Multiplicity 3.55 Release Issue Report Thread

Multiplicity 3.55 is a culmination of 3 betas

Multiplicity 3.55 Changelog:

• Further tweaked the pop-up issue
• Fixed KVM sidebar to be high dpi aware, fixes positioning issue reported here:
  https://forums.stardock.com/503107/page/1/#3796020
• Fixed an issue that when you close the KVM sidebar, the desktop space for it was not freed correctly

Multiplicity 3.54 Changelog:

• Quick-release to address a connection request popup issue:
  https://forums.stardock.com/502956/page/1/#3795253
  https://forums.stardock.com/502871/page/1/#3795259

Multiplicity 3.53 Changelog:

• Greatly improved file transfer speeds from Primary to Secondary PCs.
• Fixed an issue that would have the Multiplicity sound mixer volume reset to match master volume upon reboot (it should have kept its edited position but did not)
• Fixed KVM crash issue introduced with 3.50 (was slipstreamed into 3.50 when found)
• Added larger Secondary quantities 32/50 for Seamless mode (was only working for KVM prior). Increased grid size limit to accommodate
• Added Multiplicity restart option from systray menu:
  https://cdn.stardock.us/support/uploads/2020-11-23_13-49-22.png
• Fix for high DPI on Primary causing accelerated mouse movement on lower DPI Secondary
  Multiple Monitor scaling and mouse function issue » Forum Post by crsmith2020 (stardock.com)

***Reserved***

Multiplicity 3.5.5 sending incorrect "garbage" text to second computer in seamless mode.

Primary:

Secondary:

When I typed: 111111111111111111111111111111 on the primary computer, this is what was what showed up on the secondary system.

This happens no matter what I am typing into, password prompts, URL Addresses, Notepad, Word... you name it.

After a reboot of the two computers, it works for a few minutes, but eventually, this starts to happen.

Hello,

Sorry to hear you are having trouble.

What is most odd is that it is happening over time.

• At any point, are the keyboard layouts changing? 
• Are you at all connecting to a VPN on one or the other?
• Is there any notable change in the state of either PC when this happens - can you point to anything that you are doing \ running?
• Are you certain that each PC has the exact same build of MP installed?
• Have you tried the purge and reinstall of MP on each PC?
  https://forums.stardock.com/486104/multiplicity-support-faq#reinstalling

Sean Drohan
Stardock Support Manager

Why is the new release version show below on slave machine:

not the same as on my master machine:

Notice the addition of ".kvmpro" added to the version number.  Is there a buffer overflow missing NULL terminator, something half implemented or does someone not know how strings work in the code.  Looks bad either way and really makes me question how something this simple is "slipping" into your baseline, or worse I've got a cracked version that came in with what I thought was your update.  Please fix/advise as frankly this makes me worry as proper versioning is critical. Thanks

First thing I would recommend doing is update both computers to the latest Window 10 OS version.   Then see if issue is still there.

Quoting Kraft57, reply 5

Why is the new release version show below on slave machine:



not the same as on my master machine:



Notice the addition of ".kvmpro" added to the version number.  Is there a buffer overflow missing NULL terminator, something half implemented or does someone not know how strings work in the code.  Looks bad either way and really makes me question how something this simple is "slipping" into your baseline, or worse I've got a cracked version that came in with what I thought was your update.  Please fix/advise as frankly this makes me worry as proper versioning is critical. Thanks

End of Kraft57's quote

There is a simpler explanation.

You only activate primary computers.  On the primary the license type is appended to the version number at runtime to make it easy to see what license has been used (say you have a KM license from an ObjectDesktop subscription and purchased KVM Pro too). 

The secondary isn't activated so will show the version number only.

The installer for KM, KVM Pro etc is the same, what features are enabled are controlled by the license.

Another issue I have with multiplicity is how on slave machines that are admin locked, you can still see the passcode for sending audio as shown:

I have a passcode that exceeds the display, but why isn't it protected like on the Master node where it says "Click to show passcode" Especially when it's LOCKED?  Again I'm wondering if this is a cracked version that was auto-installed on your last update given they have different version numbers:  "Version 3.55 Build 000101.kvmpro" vs. "Version 3.55 Build 000101".  Who made this decision or thought it was OK to release this(assume it is actually from you guys)?  Lucky you are I'm not in your command chain(says Yoda) since if this was going on in one of my groups there would be some fast personnel changes that wouldn't wait for next review as this is basic stuff that's now taking my time to troubleshoot.  God I hope you guys weren't compromised and I have some cracked spyware shit installed. Please raise this action item(forum ticket) up as I'm ready to look for other more secure solutions.

