Hi Dark and all, not only that, but studies show that the hardware ID key systems haven't done anything to prevent or slow down piracy. Microsoft found this out the hard way in 2007 when they released Windows Vista with a new hardware key system, and within two weeks or so there were cracks all over the web that simply went around Microsoft's brand spanking new key system. Point being the only people Microsoft punished were the honest paying customers like myself who paid for Windows Vista about a week or so after it came out. It didn't slow down or stop the software pirates. So what good did it do switching to a hardware key system?
The reason hardware keys don't work is because it often fails to address the underlying reasons for piracy in the first place. There are a number of reasons why people pirate software and they can be addressed if a developer recognizes why his/her software is being pirated. One, is the issue of cost. I think we all understand the fact that do to exchange rates and so forth that what may be reasonable to one customer is an absurd amount of money to another. For a Canadian, American, or British customer $30 USD is probably pretty reasonable amount of money. However, I know that there are countries where that is hundreds perhaps thousands in their currency do to exchange rates. Therefore the only way they can hope to get the game is to steel it, or if the developer will offer a special deal to purchase the game at a lower price. Bottom line, if someone can't afford it they won't buy it. Then, there is the issue of availability. Do to trade embargos and other things like that a developer can't sell software to other countries even though he or she may personally like to. There are countries such as Iran that the United States government has placed trade embargos on and it would be unlawful for a U.S. company to sell products and services to an Iranian person. Plus services like Paypal won't accept payments from countries under a trade embargo so a customer in such a situation really has little choice but to pirate the software weather they want to or not. Finally, there is the person who has the money but refuses to pay for the software but would rather pirate it instead. This is sadly more common than we would like, but there is nothing we can do about it. Someone who is going to steel software is going to do it no matter what. The point I want to make here is that all too often software developers look at piracy as losing money. That they count every act of piracy as a financial loss. The reality is that in a lot of cases it isn't a financial loss because either the person didn't have the money, they live in a country under a trade embargo, or are a dishonest git to begin with the developer wasn't going to be able to sell the software to him/her anyway. Its no great loss because honest customers and those who can pay will pay. The only thing a security system needs to do is keep an honest customer honest and there are proven methods to do that without resorting to draconian hardware key systems etc. Cheers! On 4/23/13, dark <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Dallas. > > such limits are not actually just on audio games. Avg antivirus and pc > tuneup programs limit you to two machines, and supernova limits you to three > > (though with supernova you get an extra license each month). > > the issue however, is that as Tom said, neither AVg nor Dolphin are likely > to go out of business soon, thus meaning replacement keys are always > obtainable, indeed I've had so many different licenses for supernova over > the years on five or six different machines I can't count, particularly with > > all the version upgrades or even be in a position where if I really needed a > > new key I couldn't get one. > > Most graphical indi developers I've seen use name generated key systems, or > > even just sell you a download of a straight installer, (I've not bought many > > graphical indi games but I do have a couple, which i've installed on a > couple of machines). > > One thing I do find odd, is that the security for software is so different > from the security of buying other content across the internet. > > for example, there are I imagine not a few people on hear who know the > internet audio drama series Leviathan chronicles, (and if not, check it out > > it' is great!). > > As people will know, while the main series is free, various audio extras are > > available to buy, such as special edition episodes and directors cut > versions of the main series. When however you buy these, you simply get a > download link with an expiration on it. You download the episodes, then the > > link won't work anymore, however that is it! no passwords, no codes nada! > just download and play. > > yes, this makes them infinitely piratable if a person chose, but equally the > > producers are banking on people's honesty, partiuclarly since they offer so > > much for free and are very much an indi audio company. > > while some audio companies have proprietory software, encripted files etc, > Leviathan, and a few others recognize this does no good, ----- after all, > pretty much anything! that plays can be coppied with a digital reccorder, > (one reason why apple's itunes system is rather doomed). > > Yet, why can indi audio producers have this level of trust in their > customers, when if anything their work is easier! to pirate, while software > > developers do not? > > that people will pirate things is inevitable, and I'm pretty sure if I > searched around there are pirated copies of Leviathan floating about, but > that didn't make the producers attempt some draconian system of control, so > > what is so different with indi developed software? > > Beware the Grue! > > Dark. > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > [email protected]. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to [email protected]. > --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [email protected]. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to [email protected].
