Oh, man, I remember CD-check. It was a DRM scheme back in the '90s, that required you to have the CD in your drive in order for the software to run. I recently re-installed a game called Elite Force, that used CD-check. CD-check no longer works on modern computers, but Activision has apparently given permission to crack the game and distribute it, as long as you don't try to charge money for it.

For me, it's not the cost of Internet access, it's that I don't always have it, and this may be even more true in the future. I travel a lot, including to places that don't have ready Internet access. And I'm reaching retirement age, when I hope to travel even more, and live full time in an RV, where I expect to spend a lot of time in places with no cell service. I suppose I could buy a satellite dish, but doing that just for Poser seems a bit much.