The past four days have kinda been a nightmare. I was locked out of my Mac version of CorelDRAW because of the formatting on the pop-up that asks you to sign in so you can receive new version alerts and sales made it impossible to fill in the fields. I never thought twice about it before and I would just sign in and move on. I never thought that Corel would make the software unusable until you agreed to view ads. I'm including pictures of what the pop-up looked like for the first two days versus what it was supposed to look like.
Am I the only person to be affected by this?
Doesn't this make my stand-alone version of CorelDRAW adware? A stand-alone version of the software should not need to maintain an internet connection to run if work isn't being accomplished in the cloud. I really am curious to know if I am the only one who lost time because of this issue. Is this just a Mac problem?
That is possible. But I have some doubts because the MacOS didn't program the code for the behavior of the pop-up. I could not close the pop-up with the 'x' in the corner and it drew over every other app until it could be dealt with. I had to force close CorelDRAW just to move on.
It is possible that this was an issue caused by some OS-level shenanigans, but it is also possible that this is a result of questionable business practices. I can't upload pics of the pop-up window for some reason, but the wording of the message reveals the intent of the pop-up. It begins by saying:
"Signing in gives you access to important online services and content. ..."
These are not features of the stand-alone software.
Below that, there is a selection box for those who already have an account above the inputs for your email and password.
After the input fields, there is a selection box that indicates a choice to opt into product news and promotional material and to participate in surveys. If you click the "I already have an account" selection, those consent choices go away, which is key because you still get promos in the Get Started tab.
It is possible the MacOS update screwed things up, but there is no need for this pop-up with the stand-alone version of the software. Everything went to Hades because a window that did not need to be inserted before accessing the software was inserted by Corel and not Apple.
For a clean installation of CDGS Mac, this issue had been fixed.
For actual users still facing the issue, it is recommand to perform the following:1. Go to user’s home folder,2. Remove the current user’s Messages folder3. ~/Library/Preferences/Corel/Messages4. Re-Launch app
You may need to sign-in again once, to authenticate your product.
If this is not working for you, please contact support (www.coreldraw.com/.../ and ensure you have your serial number handy.
What would make an installation of CDGS not "clean"?
I already have access to the app again. I signed in when CorelDRAW phoned home with a less mangled pop-up window. I have been using and upgrading CorelDRAW since version 9. If uploads of pictures were allowed I could show you every CD all the way up to X6 when I started getting serials direct from Cleverbridge.
Nobody seems to be getting the issue. Corel would not let me access the stand-alone version of CorelDRAW until after I signed in to my account. This action allowed Corel to continue extending ads and product announcements. Requiring internet access to enable viewing ads and product announcements is not supposed to be a condition of using a stand-alone product.
I am not claiming the formatting issue is not fixed. I can access DRAW fine now that I have signed into my account.
Making a connection to the internet and signing in to my account should not be necessary to use stand-alone software. Pretty much by definition. It is supposed to stand alone.
Apparently, Corel has instituted some policy that, from time to time, forces re-authentication of the software for the purposes of serving ads and product announcements.
It should not be a requirement to agree to view ads and product announcements to continue using the stand-alone software.
My copy of CorelDRAW 2021 was bought online directly from the Corel website as every version I have purchased since I got my first one from Fry's Electronics. I assure you this is not an issue of pirated software behaving badly.
The issue is that Corel is forcing users of older versions of CorelDRAW to reconnect and receive ads in order to have continued access to the software they sold as a stand-alone application.
I am not talking about the bug, I am talking about the feature that should not be there.
To elaborate a bit more on what the actual problem is:
I don't fire up CorelDRAW to see what is happening in the world of Corel.
I start up CorelDRAW because I have an idea I want to evolve. A project I need to finish. A goal I wish to accomplish.
A pop-up about signing in for updates serves no purpose but for the potential monetization of my distraction.
When the positioning of that pop-up creates an opportunity for complete obstruction of my objectives, I need that to be seen as a problem. A serious problem.
Stand-alone software (already verified and registered) does not need re-verification in perpetuity.
All older than current versions of CorelDRAW I own, once signed in do not ask to sign in unless you sign out.