They don’t want to protect, they want exclusivity.

Is HWID not the go-to activation method? I’m a bit out of the loop

And?

They could 100% afford them, it’s not like this is a small company facing bankruptcy. The fact that they need to keep cutting costs in order to keep growing infinitely does not make it right

Lots of good answers already in this thread, so just pitching a couple of “not what you asked for but maybe interesting” thoughts: Have you tried CFL lightbulbs? Those don’t flicker and should be available in a wide range of temperatures. Regarding the headaches, imho it’s more likely to do with blue light/color temperature than flickering, unless it’s severe enough you can notice it even if just barely. In that case, maybe look into glasses with blue light filters, helped me a lot with screens and indoor lighting

It is so much worse. Humanfacing

Secret WiFi 8 underground lab

TIL what the W stands for