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Extremely disappointed with Coolbook "license"

dudup said:
Wrong. You quoted me like I said this was *the* reason Apple doesn't support it. I haven't said that...

The comparisons you're doing regarding iTunes are totally non sense, but I don't see the point of this discussion. Sorry. Good for you that you like Coolbook's terms. I don't, so I won't be using it anymore. But actually if you are using the same license with a different Mac, you're illegal. ;)
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Just ignore him Dudup, Ayeying is just a troll. He got it wrong in his first post in this thread and seems desperate either to simply gather more attention or to avoid having to apologise for his mistake, which any decent person would have done.
 
I'm a little confused after reading this thread, is there a limitation on the number of activations for one CB license? Or are you guys just upset about the CB license being inextricably bound up with a certain computer and can't be transferred to another computer?
 
Whilst I agree the license is restrictive, I think it's one of those things you have to live with, and at least you can install and uninstall it as much as you want on that one machine. If you have had problems, contact the support. I've done multiple rebuilds of my Air on Leopard, and a couple under Snow Leopard, and have had no problems at all activating the program.

Given that's it's less than 1% of the cost of your new purchase that you're putting it on, I think we just have to grin and bear it for now. As a rev A owner, it's an essential purchase, and it's not like there's anything out there that's a viable alternative.

Irritating? Yes. Worth getting worked up about? Not in my opinion. It's a very niche program, not an office suite or OS.
 
negev said:
Hey guys,

Like the OP and many other I was very annoyed with the unfair licensing practiced by the authors of Coolbook. I bought the app some time ago and was disgusted to learn that I can't transfer the license or even activate it more than twice on the same machine.

Luckily I found a way to bypass the activation, I won't post it here as I'm sure the owners of this forum wouldn't be too impressed but if anyone wants to know how I did it please PM me. I will only share the method with people who can prove they originally bought a Coolbook license.

Negev
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ARE YOU SERIOUS? IT IS $10! SOME PEOPLE HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS!

If it were free, I am sure there would still be high expectations. Maybe someone should write some competing code and sell it for $49... then let people switch it to a different computer? Honestly, seems like it would keep its customers happier by charging more up front and letting them install it on multiple MBAs. How many MBAs could someone have anyways.

I believe this effectively shows how one software company isn't charging enough money for its software's value. CoolBook is extremely valuable because it can take a $3099 computer that didn't work, let person buy "dumped" MBA for $1299. Add a $49 product to "fix" the worst problems from the original MBA. Save $1800, sell the "fix" for $49, let people swap the license for free... make everyone happy! Even on the low-end original MBA, save $800 on the "dumped" MBA, add $49 software, net proceeds is $751!

This just shows that everyone complains more and has higher expectations when a company doesn't charge enough money for software. I still believe CoolBook is amazing software and would be an incredible value at $49, and is dirt cheap and nobody should complain at $10!
 
I would be happy to give the guy another $10 for his hard work. But I would prefer he had simply charged $20 and given unlimited transfers.
 
Hey guys,

As it turns out, I and several other posters on this thread were completely wrong about the Coolbook license. Magnus, the developer of coolbook, has been in touch and pointed out that I misinterpreted the text of the manual that states that you can only reset the license once. This doesn't mean that you have to pay to reactivate it on the same machine. As you can imagine, Magnus was rightly very upset about this.

Admittedly the wording in the manual is slightly confusing, and coupled with the forum threads I found here with people seemingly upset about the same thing, led me to believe that my interpretation of it was correct, but with hindsight I really should have contacted Magnus about this in the first place, so Magnus once again I am very sorry.

If you like Coolbook please buy a license, it's a really useful program and $10 is nothing for what it does, really. Magnus could easily sell it for a lot more than $10. We were wrong about the license, so everyone who uses it should be fair to him and purchase a license if they haven't already.

Negev
 
SeaneyC said:
Whilst I agree the license is restrictive, I think it's one of those things you have to live with, and at least you can install and uninstall it as much as you want on that one machine. If you have had problems, contact the support. I've done multiple rebuilds of my Air on Leopard, and a couple under Snow Leopard, and have had no problems at all activating the program.

