Aperture update requires v1.0 serial number

Question

I am posting this simply give an account of my experience, in hopes that the Apple Aperture team will seriously reconsider this approach in the future. I also would welcome clarification if this approach is to be expected for all Apple software products going forward. Here's my experience:
I've been an Aperture user since 1.0 shipped (actually before, as I prepaid prior to the 1.0 release). I have upgraded to version 2, and then to version 3, as a loyal user. My Aperture software has always been legally registered -- I've never run any kind of demo or friend's version of the software on my machine.
I installed the latest Software Update on my machine yesterday, which was an update to Aperture (3.1.3). Today I opened Aperture to grab a photo in my library. It prevented me from accessing the app until I entered my serial # (again). Now this alone would have been bad enough, but I found it wouldn't take my version 2 or version 3 upgrade serial #'s either -- it identified them as upgrade serial numbers, and required me to enter the original serial #, which for me was the original Aperture 1.0 release. I was prevented from accessing my Aperture library until I could dig my Aperture 1.0 serial # out of a crate in my closet.
Outside of the mindlessly annoying aspect of this, this is incredibly bad form for ANY software vendor. I have 12 years of photos locked up in my Aperture library, and preventing me access to my photos, and all the edits / changes I've made to them over the years until I re-register software that was registered 3 times already is just horrible. It is one thing to check serial #'s on the installation of a new major version number of a paid app to verify previous purchase, but when the thrice registered software that applied by your automatic update not only demands that serial number but then prevents access to all of my photos, changes, etc -- I don't know what crazy disco ball was hanging from the conference room where this idea was deemed good, but it isn't good. It is very bad.
While I have no desire to do so, I feel like I have no choice but to seriously consider dumping Aperture for no other reason than losing over a decade of photos simply because I may in the future misplace my version1.0 serial #. I can just see me losing the serial # in an office move or something like that and then having to go either buy Aperture all over again or go out on ebay for 2 months bidding on 1.0 versions.
So if any Apple folk actually read this, I'm a loyal Apple software and Aperture user. This was not cool. I hope this is the last I see of this kind of thing, and I really hope this isn't the new trend of system updates for all software.
Here's to hoping for a smoother experience next time.

Answer 1

First, you need to submit this verbatim as feedback to make sure the Aperture team reads it.
I haven't run the update yet, but I've been using Aperture since 1.1 so I may hit the same wall.  Here's why I'm not worried about it:  After using Photoshop since version 2.5, I wound up having to buy the full version when CS1 came out.  This experience and the realities of multiple cross country moves made me start keeping a VERY well backed up text file with the serial numbers of every piece of software I've purchased since 2001.
I'm not defending this policy, but I wanted to share my response to a similar situation.  I urge everyone to maintain a similar file.
DLS