Actually, in the days when iLok was very undependable, the people that suffered the most were studio owners/engineers that depended on their DAWs, i.e. Pro Tools, Cubase, Nuendo on an hourly basis. There were no other studio quality DAWs on the scene. They didn’t have time to waste on project shut downs because of the problematic iLok. It sometimes took weeks to get running again, and the loss of that time meant loss of big money. The truth REALLY is that the hatred of the dongle came from the studios over Pro Tools when it was the studio standard. Also, most people DID have huge problems, and there were very few, if any, similar plugs to go to. The “annoying inconvenience” was usually more than a few days and even if it was a gig, it still was a major deal if your rig depended on it. Pace nearly did go out of business because the software developers were under tremendous pressure from their consumers, and many developers went to other forms of protection. iLok was, and still is, one of the reasons why many people refuse to go to soft synths.
iLok is much better now, but I still don’t like it, and still do not trust it. When I gig, I want MY sound. If iLok fails during a gig, it will be a huge inconvenience to try to replicate in two minutes, especially if that sound drives the song. Imagine the pressure on tour people who depended on iLok software for the show, only to have it fail. So understand, iLok has a very shady past, and many of us remember the hair pulling moments that destroyed shows, studio moments, and particularly the overall mood of performance.
Regards
The Ugly