Re: [R] Making a trial based Package for 30-days.
I guess you could write some instructions in the configure file (configure.win for windows) at the root level of the package subdirectory, to create a scheduled task to uninstall and delete the package after a fixed period. That script would normally execute at the moment of installation. See Package structure in Writing R extensions. Yes, easy to hack. But R is free software, so that's what you should normally expect for any mechanism. In any event, I suppose that you don't want a trial-based package for your own use alone, but you want to distribute it. And if you want to distribute it by mainstream repositories (e.g. CRAN), you should publish the source anyway, and won't be allowed to include such malicious mechanisms. Helios De Rosario El día 12/05/2014 a las 11:31, Ashis Deb ashisde...@gmail.com escribió: Hi all , I have a GUI package , which I want to make it work for a certain period,say‑30days ,after which it should be self destructive . Could it be possible ?? ASHIS INSTITUTO DE BIOMECÁNICA DE VALENCIA Universidad Politécnica de Valencia • Edificio 9C Camino de Vera s/n • 46022 VALENCIA (ESPAÑA) Tel. +34 96 387 91 60 • Fax +34 96 387 91 69 www.ibv.org Antes de imprimir este e-mail piense bien si es necesario hacerlo. En cumplimiento de la Ley Orgánica 15/1999 reguladora de la Protección de Datos de Carácter Personal, le informamos de que el presente mensaje contiene información confidencial, siendo para uso exclusivo del destinatario arriba indicado. En caso de no ser usted el destinatario del mismo le informamos que su recepción no le autoriza a su divulgación o reproducción por cualquier medio, debiendo destruirlo de inmediato, rogándole lo notifique al remitente. __ R-help@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
Re: [R] Making a trial based Package for 30-days.
On Mon, May 12, 2014 at 10:31 AM, Ashis Deb ashisde...@gmail.com wrote: Hi all , I have a GUI package , which I want to make it work for a certain period,say-30days ,after which it should be self destructive . Could it be possible ?? Yes. But why bother? Can you stop people: a) turning back the clock on their PCs? b) reinstalling again after 30 days? c) installing on a fresh operating system? d) editing the program to remove the date check? You have to decide if the effort in preventing all these things is worth it. Unless your software is really going to make you millions of dollars unless you do this, the answer is no. Easiest option is to just pop up a nag screen saying You really should stop using this after 30 days, but don't bother trying to enforce it (and definitely don't go deleting it itself, you'll end up deleting someone's files and then they will sue you). With a nag screen, people who are going to buy your product will buy it, people who aren't going to buy your product will carry on using it, but then they are going to do that anyway since these measures are so easily circumvented. Unless you want to invest in some serious licensing infrastructure. Barry __ R-help@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
Re: [R] Making a trial based Package for 30-days.
On Mon, May 12, 2014 at 1:11 PM, Ashis Deb ashisde...@gmail.com wrote: Well it's the company requirement to do so , and give it on a trial basis to client to check , if they like they will BUY or it will self destruct itself , No, if they like it they will BUY or they will CIRCUMVENT your self-destruction mechanism. The company requirement has not been thought through to practicalities, and is unrealistic, and is not constrained by limitation. How do you prevent them re-installing? For a price, I will fly (first class) to all your clients after 30 days and delete the software for you. Barry __ R-help@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
Re: [R] Making a trial based Package for 30-days.
On 5/12/2014 7:28 AM, Barry Rowlingson wrote: On Mon, May 12, 2014 at 1:11 PM, Ashis Deb ashisde...@gmail.com wrote: Well it's the company requirement to do so , and give it on a trial basis to client to check , if they like they will BUY or it will self destruct itself , No, if they like it they will BUY or they will CIRCUMVENT your self-destruction mechanism. The company requirement has not been thought through to practicalities, and is unrealistic, and is not constrained by limitation. How do you prevent them re-installing? For a price, I will fly (first class) to all your clients after 30 days and delete the software for you. Linux is free, open source software (FOSS), but people create lots of commercial software to run on Linux. One company I know installed an S-Plus or R package only on servers, so their customers had to use it on a server. (In this case, the customers had a GUI and may not have known that it was S-Plus or R behind it.) This company also developed techniques for encrypting their code. I don't think it was perfect, and they eventually wrote it in C or C++ or Matlab. So part of the answer is you can write part of your package in a compiled language. That part can check your web site to check the date and other things. If you submit anything to CRAN, you must enter a legally binding agreement that anything you submit is released under an acceptable FOSS license. I don't know what they do if they find an unacceptable license in a CRAN package, but at minimum, the package will be removed. Spencer Barry __ R-help@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code. __ R-help@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
Re: [R] Making a trial based Package for 30-days.
