a little bit more to this in the hope someone at Microsoft might actually read it.
Here is the deal. Those of us in the software business in one form or another (whether developer, writer, technology junkie, etc.) see this migration problem all the time. We at ActiveWords have considered many alternatives and come up with what we have now because it is in the customer's best interest; activation that is simple and reliable, file migration that is simple and reliable, along with active personal E-mail support to get a few users over the hump.
Now, what about Microsoft? Why does it take hours to create a new Windows installation and then update it? Why does it take hours to create a new Microsoft Office installation and then update it? Why does it take hours to backup all the other stuff and accurately migrate it to a new computer? Now consider the millions of hours wasted by millions of people who do and who do not understand computer stuff trying to complete this migration dance.
Think about it. I can buy a copy of Microsoft Windows XP Home for $89 and I then need to spend a day of my life getting it to run with all my other stuff. Thank-you very much Bill, but I will gladly pay you $149 for the same product with a single button that moves everything accurately within one hour, thereby allowing me to do something productive for a day.
So, OK, I agree with the isssue. Let's try to get the king of the hill to do something about it and please let us little guys (like ActiveWords) try to continue to make their products more useful.
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Tim Berger said 11:24PM on 7-23-2006
I bought ActiveWords but stopped using it since it doesn't match the simplicity or easy of use as SlickRun which is free. It might not have all the features of ActiveWords, but it also has features that ActiveWords is sorely missing ... like autocomplete.
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Dan Warne said 1:34AM on 7-24-2006
Awesome article. I've bounced off it at my site, in a post titled "Why AJAX is no the future". Slightly tangential, but in one part of this piece, I reckon Jason has cut right to the core of the issue of what the next 'killer feature' on the internet is going to be: internet-basd software configuration sync. Coupled with online document mirroring, you get the speed of desktop software with the portability of online apps.
More at: http://www.apcstart.com/site/dwarne/2006/07/758/internet-sync-better-than-sex-sliced-bread
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Buzz Bruggeman said 2:08PM on 7-24-2006
I am a bit late to this party, but would echo Peter's comments. We have broken our hearts and backs trying to build the very best software we can. I routinely run into people who praise the free stuff, which is fine with us, but our methodolgy of licensing and installing software is the very best we have found. If there are better ways to do it out there, please, please let us know.
We think we have given lots and lots of people back lots and lots of heartbeats and time. I didn't see any comments from anyone who uses ActiveWords on a tablet, as ActiveWords on a tablet changes forever how you use a tablet.
We are working on ActiveWords on Mobile devices, and I am proud that we have a vision, i.e. http://www.activewords.com/vision.html where the users language is the driving part of the UI not a different UI that he/she has to learn for every device they own.
We love positive criticism, but we have no control over the Windows metaphor, and would love any and all suggestions as to how to make ActiveWords better and even more useful!
Buzz
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Jason Clarke said 3:02PM on 7-24-2006
Hi Buzz, thanks for stopping by.
I feel bad that my original article didn't communicate well enough that I heartily recommend ActiveWords, and that I think it's a very useful program. As I said in a previous comment, if ActiveWords wasn't as useful as it is, it wouldn't have been notable to me that I didn't currently have it installed. And that situation brought to mind the current installation and configuration mess that all software vendors face.
I think the onus is on Microsoft to figure out a better way to migrate to a new PC, for everyone.
Thanks for the comment!
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Bernard Farrell said 1:34AM on 8-08-2006
This is off the topic of the original post, but can ActiveWords (and others) be installed on a U3 flash drive and would that solve some of the problems?
This evening I went through the installation of ActiveWords on my newish laptop. I just wonder why I waited so long to do it.
I think much of the problem is that vendors of all sizes are still thinking of individual machines rather than thinking that many of us now have several machines we use or a regular basis (in the course of my week I spend a significant amount of time on five specific machines, four of which are at home).
We have to get away from thinking of these as isolated islands of computing and figure out how to integrate the network such that changing settings can be done locally or across my computer network (as defined by me).
This is yet another part of the future that I'm looking forward to.
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