Given that's it's less than 1% of the cost of your new purchase that you're putting it on, I think we just have to grin and bear it for now. As a rev A owner, it's an essential purchase, and it's not like there's anything out there that's a viable alternative.

Irritating? Yes. Worth getting worked up about? Not in my opinion. It's a very niche program, not an office suite or OS.
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Sorry, but no, no one just has to live with it. It's called refusing to purchase something you disagree with. I think it's important that developers know when consumers don't like the terms they offer, and that at least some consumers won't purchase the product until those terms are changed.

I wouldn't purchase any program that is tied to a single machine. As I recall, that was one (of many) problems that led to a lot of complaining about Rebel EFI as well, software I'm sure this "Magnus" won't want associated with his software.

jW
 
I'm not sure if Coolbook has an extra feature that this other program does not, but SMC Fan control is free and does....well....fan control.

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/23049/smcfancontrol

If this doesn't work for you, please don't whine here about it. Instead of lecturing the OP about his practices, please post something constructive. I'm simply helping POTENTIAL coolbook buyers that there is a free alternative.

Regardless of who misread what, the policy is poorly done. Take OmniFocus. My license is for one user at a time. If my 2 computers run it at once, 1 must shut down. I can, however, install it on 1000 computers if I wanted.

I'm not saying coolbook should have this license structure, but 1-license-per-user is fair. Even if you had to call in and reassociate the registration to another computer, this should be done free of charge. I cannot see ANY logical arguments against this (still forces you to buy 1 license per machine you have, which is the coolbook's goal). The only reasoning is to pretty much screw over your customers and force them to rebuy it.

You go and buy a new wireless mouse. You can only use this mouse on 1 computer at a time. You sell your old computer, get a new one, and try and plug in the mouse into that new one. Ooooooh, sorry guy, this mouse is registered with another mac permanently. It's ok though, you can just go to a store and buy a new mouse. No big deal! Your fault for misreading the terms of service. :confused:
 
mpsruo said:
I'm not sure if Coolbook has an extra feature that this other program does not, but SMC Fan control is free and does....well....fan control.

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/23049/smcfancontrol

If this doesn't work for you, please don't whine here about it. Instead of lecturing the OP about his practices, please post something constructive. I'm simply helping POTENTIAL coolbook buyers that there is a free alternative.

Regardless of who misread what, the policy is poorly done. Take OmniFocus. My license is for one user at a time. If my 2 computers run it at once, 1 must shut down. I can, however, install it on 1000 computers if I wanted.

I'm not saying coolbook should have this license structure, but 1-license-per-user is fair. Even if you had to call in and reassociate the registration to another computer, this should be done free of charge. I cannot see ANY logical arguments against this (still forces you to buy 1 license per machine you have, which is the coolbook's goal). The only reasoning is to pretty much screw over your customers and force them to rebuy it.

You go and buy a new wireless mouse. You can only use this mouse on 1 computer at a time. You sell your old computer, get a new one, and try and plug in the mouse into that new one. Ooooooh, sorry guy, this mouse is registered with another mac permanently. It's ok though, you can just go to a store and buy a new mouse. No big deal! Your fault for misreading the terms of service. :confused:
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Guys live with it, its in the terms you accepted, the developer does actually do what he said he would do... I had my MBA replaced and 1 email to him and a couple of hours later it was reset... :cool:

All the comparisons to what other "Developers" do is pointless :rolleyes:

Should we all complain that after buying a VW Golf that it does not let you do what a Porsche 911 allows...

as always RTFM or in this case RTFULA..

and I am really pissed of that I can't run my OS X on a machine not from apple ... I don't care that the OS came free with MacBook... I demand the right to run it on what ever I want.. Just like Microsoft does... they allow me to run it on my machine.... see what I mean... :D
 
Companies who are receiving purchases from customers should be happy in the first place in this day and age. If they want to play around, just acquire their software through different means.
 