On Mon, May 12, 2014 at 3:45 PM, Spencer Graves spencer.gra...@structuremonitoring.com wrote: One company I know installed an S-Plus or R package only on servers, so their customers had to use it on a server. (In this case, the customers had a GUI and may not have known that it was S-Plus or R behind it.) This company also developed techniques for encrypting their code. I don't think it was perfect, and they eventually wrote it in C or C++ or Matlab. If the code runs on a server controlled by the company, and the user uses the code via some network API, then it might be practical to give a user a password that is revoked after thirty days. If the server is controlled by the user, then all bets are off. Any encrypted code has to be decrypted in order to be executed, so it is only obfuscated code. Even systems where the decryption keys are hidden in hardware chips covered in resin have been cracked by enthusiasts with a sharp blade, small probes, and a digital oscilloscope. We are talking hardware encryption/DRM systems developed by companies like SONY. So part of the answer is you can write part of your package in a compiled language. That part can check your web site to check the date and other things. Still easily circumventable (poke the code, preload a different date library DLL, turn the clock back...), so why bother? You can't consider how you'd have self-destructing code without having a debate about the cost and effort you want to put in and the cost and effort crackers want to put in. I the SONY case (or similar) crackers will compete like mad to crack the DRM, even if only for fame and not fortune or free access to pirated games. I think it would take me under an hour to write a package that self-destructed. Its not difficult, you create a file somewhere when the system first runs, then on subsequent runs check the date is less than 30 days after the file, and run file.remove over the package if its expired. Barry __ R-help@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
Re: [R] Making a trial based Package for 30-days.
On 5/12/2014 8:21 AM, Barry Rowlingson wrote: On Mon, May 12, 2014 at 3:45 PM, Spencer Graves spencer.gra...@structuremonitoring.com wrote: One company I know installed an S-Plus or R package only on servers, so their customers had to use it on a server. (In this case, the customers had a GUI and may not have known that it was S-Plus or R behind it.) This company also developed techniques for encrypting their code. I don't think it was perfect, and they eventually wrote it in C or C++ or Matlab. If the code runs on a server controlled by the company, and the user uses the code via some network API, then it might be practical to give a user a password that is revoked after thirty days. If the server is controlled by the user, then all bets are off. Any encrypted code has to be decrypted in order to be executed, so it is only obfuscated code. Even systems where the decryption keys are hidden in hardware chips covered in resin have been cracked by enthusiasts with a sharp blade, small probes, and a digital oscilloscope. We are talking hardware encryption/DRM systems developed by companies like SONY. So part of the answer is you can write part of your package in a compiled language. That part can check your web site to check the date and other things. Still easily circumventable (poke the code, preload a different date library DLL, turn the clock back...), so why bother? You can't consider how you'd have self-destructing code without having a debate about the cost and effort you want to put in and the cost and effort crackers want to put in. I the SONY case (or similar) crackers will compete like mad to crack the DRM, even if only for fame and not fortune or free access to pirated games. I think it would take me under an hour to write a package that self-destructed. Its not difficult, you create a file somewhere when the system first runs, then on subsequent runs check the date is less than 30 days after the file, and run file.remove over the package if its expired. Agreed. The only certainties are death, taxes, and uncertainty ;-) Some of us are fortunate enough to be able to contribute to R and CRAN without having it jeopardize our access to adequate food and shelter. Many people get paid for writing code, and some of those get paid from license fees. A better world is possible, but that's beyond the scope of this discussion. Spencer Barry __ R-help@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
