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Start Is Back - 2.1 release


Tihiy

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Middle mouse button not working for me either. Other than that, great program :)

To those having trouble with middle-mouse button not working to open the Start/Apps:

Do you:

1. Have Apps checkmarked so the Start Screen shows Apps only? Just curious since I do and it works for me, and for some others?

2. Does it only not work the first time you middle-click on the Start Button? Have you tried multiple times?

3. Do you have SiB installed for your user only or for all users?

Sorry, it's working for me now, but in answer to your questions:

1. No

2. See below

3. Installed for all users

I have a MS wheelmouse. It just occurred to me to check the mouse settings, and the click wheel defaults to "flip" for a click. I've set it to "middle click" for all users and it now opens the Start screen every time :blushing:

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Sorry, it's working for me now, but in answer to your questions:

1. No

2. See below

3. Installed for all users

I have a MS wheelmouse. It just occurred to me to check the mouse settings, and the click wheel defaults to "flip" for a click. I've set it to "middle click" for all users and it now opens the Start screen every time :blushing:

Ah, yep, mouse settings defaulting to flip have tripped me up in the past. With Lenovo's software for the trackpad/trackpoint, I sometimes had to look long and hard to find the right setting to let me use the trackpoint's middle-button as just a plain old middle-click.

Glad you found your answer; maybe it's the answer for some or everyone else who has this problem.

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Yes, I first found that and reported it back in Beta3 while using the RP (8400) version. However I found that if you click there, the start menu still turns up so it basically is an aesthetics rather than a functionality issue.

If you drag the mouse pointer bottom down you want to press the start button and if you click there the start button will still be pressed so it's ok.

Ah! Good to know, thanks for sharing (again).

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If you deactivate the old piece of hardware

And if you backup activation data before deactivating, you have both old and new activations working.

This could be solved via a "Phone Home" system as Chrysalis suggested. When the user deactivates a PC, the activation server would mark the UID of the motherboard / hard drive as deactivated. Then the next time the PC using the backed up data accesses the Internet, the activation server would see the status of the UID and disable StartIsBack (similar to what would happen if the trial period expired).

As of now, and please correct me if I'm wrong, once a PC is activated, the license lives and dies with it. It would be nice to move licenses, especially when it comes time to replace a PC.

Edited by zoom8281
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If you deactivate the old piece of hardware
And if you backup activation data before deactivating, you have both old and new activations working.

Who's going to go through all that? That would be a royal PITA. A person that would swap hardware between multiple machines many times just to get 2 copies working with one license is going to use the cracked version instead.

Remember, you're trying to keep honest people honest to the best of your ability. There's no such thing as a full proof licensing scheme. People who cheat will cheat and just use the cracked version. No worries though, I'm just throwing out ideas in case anything sounds better...

Before I continue to use the new key on testing machines....how did the whole VM HDD issue turn out? Since the keys have limited activation I feel hesitant on installing them on multiple VMs and test machines for further testing if it's going to just blow them all out and make them worthless???

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]No, it won't become the current otherwise that loophole will allow to activate unlimited number of computers. Resolving this would require constant activation internet checking or involving some difficult methods. You want too much for $1.

I honestly mean no disrespect by this at all but "my software is cheap" isn't an argument to provide poor customer service. I'm not suggesting it's made easier to pirate, just that legitimate customers that have to transfer their license for legitimate reasons be provided with a means to do so. Maybe an online account manager that allows a customer to de-authorise their license on a registered device to transfer it to another but only do so once a month, quarter, ETC maximum?

I'd also like to reiterate I still think that what you're doing is great, you are still providing the best start replacement yet!

Edited by Shane
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I honestly mean no disrespect by this at all but "my software is cheap" isn't an argument to provide poor customer service.

This is insulting. And cheap is argument. I'm not aware of any software under $1000 which does implement multi-tier de/re-activating scheme. Implementing such scheme requires serious infrastructure which makes product pricier, support and using much more complex. I'm not mentioning that neither Start8 nor any other product in this category does not even disclose the activation / license model, let alone re-activation/de-activation. If you manage to burn 5 motherboards and HDDs, i'll reset your activation.
how did the whole VM HDD issue turn out
There is no issue. Edited by Tihiy
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Who's going to go through all that? That would be a royal PITA. A person that would swap hardware between multiple machines many times just to get 2 copies working with one license is going to use the cracked version instead.

Remember, you're trying to keep honest people honest to the best of your ability. There's no such thing as a full proof licensing scheme. People who cheat will cheat and just use the cracked version. No worries though, I'm just throwing out ideas in case anything sounds better...

Before I continue to use the new key on testing machines....how did the whole VM HDD issue turn out? Since the keys have limited activation I feel hesitant on installing them on multiple VMs and test machines for further testing if it's going to just blow them all out and make them worthless???

