@VSL Community said:

Only thing what i can say its big sad there is two different dongle standards at least why? in back in my mac mini is not much usb ports free when i maybe need two dongles one for vsl se (extended) and one for ovory for example.

One could also say that it's a shame that there are two operating systems. Since most people use Windows, Mac OS should be phased out. Much easier all round. [:P]

It's all about choice, and there is no reason that this should not extend to copy protection devices. In fact there are quite a few more than 2 choices; it's just that Steinberg and iLok are the most common, AFAIK.

DG

@VSL Community said:

ps. Windows is obsolete but i dont want fight.

Yet performs way better than OSX. [:O]

DG

 Why is it that the minority of computer users that are Mac users (only 5% of the worlds computers are Macs), seem to have the majority of problems?

Though I guess that the iLok is in keeping with a Mac users philosophy, as an iLok costs nearly twice the price of an eLicenser. So why pay twice the price for something? ask a Mac owner as they have experience in this topic, which they used when they bought their computer.

An iLok is not better than an eLicenser, a Mac is not better than a PC, and vice versa - it's just one costs considerably more than the other.

@andyjh said:

 Why is it that the minority of computer users that are Mac users (only 5% of the worlds computers are Macs), seem to have the majority of problems?

Though I guess that the iLok is in keeping with a Mac users philosophy, as an iLok costs nearly twice the price of an eLicenser. So why pay twice the price for something? ask a Mac owner as they have experience in this topic, which they used when they bought their computer.

An iLok is not better than an eLicenser, a Mac is not better than a PC, and vice versa - it's just one costs considerably more than the other.

I was sad when S.G.I.s died out, never becoming a paradigm for Apple or P.C. development, but I'm seriously going to weep if Mac OS gets "phased out". That will be the day that all beauty (or whatever beauty there was) in the machine will vanish. It's like Windows are explicitly against any interface improvement or enriching the user's experience beyond that of brute performance (as is asserted). Most programs that were developed for that operating system, even when "translated" for the Mac, they reek of their aesthetic origin. If computers were merely number-crunching boxes I could care a lot less. However, if I have to stare at a screen environment all day and interact with it, my aesthetics are almost as paramount as performance - I don't see why I can't have my cake and eat it in this regard.

Be that as it may, I'm scared that Apple is turning its face away from the artistic professionals it proudly served for the past 25 years or so, and towards silly women and lower management executives who buy iPhones and iPads, because they are the "In" apparel accessories of the "times" (frequently being incapable of using any semi-advanced function those accessories offer), as well as teenagers who see them as toys and media sharing devices (be it their own skating-videos, or pilfered MP3s). If Apple's future lies in i(t)OS, iChat, and iShat, maybe Jobs did die at the right time... 

@Errikos said:

I was sad when S.G.I.s died out, never becoming a paradigm for Apple or P.C. development, but I'm seriously going to weep if Mac OS gets "phased out". That will be the day that all beauty (or whatever beauty there was) in the machine will vanish. It's like Windows are explicitly against any interface improvement or enriching the user's experience beyond that of brute performance (as is asserted). Most programs that were developed for that operating system, even when "translated" for the Mac, they reek of their aesthetic origin. If computers were merely number-crunching boxes I could care a lot less. However, if I have to stare at a screen environment all day and interact with it, my aesthetics are almost as paramount as performance - I don't see why I can't have my cake and eat it in this regard.

In theory I would agree with you, except that:

1. I don't see anything intrinsically ugly about Windows.
2. I find a lot of things in OSX really annoying, both in terms of visuals and keyboard shortcuts
3. Once my applications are open, they look the same on both OS, so I don't really care which OS I'm using.
4. For me, performance at low latencies is extremely important, and currently performance for cross platform audio applications in OSX is way behind that of Windows. If that ever changes, I will have no problem in using OSX instead of Windows.

@Errikos said:

I was sad when S.G.I.s died out, never becoming a paradigm for Apple or P.C. development, but I'm seriously going to weep if Mac OS gets "phased out". That will be the day that all beauty (or whatever beauty there was) in the machine will vanish. It's like Windows are explicitly against any interface improvement or enriching the user's experience beyond that of brute performance (as is asserted). Most programs that were developed for that operating system, even when "translated" for the Mac, they reek of their aesthetic origin. If computers were merely number-crunching boxes I could care a lot less. However, if I have to stare at a screen environment all day and interact with it, my aesthetics are almost as paramount as performance - I don't see why I can't have my cake and eat it in this regard.

In theory I would agree with you, except that:

1. I don't see anything intrinsically ugly about Windows.
2. I find a lot of things in OSX really annoying, both in terms of visuals and keyboard shortcuts
3. Once my applications are open, they look the same on both OS, so I don't really care which OS I'm using.
4. For me, performance at low latencies is extremely important, and currently performance for cross platform audio applications in OSX is way behind that of Windows. If that ever changes, I will have no problem in using OSX instead of Windows.

I must say, that I really don't have any of the described problems above.

I was a windows user since WIN 95... when WIN Vista came out (and I experienced nothing but problems) I switched to Mac, and at the same time from Cubase to Logic Pro. The best decision I ever made.

Now I'm runing Logic on a low latency Mac Pro with eLicenser and iLok (both contain between 15 and 20 licenses!) and I never had any kind of problems. The system runs perfect.

As I've seen, the latest WIN 7 seems to be quite reliable. But for me there's no way back. Why changing a running system, especially if you don't know, what WIN 8 or 9 will bring.

@DG said:

DG (typed using OSX...!)

[:D]

I go some way back - my first computer was a DOS machine on which I also played around with BASIC (if that brings back memories for some people here). My second computer was a "fully-fledged" 286 (and I kept playing around...). However, a year after that, the absolute glory of the Mac Plus!... A revelation...(and I still have it) Of course through the '90s - and university - to today, I have used both platforms in parallel, and I must say (with due respect for your opinion) that I have met not one person that hasn't conceded Apple's superlative aesthetics over the awkwardly-stealing-ideas, as well as lagging behind, Windows OS, no matter what platform they preferred for whatever other reason. Excepting the era of the Power-Mac, even the boxes of the computers were great-looking (with prototypes like the Cube or the second iMac onwards bordering on the artistic).

No question that for a professional performance is paramount (I said that). My worry remains with Apple. Are they bringing out a new Mac Pro yes or no? Are they bringing out a superb Logic X, or a Garage Band Pro for a Tenorion-like iPad? [+o(]

"A real piece of cr*p in comparison"?!? That Acorn must have been something if you're not being facetious... Did you ever use Sibelius on it? I wonder what that would have been like... Back then I had dabbled with Personal Composer and Music Publisher on the Mac Plus (late '80s..), and wanted to try Score (on P.C. of course), but never did.

@Errikos said:

"A real piece of cr*p in comparison"?!? That Acorn must have been something if you're not being facetious... Did you ever use Sibelius on it? I wonder what that would have been like... Back then I had dabbled with Personal Composer and Music Publisher on the Mac Plus (late '80s..), and wanted to try Score (on P.C. of course), but never did.

Boot time less than 10 seconds. Never, and I mean never crashed. Really fast. Lovely looking graphics. 3 button mouse, with each of the buttons being used for something useful. One of the worst things about moving to Mac was that it was so slow to do anything, partly because of that silly one button mouse. I got used to it, but always missed the Acorn.

FWIW I started on an Atari (I think) with Notator, then moved to Score in DOS, flirted with Finale (really clunky and nasty looking) and finally moved to Sibelius in around 1993.

DG