Ok that is a poor design decision inconsistent with the worlds coding practices as the version number is uniquely there to represent the software version installed.  The software version number has nothing to do with the license installed. The version number has 0 to do with how it's configured/licensed.  Sorry I didn't realize you are not a stardock employee, don't take anything I said personal and I appreciate you chiming in to help.  Obviously you are right, they were too lazy to represent the license state in a proper separate field and just chose to conflate the two.  They look bad here as far as software discipline and knowledge of versioning.   

How version numbers are displayed in a product is purely up to the software vendor.  The product has worked like this for a considerable amount of time and I believe you may be the first person to ever have a problem with it.  I would be surprised if it were unique either.

Quoting Kraft57, reply 8

Another issue I have with multiplicity is how on slave machines that are admin locked, you can still see the passcode for sending audio as shown:



I have a passcode that exceeds the display, but why isn't it protected like on the Master node where it says "Click to show passcode" Especially when it's LOCKED?  Again I'm wondering if this is a cracked version that was auto-installed on your last update given they have different version numbers:  "Version 3.55 Build 000101.kvmpro" vs. "Version 3.55 Build 000101".  Who made this decision or thought it was OK to release this(assume it is actually from you guys)?  Lucky you are I'm not in your command chain(says Yoda) since if this was going on in one of my groups there would be some fast personnel changes that wouldn't wait for next review as this is basic stuff that's now taking my time to troubleshoot.  God I hope you guys weren't compromised and I have some cracked spyware shit installed. Please raise this action item(forum ticket) up as I'm ready to look for other more secure solutions.

End of Kraft57's quote

I am baffled as to why you would even think a cracked version were being installed.

The version number system is not a sign of anything being compromised.  This is normal and is how MP works.  It is purely there as an aid to know what license is in use on a particular machine.  You may also notice that MP works differently with regards to versions than most other Stardock software in that it has a build number.

With regards to the issue with the passcode, locking is designed to prevent modifications, not the ability to see the information.  That said I would agree that the password not being blanked out for that one screen when in locked mode is something that is worthwhile doing and the lack of it not blanking out is an oversight.

I will arrange for that to be resolved in the next update.

Ok I did update my last comment that you had already replied to as I initially thought you did not work for Stardock.  I appreciate the assistance either way and please take no personal offense.  I'm realizing you guys are perhaps are more a gaming company and maybe you didn't catch my code references regarding a missing null terminator that could allow a string read further into the next field in a possible data structure that holds the license type string that is used to create the .kvmpro addition to the version number.  Cracked versions are often older code versions with sloppy modifications that leave some rather obvious tells like this where they edited the version number to the latest and inadvertently removed the null terminator resulting in the next field showing (and old bugs that simply weren't fixed yet, like what we currently see in NOT covering up the passcodes in the slave configuration).  These things were adding up too quickly in my mind and the more I looked at things, the more it started to look like a cracked version.  If you are/were a software guy, you would likely see this if looking in from the outside, but then again a software guy wouldn't likely be working front lines on web board support unless you drew the short straw making it your turn/rotation:).  I would recommend never conflating version number with anything else company wide(even if you guys are mostly a gaming company).   It violates the ISO standards in that license versions are never referenced or conflated as part of a version number and here is a basics link on versioning:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_versioning

I know Stardock can do what ever it wants, but ignoring established industry best practices on something this trivial is worrying as it makes me think what other best practices are being ignored that are NOT trivial.  I would love to see that stake holder board meeting where engineering claims or is forced to admit "we don't follow industry best practices... because..." the board would stop listening right there and be calling in independent entities for review and provide oversight of the operations.  I know I would as a stake holder and if you own any stock(a stake) you should as well.  Don't step on any toes Neil, just remember there is a fiduciary responsibility to respectfully point this out once via email so you can preserve the event.  Anyway, I feel good that I did my fiduciary part as a client w/o charging my typical rates.:)  Take care Neil.

Kraft       

Neil is the lead developer for Multiplicity (and many other SD products) and has been for over a decade. He is one of the more gifted developers I have ever met and that Stardock has ever employed.

He also participates regularly in the forums because he is dedicated to client satisfaction and the improvement of our products.

Sean Drohan
Stardock Support Manager

Thanks Sean.

Actually I have personally been involved with Stardock for over 2 decades now.  Where has the time gone I wonder?

I would like to jump into to defend the game programmers too.  Stardock don't grab unity / unreal and buy assets to make games, Stardock are a proper company who developed their own 3D engines for almost all of the games.  More recent games use the very advanced Nitrous engine developed by sister company Oxide games.

OMG you guys are all family and I'm in the nest/hive...:).  Pleasure meeting you Neil, and clearly this fits the case of " you would likely see this if looking in from the outside"... since if you were any more inside, you would be the owner/founder(assuming you are not, but today is full of surprises).  Again, I meant no offense, but my point still stands.  For the record you're all my kind of crew, but all this is terribly public.  Feel free to remove all these/my posts to keep anything controversial private contained in the nest/hive.  Obviously I do like and use your product and wouldn't be here spending time on it if didn't care about it.  My apologies for any ruffled feathers:).

