Mitch_Fawcett wrote:
> What you are assuming is that given a choice between downloading and paying
> for a full version from you, or downloading a full version for free that the
> last paying customer has posted on the Internet, a normal rational human
> will choose to pay you. As a student of human behavior, I don't believe the
> former behavior is more likely than the later.
This is a very subjective statement. Alleged human behavior is very much subject to
the ethics of the environment and past
transgressions of the subjects. This can vary a lot and the published outcome is very
much affected by: the public you are
viewing, the political goals of the researcher and answers expected to the sponsor of
the research.
> The difference between having a registration scheme and not having one, is
> that if you don't have one then ANYONE can post your software. If you have a
> scheme, it takes cracker to figure it out before they can post it. You
> increase and prolong your chances of having sales that way.
>
Let me give you a different scenario. We here at Datastick Systems sell hardware
along with software. Along with the package is a
copy of Datastick Connection for the PalmOS. It is the data visualization tool and
data storage software to complement the
hardware. We have debated long and hard about doing a protection scheme. Overall, we
have decided that the pirated software had
turned into one of our best advertisement tools since it just drops into demo mode. A
lot of our sales came about from this code
being passed around and tried out.
>
> So I say keep the crackers occupied; have a registration scheme.
But not to the point that the end user is punished for the cracker and you have a
piece of code compromised by a copy protection
scheme.
Steve
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