I am currently evaluating Photolab.
Looking through this forum I found a lot of useful information regarding the use of Photolab. There is one thing I was unable to find yet.
The trial requires an active internet connection when I start it. Being a Linux user, I have to keep up a separate Windows installation for my Linux-unsupported editing software like Canon DPP4 and now the Photolab trial. I Try to keep this Windows as clean as possible.
I understand and can accept for the trial to be checked it needs to connect to Dxo.
I want to know if I can use a purchased and validated copy of Photolob without requiring an active internet connection when I start it.
User guide also requires connection, but I don’t use it too much now. I have a local copy, just in case. For some reason PDFs are available for older PL/VP/FP versions only.
DxO may also transfer some profiling data during startup, export, and perhaps other activities. Probably it’s the same data you will find in PL logs (on Windows, it’s in a subdirectory of Documents). I would guess they are currently mostly interested in DeepPRIME export performance on a variety of CPU/GPUs. It’s not a big network load and it’s optional. On one of PCs, I use Internet connection only for software updates. DPL does not complain, unless it finds some lens/camera module missing.
I would advice to download all the modules you will presumably need, during the activation/installation phase. If PL finds a photo for which you don’t have camera/lens module, it’s installation can take a minute or two, which you may find distracting.
The basic situation is that you only need an internet connection to download lens modules and updates. DxO do not require you to connect just to start or run their products, like Adobe does.
I run Photolab and many other software on my graphics computer that is Not connected to the internet.
The biggest problem is MS updates changing settings. On my other computers, the latest update removed software such as VLC media player without notice.
If you do need to update something, first set Windows Update to postpone to some future date
I applied every trick known to me to remove all garbage and disable updates, still when it’s connected to the internet things are happening beyond my control.
Like while I was downloading the modules, Edge was installed.
Also I have often noticed even with having updates disabled in gpedit installation files being downloaded to the temp folder.
Anyway I cleared the temp folder but this bricked my Dxo trial
But I have all modules plus a few from the wish-list.
That’s how things works now.
Your workstation is no more yours, and does things you do not ask for or do not want at all.
In france there are laws (I won’t say which government did that, but one of the more liberticide one of this century) which allow police and secret services to put viruses in your computer. And for sure everyone is infected.
No way to prevent microsoft to do what it wants on your workstation (and with your private datas) - (mac is not better at this game).
It even did updates on my renderfarm when it was running. When I woke up to get the rendered images and send them to my customer, renders were not finished, every station had been rebooted and was idle, and the waiting update supposed to be delayed for a month had been installed.
I’m on Mac since 7 years, never looked back to Windows. Little Snitch is a clever firewall program with which you can allow or block incoming and outgoing traffic. You will be shocked how much connections web sides and programms/app establish. For every new connection you will be asked if you will allow this connection or reject it. Additionally you can determine how long you will allow or reject that connection, options are 1min, 10min, 2 hours, 1 day, 7 days and so on and permanently. In the beginning you have a lot decissions to make, that be a bit annoying.
But if you are done with most of your stuff, you can relax and benefit from your work.
E.g. I have booked all Google tracking connections as far as I could identify.
Of course you can undo a decision in case you realise it was the wrong one.
I’m sure somthing similar is available for Linux and Windows.
