Software Piracy Problem

[DZyn]

This group has very few posts, so I'll take any responses with a grain of
salt. I'm a newbie VB developer, who has written, and is selling (or trying
to sell) an engineering application. I am currently using Softwrap as my
licensing solution. Softwrap has turned to be almost completely useless for
preventing piracy, in my opinion. Is anyone out there using a
licensing/encryption solution that is actually effective?

I would prefer not to use a dongle, but I won't completely rule it out.

Thanks in advance.

Rock




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[Michel]

Effective Piracy protection is fiction. Even a dongle does not help you
here. A little reverse engineering, and the dongle-ping is history.
Microsoft, however, has got a solution that seems to be doing the trick:
Just make your program as complicated as you can and provide support only to
registered users.
Or create some means of IP detection and implement an SMTP service that'll
send you serial-, MAC, IP, time and username every now and then, without
your buyers knowing.
Just add a line describing this, somwhere in your piracy disclaimer (make
sure it's about 217 lines long so noone actually has time to read it) and
you'll do fine.

Best regards,

Michel



"DZyn" <rhuber@dzynsource.com> wrote in message
news:3fcf1b86$1_4@corp.newsgroups.com... This group has very few posts, so I'll take any responses with a grain of salt. I'm a newbie VB developer, who has written, and is selling (or
trying to sell) an engineering application. I am currently using Softwrap as my licensing solution. Softwrap has turned to be almost completely useless
for preventing piracy, in my opinion. Is anyone out there using a licensing/encryption solution that is actually effective? I would prefer not to use a dongle, but I won't completely rule it out. Thanks in advance. Rock -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

[Dr. David Kirkby]

"DZyn" <rhuber@dzynsource.com> wrote in message news:<3fcf1b86$1_4@corp.newsgroups.com>... This group has very few posts, so I'll take any responses with a grain of salt. I'm a newbie VB developer, who has written, and is selling (or trying to sell) an engineering application. I am currently using Softwrap as my licensing solution. Softwrap has turned to be almost completely useless for preventing piracy, in my opinion. Is anyone out there using a licensing/encryption solution that is actually effective? I would prefer not to use a dongle, but I won't completely rule it out. Thanks in advance. Rock

I suspect what you are trying to do is counter-productive.

I think the issue has virtually disappered from the western world.
Companies will fire employees who pirate software (a former employer
did this to a couple), and individuals with a grudge against their
former employer will no doubt make the fact known to the police. As
such, whereas at one time this was a major issue and it was the norm
to do it, I think it is far less so now.

Home users are different, but why worry if a student rips off your
software and shares it with his friends? You are not likely to be
loosing revenue (since they would never have bought it in the first
place), but your product gets better known, so when people go into
industry they will buy your product.

I know there are some countries where this is still a problem, but
they will find ways around it anyway.

The other issue someone else mentioned is support. People tend to want
support for complex applications.

I've had so many issues over the years with software that has dongles,
that I'd *never* buy an application with a dongle.

As for the suggestion of tying products to IP addresses, again I'd
personally not buy such an application.


Dr. David Kirkby PhD CEng MIEE
email address can be found at http://atlc.sourceforge.net/contact.html

[Mark B]

Interesting comment. Do you think that would extend to the idea of
shareware, saying it's free for everybody but if you are using it for
commercial purposes you have to pay?

I know once with PKZip we were all told at work (about 10 years ago) that we
had to uninstall it.

We are considering letting the floodgates open with our product Task Manager
2003 (www.orbisoft.com) using this approach with the idea of getting more
widespread penetration. Just uncertain though of the honesty of smaller
companies, individuals using it for business purposes etc. Microsoft after
all don't do a similar thing, e.g. put Word® on the net for download.

Great idea BTW with your anti-spam email address below.