I tend to agree with that, that's an incredible number of hoops one would have to jump through just to get a 1$ piece of software working illegitimately. To me just plucking down an extra 3$ (or 5$ to begin with) sounds simpler, to a cheapskate using a cracked version would sound far simpler still.

However you know best.

Concerning VMs, I am confused. If the program reads the REAL HDD/MoBo IDs then it should still register as the same machine so unless there is a number of installations limit it should work indefinitely on the same machine.

If it reads data specific to the VM then again, just create a VM in the early stages before customization, back it up and then go on creating the required variations off of that. It should still count as the same machine.

To take this further, if you create VMs THAT often then my guess is that no single VM will go on working for more than 30 days in which case the trial period should be enough for your purposes.

Finally, if you are in the uncommon position of having 20+ VMs functioning simultaneously (either by being active concurrently or successively/discretely) then chances are you are not an end-user but either an IT/Administrator or a company in which case you will need to purchase a license for commercial use.

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Who's going to go through all that? That would be a royal PITA.
If deactivation would be automated, one could just create a fake activator which would activate and instantly deactivate license. Boom headshot!

Activation talk is over. There are no real issues but imaginary ones. If real issues arise i help you solve them. Until then, please hold back your thoughts.

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If you manage to burn 5 motherboards and HDDs, i'll reset your activation.

Thank you. This addresses my concerns, and was the response/support I was hoping for.

Looking forward to StartIsBack's final release... and I'll be making a volume purchase on behalf of my workplace ;)

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@ Chrysalis and others that have mentioned the "Price it right or people will just use warez" and "If you ad this feature or that feature I will gladly pay for this":

I am the developer of WPI and over the last 9-sh years of its existence it has received an approximation of $20 a month in support. (There has been easily over a million downloads in that time)

Yes some people like doing things for others out of the goodness of their hearts but be realistic. Us developers dedicate more time to these apps on occasion that we do full time jobs. When very little people donate it makes us feel used and doesn't cover the cost we put out for things like the following to provide you these services:

  1. Programs
  2. Operating systems
  3. Bandwidth
  4. Server Costs
  5. Computer maintenance
  6. Computer Upgrades.

That mentions nothing of basic human needs either.

When you say things like you have you become "E-Thugs" and basically join a "E-Mafia" by trying to bully people into the way you want things. Really if everyone who used Tihy's past en-devours even donated $1 then there wouldn't be a need to charge for this. We have needs and are not trying to get rich. Also the "If you ad this feature, then I surely will donate or buy" is the same thing (Kinda like holding a ransom)... I have had hundreds of people say that and only 2 ever followed through. What is wrong with a good donation of support with a note saying you would truly appreciate this or that feature being implemented.

As a side note: Tihy I want to truly thank you for this app! I had fully given up on Win8 EVER being used or allowed in my house. Your Start Is Back will render it use-able to me though when I am ready. THANK YOU.

Edited by Kelsenellenelvian
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Activation talk is over. There are no real issues but imaginary ones. If real issues arise i help you solve them. Until then, please hold back your thoughts.

Yay! Figures I would finally want to give my two cents and you've just said what I figured your position would be.

People are making a mountain out of a molehill. Some people want Tihiy to forsee every possible future problem that might arise and come up with a one-size-fits-all activation scheme right out of the gate for a v1.0 final product which is extremely cheap. The $5 for 5 licenses is wonderful. You're not dealing with Microsoft here.

As Tihiy says if you have an issue in the future, talk to him and he'll sort it out. Unless we've so royally pi**ed him off and jaded him by then that he's scrapped the whole idea. And then who loses? All of us. He's not looking to make a million dollars on this, although if he happened to anyway, good for him! He's already made what he seems to feel is a reasonable effort to, as has been already said, keep honest people honest. He's not trying to incorporate the most foolproof activation method ever invented.

It's terrific what resources he's already committed to this project, now don't overcomplicate this whole issue before the product has even officially been released as final, not that anytime would ever be a good time to unreasonably complicate things.

I've kept my mouth shut on this because I figured it would just die down as questions would get answered but it seems people just kept adding fuel to the fire.

No disrespect to anyone. I'm very sure noone meant to mean anything bad by their suggestions, and that they did mean well. It has just gotten out of hand, and now we should let this part of the discussion die peacefully and put our trust in Tihiy who has not failed us yet - adding options as we suggested things, adding options we didn't even think to ask for, making Ex7ForW8 for totally free before this which was a very interesting and successful experiment, and I'm sure helped lead to this so much even better project which is totally worth $5 for five licenses.

I myself intend on paying for licenses I'll probably never even use (meaning more than 5).

Sorry for the rant, all. I had to get this off my chest. :)

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