I've used Multiplicity since the beginning, and Stardock products in general much longer.  I am running Windows 10 on my desktop as Multiplicity primary via ethernet to a Nighthawk router and a Dell laptop running Windows 10 on as Multiplicity secondary via WiFi on same router.  Multiplicity is 3.55 on both.  My problem is with intermittent lost Multiplicity connection between the two.  This often results in a locked desktop requiring a cold reboot to get things going again.  No apparent common antecedents to the lost connections...just the message that connection has been lost, and then a message about "Successful Connection."  The problem goes back a number of iterations of Multiplicity, and has occurred 4 times since I began typing this reply.  I suspect the WiFi may be at fault, but don't know for sure.  Suggestions?  Also suggest adding a more elegant method for recovering a lost connection when focus and mouse is in secondary than a cold reboot of the primary.  Or is there a recovery I don't know about.  Thank!  --Larry

ps.  Just noticed an added part of "Connection Lost" message, due to secondary not responding in time. Then it re-connects.  Not sure what that means or how to fix it.  Thoughts? --LJ

I have a mouse cursor movement issue with the Multiplicity KVM. There is weird discontinuity on the screen.  It feels like some issue caused by screen scaling. There is a point where the cursor jumps back to the edge of the screen and there's constant linear offset with the cursor after that point. At the top left corner of the screen the offset is close to zero.

The HW configuration is quite difficult to explain, but basically I have two computers here and they are connected using KVM. There's one laptop that is using dual-screen layout and one desktop with single screen layout. I have one larger display which is shared between the Laptop and desktop, but usually only Desktop is used as a input source. In laptop the main integrated display is 4k, but currently. I'm using it in Full HD (1080) resolution.

Here's a video of the problem https://youtu.be/Gx99gKVfEVw

Laptop winver

Desktop winver

LAURENCE JOHANSEN, fiasko81

Your issues are not unique to this build so posting here is not the most appropriate place.

Please create new threads in the Multiplicity forum and they will be addressed there:

https://forums.stardock.com/forum/267

Thanks for the feedback.

Sean Drohan
Stardock Support Manager

I'll do that.

Will do.  Thanks, Sean.

Wow a full month(I set a reminder to check back) and nothing... you guys dropped the ball and really should abandon this website instead of spending man hours on it for no reason.  Nothing matters here and I wasted my time... a little disappointing as often we need to pay people to find issues but not uncommon today as the signs were all there from the get go.   Not my kind of crew after all but likely points to far larger issues that no one wants to, isn't allowed or technically can address.  Time to shop for similar MP functionality as this product is clearly at the end of it's life cycle and doesn't follow standard engineering practices. 

Now you can point to a specific case of how/when confidence was lost in MP as clearly as I can if ever asked.  No hard feelings and I wish you all well.  No need to reply as I won't be back and feel free to delete all this to protect the hive/nest. 

Take care and thank you for your past service.    

Kraft Manning    

Having looked over your posts you seem to have initially posted complaining about the version numbering system we use which, with the greatest respect, is an internal matter.

You have however in past posts insulted support staff, game developers and the development team of Multiplicity and suggested that because the versioning system is one you do not like that somehow Stardock have been hacked?

The only issue that has been reported by yourself is the audio sending side does not hide the passcode on a secondary in the UI when you lock settings.  As we have said this we have assigned to a bug and it will be addressed with the next update.  This isn't a high priority update because in 99% of cases the user could if really needed just click on the unhide passcode button anyway to read it as locking settings is rarely used by customers.

We prefer to avoid putting out too many releases for tiny issues unless there is good reason (a security hole would for example be a good reason or crashes) because this can irritate customers.

Instead we are currently investigating reports of a possible KVM mode dpi scaling issue from the 3.55 release and once we have determined if that is a problem with the update, or something thats unrelated to Multiplicity itself we can decide what a future 3.56 update will contain.

I am sorry if you feel we have not responded in the time frame which you would like and I am sorry that we somehow gave the impression that it was considered an urgent update which we would rush out.  I promise that the update with a tweak for this issue will be put out, but even Google Chrome works to a six week schedule.

On Client Surface device the mouse cursor/arrow is severely delayed. Reactions trail some 5 seconds behind. Basically unusable.

Are there any settings I can adjust, please?

Thank you.

KVM or Seamless?  Does it last past a reboot?

Sean Drohan
Stardock Support Manager

Hello Sean,

This is Seamless. I'm using a Windows 10 Desktop as the primary.  Rebooting both devices have no effect.

They are both running your latest version as well.

Thank you.