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.
>
>
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