nobackup said:
Should we all complain that after buying a VW Golf that it does not let you do what a Porsche 911 allows...
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This analogy is flawed. It's more like you buy a nice stereo for your Golf, and when you upgrade to the 911 you find out that you're not allowed to take the stereo out of the Golf and install it in your 911.


nobackup said:
as always RTFM or in this case RTFULA..
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Yes, ultimately the responsibility falls with the user. However, in this case the EULA is vastly different than the majority of other software. Most programs and games (even with the crap DRM included) will allow you to uninstall the program from a current machine and transfer it to a new machine without developer intervention. Microsoft even gets this right with Office and, for the most part, Windows. Some companies (Adobe CS, if not now, then at one point) even allow software to be installed on 2 machines, provided that they are not used simultaneously.

So on one hand, you have users who have accepted a "contract" without reading it, and on the other you have a developer that changes the commonly accepted rules of software licensing, probably knowing that the user didn't read the agreement before installing it.
 
jdechko said:
This analogy is flawed. It's more like you buy a nice stereo for your Golf, and when you upgrade to the 911 you find out that you're not allowed to take the stereo out of the Golf and install it in your 911.
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not really flawed... I was trying to make a different point..

Many replies were saying ... This product should perform like that product.. when I bought that product it allowed me to do this... CB should and must do the same :)

BTW long gone are the days when you BUY a stereo for either a Golf or a 911 as they come fitted and aftermarket ones don't really blend in well, most shops just upgrade the amps and loudspeakers



jdechko said:
Yes, ultimately the responsibility falls with the user. However, in this case the EULA is vastly different than the majority of other software. Most programs and games (even with the crap DRM included) will allow you to uninstall the program from a current machine and transfer it to a new machine without developer intervention. Microsoft even gets this right with Office and, for the most part, Windows. Some companies (Adobe CS, if not now, then at one point) even allow software to be installed on 2 machines, provided that they are not used simultaneously.

So on one hand, you have users who have accepted a "contract" without reading it, and on the other you have a developer that changes the commonly accepted rules of software licensing, probably knowing that the user didn't read the agreement before installing it.
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You have summed up some good points here :)

To all others

I dont really see the point that people are trying to make here, its in the docs read them, and move on...

Most of the people here in this thread have never bought the product, and just either want to vent or just like the sound...

There is no rule stating what a developer HAS to do, its up to them, that's why they include terms, live with it or move on..

in this case its just a MDRM (Marcus Digital Rights Management) implementation...
 
A shameful money making exercise from this developer knowing that most people upgrade their laptops every few years.

Maybe it will earn him some cash from fools who keep buying a licence.

On the other hand it will mean he doesn't get my money.

Maybe it's only €10, but it's the principle. I'd be quite happy using the cracked version. Let them try to sue, this violates EU laws anyway.
 
iigsie said:
A shameful money making exercise from this developer knowing that most people upgrade their laptops every few years.

Maybe it will earn him some cash from fools who keep buying a licence.

On the other hand it will mean he doesn't get my money.

Maybe it's only €10, but it's the principle. I'd be quite happy using the cracked version. Let them try to sue, this violates EU laws anyway.
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Can you please tell me more about the EU laws you are referring to?

Do you know that all updates to CoolBook have been free? Supporting OS X 10.4 to 10.6 (32 and 64 bit). Many users are still using the same computer today, as they were when v 1.0 was released (myself included). The theory was that if you can afford a new Mac, you can also afford a new license.
The customers owning the same computer for years can use CoolBook without having to buy updates every year when a new OS is released.
But this theory was not valid, because the richer people are the cheaper they get.
Another technical problem solved with the current license model, is the fact that new computer models often need a rewritten driver. That would mean that free transfers would only be possible to computers the same age or older than your current one. But this can be solved by offering upgrades for a small fee.


I'm planning to change the license terms to be more mainstream:

- The price will be $19.99.
- Added possibility to transfer the license
(to computers the same age, or older).
- Support will be limited to six month.
- Updates will be offered for $6.99 (needed for new models and OSes).

I would like to get your input on this. Is this license better?
 
