UPDATE Helios Software Audit

[CIT]

Exactly, they just came up with this retarded idea. It's a 100% that the were nothing about it in agreement. You can cancel and software will work forever - you just will not be able to get support.

[jlb1484]

Posted Earlier By Scott Bogdan President of Helios


If you have an authorized copy of Helios (received it from Helios) you are entitled to the update regardless of if you are on a Maintenance Agreement. If you did not get your Helios software from Helios you are not entitled to the update and your software will stop working on March 28, 2008.

Again, if you have cancelled your Maintenance Agreement with Helios you ARE entitled to this update and you will not experience any interruption of service as long as you originally received your software from us.

Hope this helps.

[coldgyn]

If you bought an authorized copy years and years ago - how are they going to notify those individuals they need an upgrade if they have not had a maintenance agreement?

[CIT]

And even if you bought helios and dongle from salon that closed - what this changes?

[Andy]

READ the License Agreement ... not the Software Maintenance Agreement ... the License Agreement on the install of the software.

I am sure you did read that when you installed the software right ... kidding.

Did it say the original owner had the right to transfer or sell ... or did it say that the person that originally licensed the software had the non-exclusive right to use and this that right was non-transferrable.

Just asking ?

Just to clarify a point ... you never buy packaged software, you buy the non-exclusive right to use, subject to all those wonderful words we never read when installing software.

[Andy]

coldgyn .... I am not sure how they attempted to contact the folks without an active support agreement ... but if they got it from Helios as Scott's stated they are entitled to the update.

On March 21st the Helios program will start giving a warning on startup to contact Helios Tech Support for an important update.

That will continue until March 28th on which day Helios will abort if V11.6 has not been applied to the install.

[Scott Bogdan]

CIT

Obtaining Helios from someone other than us WITHOUT our written approval is a violation of our software license. In order to run our software you would have had to acknowledge this agreement.

Versions prior to V11 did not have a software audit interruption in them so those users will not be affected.

This is only a bad thing for those pirated copies of Helios V11 out there so all you law abiding citizens have nothing to worry about

PEACE

[CIT]

What is going to stop all law abiding citizens from sharing 11.6 update? 8)

[Andy]

nothing until Sept 30, 2009 ... per Sparky's post

[STC1996]

Hey Scott,

I have a question. I am running V 11.3.37. Do I have to upgrade all my computers at both of my stores to V 11.6 to keep my software from shutting off 3/28/2008? Or is the patch specific to the dongle and I can keep the version I am currently using. I don't want to have to update all my computers and WAN software in the middle of the busiest time of year! I am on SMA also. I hope this update just fixes the kill date and doesn't require ugrading everything. That would suck in the most hectic month of the season.

STC1996


Obtaining Helios from someone other than us WITHOUT our written approval is a violation of our software license. In order to run our software you would have had to acknowledge this agreement.

Versions prior to V11 did not have a software audit interruption in them so those users will not be affected.

This is only a bad thing for those pirated copies of Helios V11 out there so all you law abiding citizens have nothing to worry about

PEACE[/quote]

[sparky]

If you are on a WAN, I would suggest a phone call to Tech Support, since you do have active SMA, for all answers to your question.

For a single store LAN setup, it was a painless 2-3 minutes per station.

Program is updated, and a CompareDb is automatically run to verify contents.

[dbl-a]

What about people who bought a salon with Helios? Sounds like a bunch of BS to me. Are there a lot of pirated Helios copies out there? I didn't see any at the liqour store where I am always solicited bootleg DVDs.

[Din]

So i did the test and found my Helios didn't operate when i changed the date to March 28th, 2008.

I've since then went through and updated Helios with the new patch v.11.6.1 that is supplied by Helios once you fill out the form.

I did the date change and it works just fine....

NOW!!!

I have gone on and changed the date even further with the NEW update and found that it does the EXACT SAME THING and does not work....the new magic date is SEP. 30 2009.

So now you'll need an update AGAIN next year.!!!!

I do not like software companies locking me out of a program i've paid several hundreds of dollars TO OWN!!!! only to be held hostage.

And if Helios goes belly up??? Then we're all screwed and have to buy a new program because critical updates to continue running the program are no longer avail.

I don't like my business to be held in the hands of someone else's success.

Looks like i'll be looking at those other demo's i've received from others much sooner.!!!

Thanks.

[W8INLINE]

And if Helios goes belly up??? Then we're all screwed and have to buy a new program because critical updates to continue running the program are no longer avail.

I don't like my business to be held in the hands of someone else's success.

And that's what the point at hand is IMO.

I have a legitimate copy of this program and I have to rely on Helios staying in business or ETS to keep them up and running so I can stay in business?

Is this even legal?

I kinda feel like Helios OWNS me in a way... and I don't like that. Slavery was eliminated decades ago wasn't it?

[sparky]

Here's the Helios statement on who can get the update.

Scott Bogdan vbmenu_register("postmenu_236874", true);
Rookie

Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 45


Re: Helios Software License Audit
If you have an authorized copy of Helios (received it from Helios) you are entitled to the update regardless of if you are on a Maintenance Agreement. If you did not get your Helios software from Helios you are not entitled to the update and your software will stop working on March 28, 2008.

Again, if you have cancelled your Maintenance Agreement with Helios you ARE entitled to this update and you will not experience any interruption of service as long as you originally received your software from us.

Hope this helps.

Here's the way to prove you need this NOW !!!

Wanna Check ???

NOTE: This Test will NOT effect Helios Data or cause any other ooopsies.....

Close Helios, change computer date to 03/21/08. Start Helios.

Close Helios
Now change it to 03/28/08, open Helios and see what happens

Remember to CHANGE Computer date back to Today's DATE

With that said, 11.6.0 update applied today on the salon.

Serious Error avoided, for now........

[CIT]

Thats exactly what i meant - they put kill date that can kill my day of business if they fail to provide me with update?

[CIT]

Kill date must be removed from Helios once and for all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!

[Scott Bogdan]

Din/CIT,

I would respectfully ask you to look at the full text of the notice that was sent out and be careful not to create an inaccurate representation of the facts.

Our intention with the software audit is nothing more than to protect our investment as a business. The timing of our newest version did not allow for us to handle the interruption date the way we had intended via a dongle exchange so we extended the current service until October of 2009.

Beginning later this year our customers will have the option to upgrade to the new version or exchange their existing dongle to eliminate the issue entirely. Again, only authorized users of Helios will be afforded this option. If you received your copy of Helios from someone other than us then you do NOT have an authorized version of our software and would not be entitled to any upgrades to our product.

One other point of confusion seems to be with those customers who are not currently on a Software Maintenance Agreement. ALL Helios users who received their software from us are entitled to the update even if they are not on a Maintenance Agreement.

If you have any other questions feel free to call me anytime.

Scott
317.554.3486

[aimeekat]

peace!

[CIT]

Dear Scott. I did not receive the notice you asked me to look into at all. If i would not be hanging on this site i would not know about audit. And thats after 5 years of being on SMA. Whatever rocks your boat - dongle, shmongle,exchanges....I upgraded to 11.6.1 and for now i am going to crawl in my little salon owner corner and watch you take my destiny in your hands.