Mark


"Dr. David Kirkby" <see_my_signature_for_my_real_address@hotmail.com> wrote
in message news:c99d2c79.0312120638.57eee38d@posting.google.com... "DZyn" <rhuber@dzynsource.com> wrote in message
news:<3fcf1b86$1_4@corp.newsgroups.com>... This group has very few posts, so I'll take any responses with a grain
of salt. I'm a newbie VB developer, who has written, and is selling (or
trying to sell) an engineering application. I am currently using Softwrap as
my licensing solution. Softwrap has turned to be almost completely useless
for preventing piracy, in my opinion. Is anyone out there using a licensing/encryption solution that is actually effective? I would prefer not to use a dongle, but I won't completely rule it out. Thanks in advance. Rock I suspect what you are trying to do is counter-productive. I think the issue has virtually disappered from the western world. Companies will fire employees who pirate software (a former employer did this to a couple), and individuals with a grudge against their former employer will no doubt make the fact known to the police. As such, whereas at one time this was a major issue and it was the norm to do it, I think it is far less so now. Home users are different, but why worry if a student rips off your software and shares it with his friends? You are not likely to be loosing revenue (since they would never have bought it in the first place), but your product gets better known, so when people go into industry they will buy your product. I know there are some countries where this is still a problem, but they will find ways around it anyway. The other issue someone else mentioned is support. People tend to want support for complex applications. I've had so many issues over the years with software that has dongles, that I'd *never* buy an application with a dongle. As for the suggestion of tying products to IP addresses, again I'd personally not buy such an application. Dr. David Kirkby PhD CEng MIEE email address can be found at http://atlc.sourceforge.net/contact.html

[Andrew Baker]

Winzip use this method and it is something I always want to get licenses for
everybody - but most of the time have less licenses than we should have.
This is because it is too easy to not be licensed. If they were a bit
harder to use without a license then I think more people would purchase.

Andrew.

"Mark B" <remove_from _here_mbrownlee_to_here@ihug.co.nz> wrote in message
news:brtgv4$qar$1@lust.ihug.co.nz... Interesting comment. Do you think that would extend to the idea of shareware, saying it's free for everybody but if you are using it for commercial purposes you have to pay? I know once with PKZip we were all told at work (about 10 years ago) that
we had to uninstall it. We are considering letting the floodgates open with our product Task
Manager 2003 (www.orbisoft.com) using this approach with the idea of getting more widespread penetration. Just uncertain though of the honesty of smaller companies, individuals using it for business purposes etc. Microsoft after all don't do a similar thing, e.g. put Word® on the net for download. Great idea BTW with your anti-spam email address below. Mark "Dr. David Kirkby" <see_my_signature_for_my_real_address@hotmail.com>
wrote in message news:c99d2c79.0312120638.57eee38d@posting.google.com... "DZyn" <rhuber@dzynsource.com> wrote in message news:<3fcf1b86$1_4@corp.newsgroups.com>... This group has very few posts, so I'll take any responses with a grain of salt. I'm a newbie VB developer, who has written, and is selling (or trying to sell) an engineering application. I am currently using Softwrap as my licensing solution. Softwrap has turned to be almost completely
useless for preventing piracy, in my opinion. Is anyone out there using a licensing/encryption solution that is actually effective? I would prefer not to use a dongle, but I won't completely rule it
out. Thanks in advance. Rock I suspect what you are trying to do is counter-productive. I think the issue has virtually disappered from the western world. Companies will fire employees who pirate software (a former employer did this to a couple), and individuals with a grudge against their former employer will no doubt make the fact known to the police. As such, whereas at one time this was a major issue and it was the norm to do it, I think it is far less so now. Home users are different, but why worry if a student rips off your software and shares it with his friends? You are not likely to be loosing revenue (since they would never have bought it in the first place), but your product gets better known, so when people go into industry they will buy your product. I know there are some countries where this is still a problem, but they will find ways around it anyway. The other issue someone else mentioned is support. People tend to want support for complex applications. I've had so many issues over the years with software that has dongles, that I'd *never* buy an application with a dongle. As for the suggestion of tying products to IP addresses, again I'd personally not buy such an application. Dr. David Kirkby PhD CEng MIEE email address can be found at http://atlc.sourceforge.net/contact.html

[Dominic Haigh]

We and our customers - who include some major corporations - think our
licensing solution is effective and robust. Feel free to take look at our
free download and form your own opinion: www.easylicenser.com

Best of luck with your new product!

Thanks,

Dominic

"DZyn" <rhuber@dzynsource.com> wrote in message
news:3fcf1b86$1_4@corp.newsgroups.com... This group has very few posts, so I'll take any responses with a grain of salt. I'm a newbie VB developer, who has written, and is selling (or
trying to sell) an engineering application. I am currently using Softwrap as my licensing solution. Softwrap has turned to be almost completely useless
for preventing piracy, in my opinion. Is anyone out there using a licensing/encryption solution that is actually effective? I would prefer not to use a dongle, but I won't completely rule it out. Thanks in advance. Rock -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----