Bart Burroughs wrote:I will not hack my system into thinking a library is an older version just to use a single piece of software.
we all do not like this kind of dirty tricks, to work around typical limitations of closed source software.

but you should not overestimate this issue. all software, that comes with your distribution or gets compiled from source, will link to the newer/correct library. you really have to install another stupid commercial black-box and be blessed by a lot of misfortune, to trigger any serious troubles by this workaround.
in fact, this particular library is not used much often in the linux world. there are better free alternatives around. i think, it's only chosen by BMD, because this other well known alternatives are licensed in a more restrictive GNUish tradition.
Bart Burroughs wrote:get it fixed and I will try it to evaluate it. I certainly wouldn't buy a piece of software that I was worried would either not function after an upgrade or required system hacks to work properly. I have opted to just not try the software.
it's always a compromise installing proprietary/unfree software on a well organized linux system.
i usually utilize tools like "checkinstall" to keep the tainting of my systems under control.
the change in the usb hotplug configuration for the protection dongle IMHO should be seen as a much more serious unwanted intervention to your system outside of the /opt-path, than this little library compatibility hack.