MacAnalysis looks like an excellent product and I would have bought it but for one very important issue.

It uses Product Activation.

This means it is tied to ONE computer and cannot be moved to a different one. It is not even clear if you can reinstall on the SAME computer.

Like many companies we frequently choose to wipe and rebuild machines (e.g. to upgrade operating systems) and would then reinstall programs. Product Activation prevents this.

Like many companies we move computers between users, i.e. when a new computer is bought for a power user, their old one is wiped and passed down to a less demaning user. Product Activation prevents this.

Like many companies we occasionally have machines die, recently an iMac G4 had a faulty video chip and had to have a new logic board. The new logic board had a new serial number. Even with the same hard disk Product Activation would have prevented us using the software.

Like many people companies occasionally machines get stolen. This year we had three laptops stolen and replaced. With Product Activation we would not be able to install and use the software on the new machines.

In short product activation is the work of the devil.

While our company works hard to ensure all the software we use is legal, I as IT Manager _WILL NOT_ purchase any software or upgrade to versions of software which uses product activation for all the above problems.

So Quark Xpress 6 will not be bought (we use InDesign 2 instead), being 100% Mac based we fortunately don't have to use Windows XP or Office XP, I obviously will NOT be buying MacAnalysis (no matter how good the product maybe), and should Adobe foolishly go down the road of product activation as rumoured I will not buy any further upgrades from them (this year I upgrade Acrobat, Photoshop and InDesign).

For those people who might think that in all the above cases the manufacturer would be willing to reissue an activation code I would point out that recently HUNDREDS of European Quark Xpress 6 purchasers had to wait 6 weeks or more to get their software activated. Being at the mercy of software companies like this is not acceptable. I would also point out Internet access is not always available (especially outside the USA).