PTC Quality Agent

[dgschaefer]

Creo 1.0, F000



So, I installed Creo 1.0 to play with it a bit. I won't get to use it
for a year or more, likely, but I was curious. Looks pretty good,
frankly.



Along with Creo 1.0, I got something called 'PTC Quality Agent'. I've
dug through the KB at ptc.com and it seems like some sort of reporting
program to transmit system data back to PTC on a schedule (monthly by
default). There is a way to transmit it on demand, but no way to clock
the scheduled transmissions.



What I couldn't find was why PTC needs it sent on a regular basis.
Sounds handy for times when you're communicating to a tech support
agent, but why send it every month (other than data mining)?



Most of the data is harmless enough (Windows version, RAM, Video driver,
etc.) but it by default also transmits your host name and domain name.
You can override that information, but not the machine specs and you
can't turn of the scheduled transmissions.



Am I paranoid to feel uneasy about this?



Doug Schaefer

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[campbell]

Hi Doug -



By definition, I cannot assuage your paranoia (since I may be the
source!), but I can tell you that we have implemented the quality agent
as a mechanism to collect benign usage information about all of our Creo
customers' environments.



The quality agent will collect information that we can then use to make
better decisions about Creo - for example, we really don't know for a
fact what Operating System most of you use. If you call Tech Support,
they will ask you, but what about all of those customers that don't.
There are lots of anecdotal points of view on the topic, but we have no
DATA for the vast majority of Creo users, and when we make decisions
about discontinuing support for a particular OS, it is always with an
unknown amount of risk of leaving a lot of customers dissatisfied.



The quality agent will provide us hard data about what is really going
on in your environments so that we can make better technical decisions.



Ultimately, this same framework could be used to collect other
information (such as logs and function call "tracebacks", if Creo were
ever to prematurely exit), but for now only the benign usage information
collection has been implemented.



Hope that addresses your concern.



All the best.



~ Mike




Michael M. Campbell
DVP, Creo Product Development

T +1.781.370.5039

[mwimberly]

Mike,

I completely understand and it does explain what you are doing. My question is why not tell the users what you are doing? That is too much like some of the spam wares that do the same thing. Now the question is raised again, is there a way to stop this from happening? In other words, how to you turn it off?

Michael Wimberly
Engineering Applications Support Specialist III
Global Tactical Systems

BAE Systems Land & Armaments
9113 Le Saint Drive
Fairfield, Ohio 45014 U.S.A.
(513) 881-4843 Direct
(513) 833-3565 Mobile
(513) 881-5087 Fax
-<">mailto:->
P Before printing, think about the environment.

[dgschaefer]

Michael,



That makes perfect sense. You need some data on the hardware being used
in order to make informed decisions on the direction of the product.
This information does help understand and accept what is happening.



I guess if I could add anything, I'd say give me this info at
installation. Tell me why it's there and what you're doing with the
info. Now it just gets installed and turned on without any explanation.
Even if I go into the tool, this info isn't there. An informational
vacuum will be filled.



I'd also say don't collect 'personal' info like host name, domain name
and user name by default (all but the username were turned on for me).
I'm curious what those three pieces of info add to your knowledge?



Thanks again,



Doug Schaefer

[BenLoosli]

The installation of PTC Quality Agent is optional at install time.

Thank you,

Ben H. Loosli
USEC, INC.

[dgschaefer]

I made a series of screenshots of my Creo 1.0 install, and what do you
know, there it is on screen #7. I had completely missed it.



The install guide does indicate that it can be uninstalled as well.







Doug Schaefer

[gfrenck]

Mike

We contacted our PTC sales rep about this issue and he has
indicated that Quality Agent can be turned off. Can you please confirm
this is configurable by each company and that we can opt out of the data
gathering.

Thank you for your time with this.

Glenn Frenck
Dupont

[HugoHermans]

I don't care to much about PTC gathering information about the usage of their software, to some extent. But this information should be made available to the community, again, to some extent. I understand competition is always watching, but as a general concept, information that was gathered freely, should be made available freely.

Kind Regards,

Hugo.

[campbell]

The PTC Quality Agent is an option when you install the software. By default, it will be installed, but as Doug pointed out in his screen shot, you can uncheck the Quality Agent, and it will not be installed, and therefore will not be able to gather any data.



~ Mike




Michael M. Campbell
DVP, Creo Product Development

T +1.781.370.5039

[dgschaefer]

What Mike says is correct, but if it does get installed, it cannot be disabled per se. It can be uninstalled through Windows however.



Doug Schaefer

[DamianCastillo]

Michael,

Let me save you some time.

Most of your customers use Windows. Windows XP or Windows 7. It's nice for PTC to know what percentage of users are using a particular flavor, but let's stay focues on what's imporant. WINDOWS.

Not Unix, but Windows. So let's make sure that Creo 1.0 is built on Windows and get rid of all the Unix code that hinders the progress for PTC to truly make a fantastic and modern UI.

I am not saying to abandon Unix because the 4 people that are still using this will need CAD software that works for them, but what I would like to see is a focus on the platform that is used by most of your customers first and then add support for the smaller platform as long as it continues to make financial sense.

So let's recamp. Most of us use Windows so please make that PTC's focus with Creo 1.0

I have several users playing with Creo 1.0 and I use it daily to test drive it. It's great, it's a major improvement, it's heading in the right direction. BUT.... I still see all the Unix underpinnings all over the place and the Menu Manager from back in 1980 is still present. This kills the Creo 1.0 experience. The more I use Creo, the more I see the Menu Manger. The more I see the Menu Manager, the more I get flashbacks from Wildfire and why it was so horrible.

PTC needs to make sure that Creo does not suffer the same fate as Wildfire. Kill the Menu Manager and Focus on Windows platform.

Oh, by the way. while you guys are at it. Why don't you change the 8 bit Atari icons on the Creo 1.0 Ribbon UI. It's an embarrasment and I don't know how this was acceptable to be released as a final version. I am loving Creo 1.0 but there is still evidence that this is an evolving platfom with some major baggage from Unix.

This is PTC's chance to redeem their good name and become a modern player in CAD once again. Don't drop the ball. PLEASE.

"Too many people walk around like Clark Kent, because they don't realize they can Fly like Superman"

[anagnost]

Dear Damian,

please let me completely disagree with you. Of course, not about your
request on completely abandoning the old fashioned menu manager but on
blaming systems like Unix for a poorly designed user interface. PTC is
the one who designed a user interface like the menu manager. It was
not the operating system that "requested" something like this.

I will remind you also that the most slick and stylish UI, is Apple's OS
which is a pure Unix system!

Vassilis Anagnostopoulos*
*
SPIDER SA
Industrial Area - Rodotopi
45500 - Ioannina
Greece

[Dmi3U]

FYI

Just downloaded M010 and during installation made sure to un-check Quality Agent, but it still got installed...

In Reply to Doug Schaefer:

What Mike says is correct, but if it does get installed, it cannot be disabled per se.  It can be uninstalled through Windows however.



Doug Schaefer

[campbell]

Dmitry -



In order to support Student and Trial versions of Creo, a change was
made in Creo 1.0 M010 such that the Quality Agent is always installed.
The check box controls whether or not the Quality Agent sends reports
back to PTC. By unchecking it, you indicated that you did not want data
to be sent back to us, and therefore no such reports will be sent.



There is an FAQ forthcoming soon on the Quality Agent, and this topic
and others will be explained clearly there.



~ Mike




Michael M. Campbell
DVP, Creo Product Development

T +1.781.370.5039