unable to import snapshot into 30 day trial

[RuralWeb]

quite often if a potential client has difficulty in visulising what thier website will look like in the software I will knock up a rough site using thier products etc. Now in all previous versions this worked well and I tried the same theother day with a v9 site. The result was a disaster with actinic crashing and throwing its teddy out the window in front of the client.

Afer messing about I found that v9 has a new feature which is that you cannot import a snapshot into the trial software anymore. There is a warning to this effect when you create a snapshot using it.

I can see why they have done ie to prevent user reinstalling the software every 30days and avoid paying for the software. But it does create a problem for designers who operate like me - now I will need to buy a licence to be able to demo the software.

Can there not be a system that allows snapshot from designer while blocking the scamers.

[jont]

Mal - do they really need to see it in Actinic and not just uploaded to a test area?

[RuralWeb]

its not the website I like to show them its how the software works so to do that I set up a simple version and demo it on thier pc. That way they can see if its suitable for them to use and I get to checkout thier systems to make sure there will no other problems with them using actinic.

After all there are lots of other ecommerce packages out there and a.abut of up front customer service goes a long way IME.

[jont]

Oh right OK.

If the trial version is blocked (never tried to import into a trial version) then yes, a developers exported ACD should hold some form of temporary key that allows installation but could disable the order retrieval option for example.

[RuralWeb]

yep that would be a better idea ie have the orders disabled as we do in designer. That way the software is completely useless. Even with the snapshot disabled people can still use the software forever by reinstalling as the vast majority will not even know how to do a snapshot ime so its an odd way of restricting the software.

[jont]

****deleted****

Building a store with the inability to retrieve encrypted orders is another.

[RuralWeb]

O dear have we just told people how to by pass the restriction. Now its useless can it be removed please as all its doing for me is to piss me off and push me even further away from actinic.

[jont]

O dear have we just told people how to by pass the restriction

I have edited my post to save me from being banned

[RuralWeb]

I have edited my post to save me from being banned

Chicken

[jont]

Chicken

More like Cdicken! He scares me

[RuralWeb]

More like Cdicken!

Thought you would like that one

[ejmc]

You can import snapshots into trial version of V9, but they have to be created in a licensed V9. Im working on a couple of sites at moment in this way, the only problem is the client cannot create a usable snapshot until they purchase license. Before I received my V9 key I actually built a demo site in V8 created a snapshot and this imported OK into V9 trial.

[RuralWeb]

well that's certainly not the experience I have had with the trial software. As jont suggests if this is designed to limit its use then disabling the orders is the best way.

Also I never buy the client software until I have the final payment from the client to avoid being left holding the baby so to speak so I also need the ability to take snapshots from them while they are using the software. With this new addition I am unable to do that now - others will obviously work with clients in different ways and this may not affect them so it may at the end of the day just be my problem which I will have to work round.

[RuralWeb]

sorry eric , my last post sound like I'm having a dig at you. Its annoying when things that have worked for years change for no apparent reason.

[ejmc]

Hi Mal

No probs... we all have different operating situations. Fortunately my clients snapshots are only around 3mb so its reasonably easy to play around with them.