Petition: When an activation comes around...

[justmeatgcw]

Hello!

As far as I know, it is not allowed to ask for cracks in this forum which bypass the compulsory activation of games (cf. the Bioshock Sticky; Settlers 6 version 1.1). The basic justification for this rule, which is being brought forward by the moderators and senior members of GCW, is that an activation is a one-time process whilst a CD-check has to be passed (and endured by the user) each time the user seeks to play the game. The underlying thesis is that nobody who legitimately owns a game would even go through the trouble of accessing GCW with the purpose of downloading a NO-CD / No-Activation-Fix if he or she could get rid of the CD-check with a simple one-time activation. However, this sounds reasonable only at first glance.

I personally think that the existing rule and its underlying thesis is not convincing and should be done away with for the following reasons. To begin with, the moderators seem to forget that humans have their principles and are willing to go through great troubles in order to stick to them. This proves the underlying assumption of the moderators wrong for, I reckon, quite a few people; namely those who have principles and do not deserve to be marginalised. I own multiple legit versions of WinXP both Home and Pro edition and Windows Vista for instance. Still, I have not officially activated a single copy because I do not think a company has the right to make me submit to an activation process which is as transparent to me as the insides of a cow’s bum. Hence, I used workarounds to make the program ***believe*** it has been activated. Since I paid for the programs, this is not a theft, no harm is done and my conscience is clear. Furthermore, I think the moderators of GCW are not fully aware of the long-term impact of the rule I am discussing here. In the long run, there will be more and more “activation only” games and if no workarounds are to be posted on GCW and we are not even allowed to talk about it in the forums, GCW will – I fear – very gradually lose its very right to exist.

It is not my intention to belittle the possibility of abuse when we look at certain posts in the forums created by “Me would not cumm ‘ere in the first place, if me would not do warez”-thugs. All of us need, however, to use some common sense, which should tell us that anything can be abused in the most abhorrent way. Think, for example of a nice, fluffy and entirely harmless pillow which is being (ab)used to suffocate a helpless baby in its crib. Compared to this, the potential level of abuse arising from a workaround for an activation-only game is negligible. Apart from this drastic comparison, I daresay that the potential level of abuse of no-activation hacks is not greater than that of no-CD/DVD hacks anyway.

I would like to achieve two things with this post:

1. I would like to have this post as a kind of petition for the abolishment of the rule which prohibits the posting of activation workarounds. If you are for or against my petition, write a reply.
2. I would like to know about other PC game protection forums / sites, which share my view on the “activation issue”. Please note: I am not requesting links to warez sites and I am only requesting them (*) for a clearly informative purpose. If in doubt, PM me.

Thank you for reading my post. Looking forward to reading your replies some time soon.

Cheers,

Just

EDIT: (*) --> "them" = links to other PC game protection forums / sites

[DABhand]

Well for one this site allows people the ease of finding cracks to play their non-activation games.

The site is for helping people who own their games legit, since activated games require activation once per install and no need for cd's afterwards that should suffice for them to play their games.

But the reason why activation cracks are not allowed is for the simple fact that it would help warez users who do not own the game and want to play the game they downloaded.

So im gonna save you alot of wasted time and say it wont be overturned, you will never see a anti-steam etc crack here ever.

The site is not in a habit of helping warez users and it would be them mostly who would want such a crack.

EDIT:

Also consider the fact that you do NOT own the software you buy, you own the media.

It is the publisher/developer right to have such protections protecting their software.

Same with MS if they wish to protect their software with activation then so be it, after all you only have the right to use it and you have to prove you have that right.

It is the same with bus passes, to ride the bus you must prove it.

[justmeatgcw]

Dear DABHand,

Thank you for your thoughts.

I wish, however, to bring certain discrepancies to your attention.

1. You say that this site is for helping people who own their games legitimately and that an activation workaround would mostly help these warez users. I have absolutely no problem with the first part of the sentence but I question the universal validity of the final part as there are problems connected to this view. To begin with, a plain No-CD/DVD crack has the very same potential to help warez users. Hence, it is not satisfying let alone convincing to condemn no-activation hacks for their potential of helping a warez user. If you think your argument through, you would then reach the conclusion that even no-CD/DVD cracks must not be posted on the site or – as it is the case with no activation hacks – addressed (!) in the forum! Secondly, those people who own a game which needs to be activated and who join GCW forum and ask for help on such a workaround are being automatically branded by the moderators as warez dudes. In a way, these people are being prejudged; a real warez user who, on the other hand, requests a no-CD/DVD for his/her pirated game is able to download the item of desire from GCW. I daresay the moderators of GCW would not want to help the latter guy (the warez user) but rather the first (the guy who paid money but whose “crime” it is to ask for an activation workaround) – yet they do exactly this. Thirdly, I contest the idea that activation workarounds would be mostly (50+%) beneficial to warez users. I am not aware of any representative statistic which proves your theory; additionally, you need to ask yourself whether your theory might be true for ordinary no-CD cracks as well? As for my final point, I refer to the third paragraph of my initial post in order to avoid repetitions.
2. You write that I would never see an activation workaround on GCW. If this was true, it would be a shame. Still, I do not think my time here is wasted at all but I am grateful for your concern. All in all, I cling to my belief that this is a forum by users for users and that rules are flexible. But even if my petition is being ignored, the points I have brought forward still have their validity and prove that the world is not just black and white as the questionable rule makes us believe.
3. Concerning the EDIT, we are getting into legal issues now at which most of us are no experts (including myself). Consequently I limit myself to asking some questions. Is it really the right of a company to make me submit to an intransparent activation process I cannot control and which is sometimes not even mentioned on the back of the cover and the box – once opened – cannot be returned for a refund? What legal status has the EULA anyway and is it equally valid in all countries so that we can come up with universal rules? Is it not true that an EULA is basically an ordinary general terms and conditions paper of which it is widely known that firms abuse and overdo these agreements and its validity is subject to national legislation? If the latter is true, can companies abuse their power to limit or even destroy informational self-determination of the so-called free peoples? Think, for instance, of MS. Skills with their software have to appear in ANY resume these days: do people really have an option not to purchase their software and submit to an activation process they do not want?
4. Finally I do not think that your bus analogy does the trick. My first point is that it is anonymous. I get in the bus, purchase or present my ticket and off I go. The bus driver might spot my name but as he sees like hundreds of people a day, he does not remember me. In some countries you are not even required to present your ticket when you get in the bus. Only when there is a ticket inspector, you are required to show him or her your ticket. As for the activation process, I do not know what data is being collected, stored and (ab)used. Some say it is anonymous and that there is a difference to an registration – being a layman, I cannot judge that let alone come to an universal conclusion. But I can assure you that I am not tempted to trust a profit-maximising company which might very well earn a few extra bucks from selling personal information to God knows who. Having said that, I would not believe a self-called expert either. My last point is that your analogy – if it was appropriate – would fit the No-DVD check as well: to play the game (to ride the bus), you must prove it by passing the DVD-check (show your ticket).