It's fair for the OP to be disappointed: the license terms are illogical and unusual.

(Illogical because there's no particular reason this software should be tied to a particular piece of hardware.)

It's a dumb license because the publisher is unnecessarily annoying their good, paying customers. I can guarantee you that is never a good long-term business strategy.
 
First of all, thanks for reading the boards and contributing. It's great to be able to have a dialog with the developer of programs the community uses.

Mungas said:
The theory was that if you can afford a new Mac, you can also afford a new license.
The customers owning the same computer for years can use CoolBook without having to buy updates every year when a new OS is released.
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Speaking as an outsider (I don't use/have your software), I think that this is an unfair term to your license. That's like saying that you should have to buy Microsoft office again, because you upgraded your computer. As I mentioned in my previous post, the majority of software developers (not just the big ones) allow you to freely move your license between computers.


Mungas said:
Another technical problem solved with the current license model, is the fact that new computer models often need a rewritten driver. That would mean that free transfers would only be possible to computers the same age or older than your current one. But this can be solved by offering upgrades for a small fee.?
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If this truly is a technical problem that you encounter, and not some artificial limitation you place on yourself, then I would say that this is fair to users. However, I would make it a new version, rather than an update. So, at the time of my writing, your current version is 2.16, and I'd assume that it works with 10.6. If, in 10.7, you find that your code does not work and requires driver re-writes, then version that one as 3.0. (You may already do this, I don't know, I don't follow your product that much).

Alternatively, if Coolbook 3.0 comes out with some awesome features, let people upgrade,


Mungas said:
I'm planning to change the license terms to be more mainstream:

- The price will be $19.99.
- Added possibility to transfer the license
(to computers the same age, or older).
- Support will be limited to six month.
- Updates will be offered for $6.99 (needed for new models and OSes).

I would like to get your input on this. Is this license better?
Click to expand...

I'd say that it's an improvement. If your product is worth the money, we'd all be happy to buy it. Even still, coolbook is highly recommended on MR.

I'd make a minor change to the part about the transfer: Still make it so that we can run it on only one computer, but maybe you'd consider allowing it to run on the currently shipping operating system (or older). For instance, if I had a Rev C air with SL and coolbook 2, and I buy a new rev D Air with SL, let me still use my license on that new computer. However, if 10.7 comes out, and you update coolbook to version 3 because of incompatibilities, then I should need to buy an update.

Maybe you can consider doing a family pack as well. Many members here have more than 1 computer and might like to use it on all of them.

I know that for someone who's not actually a customer of yours, I've said a lot, and I still have more to say. If you want me to go on, I'd be more than happy to elaborate or continue, but I just wanted you to what I, and probably others, "expect" when we deal with software licensing.
 
Hello everyone,
I found this thread because I've reinstalled CB on the same machine registered when I bought the program but I have problem when the program connect to the Internet trying to verify the registrations credential.
Anyone who bought the program knows that there is no serial number and the registration is somehow linked with the serial number of the machine (so I suppose that there is a server that check for the reg ids).

The problem for me is that I can't find the license agreement that I accepted when I bought the program.
I don't care if I had to buy the program for every machine that I own but I'm very disappointed that the program doesn't prompt asking me "I'm connecting to a server sending the machine SN to verify the registration", and the author don't have a license agreement contract in his website or in the dmg package.
I'd like to know when someone use my personal information and how he uses (for what I know CoolBook could send any information to the developer server without my permission) and probably the developer have to change the registration method from check the correspondence between email-macSerialNumber with a more fair email-programSerialNumber

I'm sorry for my English, I write from Italy and I learned it by myself...sorry
 
I agree with the original poster, this is unreasonable.

I remember a while ago there was some software (I can't remember what) that would be so picky about what system you run it on, it did a run-down of the specs of the Mac it was originally installed on and just upgrading your hard drive or adding some RAM was enough for it to stop working because it thought it was a different Mac.

I know it's piracy that causes developers to employ copy protection and heavy handed tactics like this but all it does is encourage people to find ways round the registration process or buy someone else's software.
 
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