Subject: Re: Software Copy Protection - One More Time! From: "Bob" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2004 15:55:23 -0000
There can be no security, when the files can merely be copied from the backup folder to any machine using the same UserName. That's about as lame as it gets. Do you think it takes a hacker to do that?
I'm not going to debate my expertise as a programmer with you, nor my experience in the PC world. I can't argue with ignorance.
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My last reply was for Chris, not you John. Thanks for your input.
When people give you good advice based on years of experience of trying different solutions to the problem of software piracy, and you don't like some of the advice you are getting, then don't call it ignorance. It isn't.
But one of the big factors is the cost of the software and the environment.
Copy protection schemes cause aggravation, and on typical Palm OS software in the $5 to $30 range this aggravation results in support calls, which are relatively expensive to handle and hammer away at your profitability.
If you are selling software which costs hundreds of dollars per copy then the relative cost of the support calls caused by copy protection is much smaller and won't significantly affect your profitability. You also won't have much volume, which means that you don't need to worry about a large number of employees for your support desk. And with high cost software you can justify the creation of unique ID's for each user and other higher protection tricks.
Also on PC's you have some additional tricks available (such as checking for original install CD and use of dongles, etc). While all can be cracked, it ups the ante on the cracking game.
So take the advice, look at the price point of your software, and look at the environment you run it in. Then choose the optimal solution, which will have some copy protection.
Roger Stringer Marietta Systems, Inc. (www.rf-tp.com)
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