Bug #69: Cannot enter Serial number

Comments

1. Greg Hurrell 2004-12-10T06:17:17Z

   Thanks for filing the report. Although I don't believe it's a bug, it's useful that you've filed the report because it may help other users in the future if they have trouble entering their license codes. To help you out I will paste below a copy of the email that I send to people when they ask for help entering their codes.

   The system has been thoroughly tested and has been in use since April 2003 without a single failure, so we know that the system works.

   By far the most common problem is that the user accidentally includes leading or trailing whitespace when entering the license code or email address. It's very easy to accidentally select an extra space when copying, and if you paste the license code in with that extra space it won't be accepted until you delete the space.

   The next most common fault is changing the capitalization of the license code or the email address. Both are case sensitive.

   The next most common fault is entering the wrong email address. You have to enter the address exactly as it appears on the registration notice.

   I've had users *swear* to me that they've follow the instructions and that it doesn't work, and I've had to take and send a screenshot of me entering their license code and having it accepted in order to convince them! That's why in the email below I tell people that they should get a friend to look over their shoulder and double-check things if they can't get the license code accepted after reading the instructions. Often another pair of eyes can spot an obvious mistake.

   Needless to say, in future products I am not going to use such a sensitive algorithm. For one thing, it won't be case sensitive, and for another, it will ignore whitespace. That should solve the two biggest stumbling blocks for people.

   I will try to make the whitespace modifications for the next version of Synergy. I can't change the case sensitivity though, because that would break existing serial numbers.

   Anyway, here is the email:

   --

   The serial number system has been heavily tested and you can rest assured that your registration details work as provided, but the system is also very rigorous so you must be very careful when you enter your information or it will fail to validate. If you patiently read and follow these instructions you will be able to successfully complete the registration of your copy of Synergy.

   You have to enter it, and your email address, exactly as they appear on your registration notice in order for it to validate. This means the capitalisation has to be identical and there can be no additional spaces (such spaces are the most common cause of non-validation). I recommend you copy-and-paste the email and serial number from your registration notice to minimize the likelihood of errors. (If you do not have not kept a copy of the original registration notice, you can have it resent to you at .)

   The most common causes of error are:

   1. Introducing additional spaces before or after the email address or serial number. 2. Changing the capitalisation on the email address or serial number. 3. Entering an email address other than the one that appears on your registration notice.

   If after double-checking you find that you are still having problems, I recommend that you have a friend assist you with the process. It may be that your friend can spot an obvious discrepancy that you cannot.

   If you cannot find your registration information, or you wish to double-check it, you can find more information at:

   For your information, future Wincent products will not be so strict with checking registration information. I plan to remove the case-sensitivity and also make the system ignore trailing or leading whitespace. This should make it much easier to avoid the problems mentioned in this email.

2. Greg Hurrell 2004-12-10T06:17:38Z

   Marking as CLOSED.

3. Greg Hurrell 2004-12-10T08:51:53Z

   Just so you know, I've made the changes to Synergy so that it will strip off leading and trailing whitespace (for example spaces, newlines, tabs) from the email and the license code. You'll see it in the next version (still not sure if it will be number 1.5.1 or 1.6; depends on how many new features make it in).

4. Greg Hurrell 2004-12-22T13:49:38Z

   I just made some additional changes to Synergy 1.5.1 to make it even harder to misenter the license code. Not only does it now strip trailing and leading whitespace, the license code itself is no longer case sensitive. (But note, the email address is and always will be case sensitive; I can't change that without breaking existing serial numbers. Future products, however, won't use case-sensitivity in either the license code itself or in the email address.)

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