A good idea that has flourished among windows programs/games for a long time
is to have the regular registration check (for windows, this is the
CD-check/whatever) and then run the program/game as normal but every now and
then recheck the registration and then alter the programs functionality in
some sort of way. The more invisible for the casual user and more
frustrating for someone _really_ trying to use it, the better.
Examples:
Spawning impossible enemies after some time (I remember Falcon for the Amiga
sent an invisible superplane to shoot you down a couple of minutes after
takeoff).
Spellchecker that gets everything wrong after 1000 spell checks...
If it looks like a bug the better. Just wait for the support letters to come
in whining about your app that shows this and that bug, and make a call to
the nearest software piracy center.
I think you get the idea, but let me explain _why_ this works like a charm:
When you shut down the program and complain about registration, you've given
a clear signal to the cracker that it's still protected. But if the cracker,
after the registration can run the program, check a few features and see
that everything seems ok, he'll release it.
Noone will suspect anything except the 'poor' user who every now and then gets
strange bugs, features and missing levels...
//Fredde
On Thu, May 04, 2000 at 08:09:30PM +0200, Aaron Ardiri wrote:
> > > i simply have joined in the fun by competiting with them.. they want
> > > to be the #1 cracker, i want to be the #1 protector.. why dont you
> > > take this approach - or simply let it go.
> >
> > Ok, this seems on topic :). Do you know of any simple things that can be
> > done to make the software harder to crack? I just recently discovered one
> > of my programs on an illegal site. I downloaded it and discovered the
> > registration check had been completely bypassed. How disturbing! I would
> > really like to make it more difficult for them to do this to future
> > versions.
>
> nothing simple can be implemented :) i have some nice and complex
> things going on.. but - with the tools they have, they just bypass
> the checksum checks and patch a tracp for *right* after all the
> hard work is done.. :)
>
> then they just take what they need.
>
> if you dont want to put some effort into it, and enjoy doing it -
> then i suggest you spend more time writing another app :) i will
> stop this game soon - but if i am succesfull in wasting a whole
> day of these guys time.. thats a milestone i want to reach, a
> small personal goal :)
>
> nearly there :P
>
> az.
> --
> Aaron Ardiri
> Java Certified Programmer http://www.hig.se/~ardiri/
> University-College i G�vle mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> SE 801 76 G�vle SWEDEN
> Tel: +46 26 64 87 38 Fax: +46 26 64 87 88
> Mob: +46 70 656 1143 A/H: +46 8 668 78 72
>
> if you enjoy it, then it aint work :) - rule #106 of life
>
>
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