Brian, It is certainly possible for DLL authors to implement security for their apps completely independently from the platform (AB). However, doing so is pretty much a whole 2nd hat to wear compared to just writing the DLL and having it work with some decent security scheme that might already exist in the platform.
If (and I say if, because I think only TJ could know how possible this might really be for his platform) it were possible for AB to offer security services for plug-ins in a standardized way that imposed an absolute minimum of extra hassle on potential commercial DLL plug-in authors, I think many more of them would be likely to release DLL plug-ins to the public (presumably for some very reasonable cost, market determined). IOW, the skill-set of being a trading-related DLL author, and the skill set of being a DLL distribution security expert are not the same. I think there are relatively many who possess the former, fewer of which have the motivation to acquire the latter. A single-point solution in the platform itself (again, if possible) seems to me like it would maximize the likelihood of that first group making their work available. Aside, re: copyright - laws vary by country as to what is copyrightable and for how long. In general, an "idea" is not copyrightable, but a "specific expression" of that idea is. Copyright refers to the literal act of making a copy (of music, video, code, etc), not to creating a new expression of a general idea. So, if you open your editor and type in fresh computer code to implement some natural language description of a mathematical, trading, or statistical idea, you have not violated copyright. Though there are some who have attempted to claim otherwise in particular cases, their record of legal success almost non-existent. Hence, Chaikin, Wilder, Bollinger etc. are paid in fame, honors, and client patronage - and not in royalties! --- In [email protected], "brian_z111" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Progster, > > How does that work? > > Why do commercial programmers need that - what advantage does it > offer them? > > Anyone? > > Copyright is an interesting subject ... I have wondered about it with > regard to trading e.g. did John Bollinger copyright 'his' bands, > which are nothing but a trading application of well known math > principles (StDev and Moving Average) ... does AB pay Chaikin, > Wilder, Bollinger etc for using 'their' indicators? > > There are a lot of other grey areas too. > > > brian_z > > > > > > > -- In [email protected], "progster01" <progster@> wrote: > > > > The discussion so far on "Why so few?" DLLs seems pretty much > > on-target to me. > > > > I would add: > > > > Ability to program a non-trivial DLL is a marketable skill that > takes > > a long time to develop. > > > > There are certainly a number of fine examples of free contribution > to > > the AB community in the DLL area (e.g. RMath, for one). > > > > One can only feel gratitude and appreciation for such "above and > > beyond" contributions. > > > > However, capable DLL authors have the same 24/7/365 limitations as > > everyone else, and must confront a simple choice about how/where to > > spend their time and effort: getting paid, or not getting paid. > > > > Since DLL writing is (almost) platform agnostic, DLL writers in the > > trading area will have a tendency to code for platforms that provide > > built-in support for locking a DLL to a customer or software ID. > > > > I would predict that such "commercializing" integration features > would > > result in a distinct increase in the number of commercial DLLs > > available for AB. > > >
