* V7 Offline Install

[Karl]

What a pity. Installation is only possible online. A former user of FH6 is booted out. Bye-Bye.

[ColeValleyGirl]

You can of course continue to use FH6.

[NickWalker]

Why on earth would installation requiring you to be online be an issue with anyone? What a very odd thing.

[ColeValleyGirl]

Especially as you only need to be online for the Activation -- thereafter you can work offline.

[tatewise]

Especially as you would need to go online to get the Email and download the installation file (unless you bought a CD).

[Mark1834]

Online activation gives good control over piracy though...

[ColeValleyGirl]

Especially as you would need to go online to get the Email and download the installation file (unless you bought a CD).

Nobody is selling a CD, Mike -- if you buy a 'physical copy' you get a box with an activation code and a Quick start guide inside. No CD.

[Mark1834]

I remember last time I renewed MS365 at Amazon they charged less for sending out via their in-house couriers a box containing just a piece of card with the activation code on than they did for sending the code by email!

[tatewise]

A question about buying a 'physical copy' came up on the FH Email list but was never satisfactorily answered as to what you got. Now we know

[AdrianBruce]

... Nobody is selling a CD, Mike -- if you buy a 'physical copy' you get a box with an activation code and a Quick start guide inside. ...

OK, thanks for that - something else to go in my "how to do it..." list.

At that rate, if I don't get a shiny CD to put in my Luddite showbox, I guess I might as well buy directly from CP when I summon up the courage. I presume that the advice for previous versions still holds? That the installation download is still there after installation and can therefore be copied to "a safe place"? I ask because there are number of programs that I use where the downloaded file is tidied away (i.e. deleted) - where it's just the latest version of something that is updated every few months, that's no problem. But for FH....

[ColeValleyGirl]

The installation file is not tidied away.

[tatewise]

Do you need to keep the download installation file or will the CP account/activation work with any FH V7 download at a later date?

[Gowermick]

Why on earth would installation requiring you to be online be an issue with anyone? What a very odd thing.

Nick,
The problem may be with Karl’s internet connection, if he has one at all. Surprising as it may seem, not everyone has or wants an internet connection!
(He is from Konstanz, whether that has anything to do with it)

[NickWalker]

Well yes it might be Karl's internet connection, but he has managed to get online to post on here.

[tatewise]

I recall that some users have reported here that they run FH on an old Windows Vista/7 PC and don't want to risk going online. They collect whatever they need online via another computer, possibly a Mac, and transfer it on memory sticks, etc.
They would also use that 'other' computer for Email & Forums.

[AdrianBruce]

The installation file is not tidied away.

Thanks

[Gowermick]

Well yes it might be Karl's internet connection, but he has managed to get online to post on here.

Nick,
How quick we forget
It wasn’t so long ago (within last 5 years!), in deepest wales, I celebrated when my internet connection rose to 1 Mb/s. Downloading anything was a real pain. Posting on a forum was within the capabilities of my connection, but anything else - forget it.

[Treesearcher2]

I also have this problem. For security reasons I do not trust the internet and keep my tree and other research on a laptop that has no access to the outside world. I download to my desktop and after checking, transfer any files to the laptop on memory stick etc.

[NickWalker]

I know Mick and perhaps I'm being a bit harsh but it just seems to be such an over reaction to decide to stop using a product because it requires you to be online for a minute to register it. You could ask a friend to download it for you, copy it onto a memory stick, install it and then for the 1 minute required to register it, tether to your mobile phone's data (and yes I know not everyone has got mobile data either).

[Mark1834]

At the risk of sounding like a Monty Python Yorkshireman our landline internet speed in darkest South Cheshire is still a big fat zero (very long line and FTTP was kicked into the long grass due the cost of replacing buried non-ducted armoured cable). Luckily we have a good 4G signal, so get “unlimited” data for £25 a month at anything from 10 to >100 Mb/s, depending on the time of day. I do remember downloading 1837online (now FMP) images on dial-up though...

[Gowermick]

I know Mick and perhaps I'm being a bit harsh but it just seems to be such an over reaction to decide to stop using a product because it requires you to be online for a minute to register it. You could ask a friend to download it for you, copy it onto a memory stick, install it and then for the 1 minute required to register it, tether to your mobile phone's data (and yes I know not everyone has got mobile data either).

Here’s a radical idea, CalicoPie could stick it on a CD and post it to Karl! (Or anyone else who want it that way- they forgot that “Customer is King”j

[mjashby]

Yes they could possibly distribute CDs; and they could also charge a £10 premium, plus postage for the CD, as does MacKiev for FamilyTreeMaker. However, online registration would still be required before one could use the software or obtain any updates, which are only provided via downloads.

We don't even know what the issue was in the original posting; i.e. an objection to working online, which seems unlikely, as that includes self-denial of access to all of the online research resources available; and if that was the case, why would the person be on this Forum? Or, is it perhaps a straightforward reluctance to provide the personal information required for online purchase and registration to be able to use the software, which I can appreciate? If its the second, then the best long-term options definitely lie elsewhere and probably not on a Windows computer which, along with Apple Computers, is one of the most intrusive devices you could possibly own, after a mobile phone of course.

Really guys this is a pointless discussion. Calico Pie has made a business decision and I believe that decision is at least in part about actively controlling the number of active installations that can be made per purchase; I'm also sure they will have fully considered the potential impact of the new requirement before making a decision. Users (and potential purchasers) can live with it, or are free to look elsewhere, but the choice of commercial software for anyone who doesn't want to handle some form of online registration process is very limited; and it's getting more limited by the day.

[Karl]

I also have this problem. For security reasons I do not trust the internet and keep my tree and other research on a laptop that has no access to the outside world. I download to my desktop and after checking, transfer any files to the laptop on memory stick etc.

I am working on two computers. One for the internet and one for working without connection to the outside world. I have FTM2019, Heredis, Ahnenblatt and RootsMagic. None of them needs Internet for working...

[tatewise]

Karl, please report your setup to Calico Pie to see if they can offer a solution: http://www.calico-pie.com/osticket/open.php

Otherwise, continue using FH Version 6.2.7 as long as you like.

[Karl]

Karl, please report your setup to Calico Pie to see if they can offer a solution: http://www.calico-pie.com/osticket/open.php

Otherwise, continue using FH Version 6.2.7 as long as you like.

Thank you!