[Ti] CD writing software that's smart?

[rob morris]

On 26.1.2004 17:07, "Robert Nicholson" <robert at elastica.com> wrote:

> Please tell me what is Apple's motivation for tying Backup to .mac.
> 
> If I'm to Backup to CD why should I need a .mac account to do that?
> 
> Again, the program doesn't run unless it can find a .mac account. What
> happens
> when I stop my .mac subscription? This is effectively a software lease
> limiting
> the life of the product.
> 
> If I buy a backup solution today from another vendor I can be sure that
> it will run next year and the year after without any further
> "subscription"
> 
> What happens if I backup using Backup with a valid .mac subscription
> and I choose to cancel the subscription and then want to do a restore
> at a later date?
> 

Seems simple enough.  The Apple software "Backup" is attached with the .mac
account.  If have a .mac account then you get "Backup"  if you do not have a
.mac account, then you do not get "Backup"  "Backup is like other software
tied into .mac.  If you cancel .mac, then you do not get to use "backup" or
iDisk, etc.  If you want to backup to a CD, pick some other backup archiving
program, if you do not have a .mac account.  Since you loose the software
"Backup" when you cancel your .mac subscription, then if you do cancel,
switch to something else.

Unlike other software you BUY, with .mac you are buying a service that
provides different things, such as the "Backup" software to use with the
service.  You are not buying the software, but the service.  The software
that comes with the service is proprietary.  Cancel the service, loose the
things that work with it.  Pretty simple to me.  Buy some other software to
use or keep your subscription up.   Or ask apple to release "Backup"
separately as stand alone software and then go buy it. I have a .mac
account, do not use Backup, but it is one of many reasons to have the
service.  I personally use another app for backups that I know is not
dependant on a "service."   Just my personal choice.
Cheers