Cheerio,

Just

[TippeX]

look dude, no matter how u paint it here is how it works...

gcw supplies no-cd exe's , trainers etc to the end user, with the presumption that the end user has the original cd/dvd, serial codes and so on... obviously this is open to abuse, but theres no real way to police it....

activation of a product requires inet usually, and the protected file, once activated, the protection does not bother you anymore... and to actually activate your product you need a legitimate key/serial/whatever which is needed to authenticate to the server, so gcw supplying activation bypasses etc will most likely only be of use to a warez user who has not got a legitimate key/serial/etc... there is no other real need for it for a normal user

if you have an issue with activation, you have a few choices

1. contact the games support department, they may have another solution
2. dont buy the game

oh and a petition usually requires signatures, as well as a form detailing what the petition is about, as well as notification to the company the petition is directed at...

i see no petition here...

as for the ms. skills on a resume, i can boil a cup of coffee, i can ride a bike using no hands, i can add 2+2, should i put that on my resume?... see the analogy?

also if you're going to try and keep an argument/discussion going, don't go out on wild tangents, complete off the range of the initial topic and try and turn this to 'better' your argument... ie: you 'bounce' from activation -> ms skills on a resume (total bullshit, outside of the conv), then you bounce back, you also use 'final point' and then detail 3 other points ;p.. as for I cling to my belief that this is a forum by users for users and that rules are flexible... i think your belief is crap, the forum rules are NOT flexible, try infringing some.... then you use dabs analogy to try and better your argument, which primarially is about activation bypasses, yet you try and cite no-cd as a similarity.. it isnt...

my recommendation -> drop your current views, research the site, see how the rules work, find other sites that offer activation bypasses etc.. build up more information for your argument, then present it.... dont build it up as you go along, like you are doing, as it makes you look foolish

[justmeatgcw]

@ Tippex

Why should I bother to come up with other arguments for my point if you do not even address the valid points I have already made. Instead you simply take the easy road of "the rules are there to be obeyed - if you don't like them go away and that's the end of the line". I am sorry to say but this is so petty in my opinion.

As for MS, it is not off the point at all. You cannot just "don't buy" WinXP because employers expect you to have MS skills and if you contact support, they will laugh their head off. Hence, people are being forced to endure activation.

Regarding the petition, you are right of course. Strictly speaking, you direct petitions to governmental bodies and there are many formalities to be obeyed. GCW forum is not a governmental body. Feel free to dwell on this inadequacy.

BTW, please do not forgot to add on your resume that you tend to ridicule others and resort to using swear words ("bullshit") when you are lacking the ability to make a good case. I cannot take someone with such a behaviour seriously and will ignore you effective immediately.

Yours Faithfully,

Just

[Grumpy]

@justmeatgcw
What a load of jibberish!! I got bored very quickly reading your first post and I didnt even bother finishing it!!

When trying to make a point keep it short, therefore readers will not lose interest!

If you dont like the way things are done here then simply dont visit, no one is forcing you to!!

Do NOT start another thread on this subject, it is a waste of time.

[Joe Forster/STA]

Damn, I got bored, too... Anyway, the whole point of using a crack - supposing that you have the original CD/DVD - is to protect that original CD/DVD from getting broken, because of constant usage. Activation needs to be done once - if you manage to break your original CD/DVD during those few minutes, well, you're too clumsy to do it yourself; get a replacement and get your dad/mom/sister/brother/spouse do it for you and wash the dishes in the meantime...

To be on the safe(st) side (possible), GameCopyWorld and FileForums supports only those no-CD/DVD patches that are absolutely necessary to play (not install!) the game from a backup CD/DVD or, preferably, even without that.

Ohhh, and sorry, the forum rules are not for discussion (by forum members)! This forum is a good dictatorship rather than a bad democracy...