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Can I thumb drive boot Unity and Linux?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Not_Sure, Jul 2, 2015.

  1. Not_Sure

    Not_Sure

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    With Linux on the road map it got me thinking, can I make a bootable Linux thumb drive with Unity and my project on it?

    That would be fantastic if I could carry around my project in my pocket and plug it into any PC.

    I may just have to grow a neck beard.
     
    Not_Sure, Jul 2, 2015
    #1

  2. angrypenguin

    angrypenguin

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    I suspect that the licensing activation process would get in the way. They usually work based on some machine-specific ID, so there's a good chance it'll only work on the machine you use to activate the install.
     
    angrypenguin, Jul 2, 2015
    #2
    Not_Sure likes this.

  3. Not_Sure

    Not_Sure

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    Damn!

    Good point, but damn.
     
    Not_Sure, Jul 2, 2015
    #3

  4. Kiwasi

    Kiwasi

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    Depends, lisencing shouldn't be an issue if you can use the personal edition.

    Maybe. I don't have a huge idea what I'm talking about.

    ???
     
    Kiwasi, Jul 2, 2015
    #4

  5. Aurore

    Aurore

    Director of Real-Time Learning Unity Technologies

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    mmm not so sure, all personal editions (and it was the same with free) do have license keys I believe, you just can't see it. In the end I think it's early days to ask this.
     
    Aurore, Jul 2, 2015
    #5

  6. darkhog

    darkhog

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    Maybe your license should be stuck to your account instead to computers you are running Unity on? Just my thought.
     
    darkhog, Jul 2, 2015
    #6

  7. Ryiah

    Ryiah

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    They definitely have license keys. On Windows they're under C:\ProgramData\Unity. On OS X they should be at /Library/Application Support/Unity/ (don't have a Mac to verify).

    I considered having the license files stored on the USB thumb drive with a script that places a symbolic link to the file onto the root drive, but the license file has some system-specific info stored in it (ie Windows license key).
     
    Ryiah, Jul 2, 2015
    #7

  8. darkhog

    darkhog

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    One more reason just to make license "stick" to account it was first activated on and not computer. Come on, Unity, you can do it.
     
    darkhog, Jul 3, 2015
    #8

  9. Not_Sure

    Not_Sure

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    I think that it would be too easy for multiple parties to share one account that way.
     
    Not_Sure, Jul 3, 2015
    #9

  10. darkhog

    darkhog

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    Then they're breaking the license. Also it's easy to detect such discrepancies. If you're login again after 5 minutes from IP that is located according to geolocating databases 3 miles away, something's not right.

    //edit: That being said, pirating Unity Pro still would be easier than playing with sharing account. If you're going to break the EULA, you can just as well do it all the way.
     
    darkhog, Jul 4, 2015
    #10
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  11. ShilohGames

    ShilohGames

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    If the bootable OS was on the USB drive, I think the license would follow that around just fine. The hardware would get reconfigured each time within the OS, since all of the hardware besides of the boot volume would be changing each time. I guess the question would be if the license is tied only to a key (in a file and/or registry) or if the license is also tied to the hardware. For example, modern Windows OS will require a license reactivation if you have a major hardware change like a motherboard swap. Not sure if Unity would be that strict or not.
     
    ShilohGames, Jul 4, 2015
    #11
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  12. Not_Sure

    Not_Sure

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    That is a really good point.

    UT?
     
    Not_Sure, Jul 4, 2015
    #12

  13. steego

    steego

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    As per this page https://unity3d.com/unity/activation -- I guess you would just have to remember to return the licence from the computer each time you quit unity to switch computers.

    Also, from the FAQ:

    Unity 4 and 5 users can also return their licenses within the editor:

    1. Open Unity 4 or Unity 5.
    2. Click "Help" (“File” on Mac).
    3. Click "Manage License..."
    4. Click "Return License".
    This must be done prior to reformatting or a hardware change. You must also have an uninterrupted connection to the license server. This does not tend to be the case when behind a proxy or being without internet connection.

    (emphasis added)
     
    steego, Jul 4, 2015
    #13