CompuServe Messages

>>add a port, no problem… PMJI, but I just had to comment. As unfortunate as this life is that needs HW locks, I think it even more unfortunate to have one's serious problem (like a non-functional 3DS) dismissed with an official statement like "…all you do is put is a new $20 dedicated LPT port, and away you go. No problems." I see this repeated often, and in my humble opinion it is an over-simplification and sounds a little like a cop-out. Is Autodesk's own use of 3DS so limited that they really believe this is a end-all solution to the worse-case HW lock problems? Fact: everyone that I know that uses 3DS extensively has their machines so loaded up with hardware that they DO NOT HAVE AN EXTRA SLOT FOR THE EXTRA LPT PORT. I repeat, NO EXTRA SLOT. Since this business requires frame buffers, VTR controllers, PAR's with TBC, SCSI controllers, scanners, CD-ROM's, sound boards, ethernet cards, etc, etc, in various configurations, it is often not resonable to expect a given system to have a slot free. I need two machines just for all the "stuff" and I still don't have room for my Magni board. Here's hoping that someone at Autodesk will put a little more thought into a solution to non-functional dongles. J K J PS: I hate to gripe without giving any thought to a solution. Here are some ideas, not necessarily good ones <g>, as future options for the tough cases: serial dongle? lean on the dongle manufacturer for a robust design? something that could fit on a SCSI chain? a version keyed to the CD-ROM? ??? (get creative here…)