OK, Ken, I understand the objective. Now let's review a real world scenario.
I purchase one licensed copy. I only intend to use it on one PC at a time, which is consistent with the intent of A-B.
The logic is written by Tim on his laptop, which has the license activated. Tim is on vacation, and has taken his laptop with him so he can look at email. I get an emergency call to go to Left Elbow, Iowa to service a system at their sewage treatment plant. I grab my laptop and the CDs and copy the program files from the server. In my rush I forget about the authorization scheme.
How do I get the authorization transferred when I get to Iowa? After all, Tim still has a valid copy loaded on his laptop, although he isn't programming. And, let's just say neither the plant I'm at or the motel I'm using has internet access. Can I call A-B at 6:00 AM from the jobsite and get a key? How long will this take? Should I start having the plant call everyone in town and tell them to cross their legs? Will the A-B call center have a clue about how to handle this unusual situation? Should I have to do this much screwing around to use software that I paid $2,000 for? Will A-B reimburse me at $150/hour for the time I have to spend being able to use my perfectly legitimate software?
Now, let's make this even more real world. On my laptop I have three (that's 3) different programs for A-B HMIs and RSLogix 500, and C-More software, and Concept for Modicon, and Directsoft for Koyo, and Cimplicity Machine Edition for GE HMI and PLCs, and Exor HMI software, and EZ-Touch software. On Tim's laptop he has Step 7 for Siemens' PLCs, WinCC for Siemens' HMI, Unity for Modicon PLCs, Lookout Development, and RSLogix 5000.
So how much time do you think I'm going to throw down the rat hole maintaining and transferring licenses each week. If a customer calls in while I'm out of town, and they have a SLC-500 and I have the RSLogix 500 on my laptop, should Tim tell them to just run raw sewage into the river until I get back because he can't open the logic to diagnose their problem?
It is purely and totally a crock!