Re: Demo Choices
Re: Demo Choices
- Subject: Re: Demo Choices
- From: Urs Heckmann <email@hidden>
- Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2004 13:41:39 +0200
Hiya Craig,
here's my little 2cents: My serial numbers are tied to customer
names... hence I don't think anybody who paid for the software would
give it away lightheadedly (if you give it away, the guy who took it
will give it away the other minute without any thinking). They must
fear that the'll be put on a black list.
I'm quite sure that a serial number generator would be too much hassle
to write, because I use a really super strange 5-key encryption that is
spread all over my binary (one of my fav books is Neal Stephenson's
Cryptonomicon...).
Hence, I think the easiest way for a cracker would be writing a so
called "patch" which removes that certain couple of ifs from the demo
version. Hence, what I do is uploading a new version with different
build order every few days, so that meanwhile tens of different
binaries for the same application are floating around. (Binaries from
demos on magazine CDs are also different)
Dunno if there's a Zebra [k] already. And I really don't care. I think,
for a small company it's important not to "criminalize" honest
customers, and I'd rather spend time to develop a new software than
bother more with piracy, except for the really easy stuff I already do.
Cheers,
;) Urs
Am 13.04.2004 um 13:06 schrieb Craig Bakalian:
Well now, this is the question of the digital gods. Mine are all
save disabled. Yet they are not plug-ins. Let me first tell you that
I have 472 users of my midi and audio application. There are over
2,000 pirated copies out there. When a client (good or bad) registers
it, the applications phones home. Not that there is much I can do
about someone stealing my work in Tawain and Moscow.
Some teachers and not so very computer savvy people get confused by
the save disabled issue. I get emails all the time saying "Ya know it
is a great application, but it won't save my work". Some will work
for hours on a sequence, try to save and then send me a rant of an
email!
Many people freak out at the unusable demo. You would be upsetting
them greatly. The nagware, well who the hell cares, they won't pay
for it. If it is a plugin, some features disabled may not get them to
pay, for the features that they don't use may not be of value. So you
are left with the date limited demo. But, there are crackers out
there that are going to crack the app open, and POST that is right
POST on a web page the registration code, and often email each other
and older version, and on and on and on... there is no fighting it.
All I do is change the registration code every day! I have a script
that cranks out a new application with a new registration number.
Then I zip it, upload it, and notify kagi that I changed the
registration. I feel like a fool.
If you have a solution to stopping crackers, please let me know.
Choosing a demo version is just the start of your problems.
Craig Bakalian
www.eThinkingCap.com
On Apr 13, 2004, at 1:01 AM, email@hidden
wrote:
I'd also be interested to know which of the following people think
works best:
- date-limited demo (e.g. works for two weeks then dies)
- time-limited demo (e.g. works for 10 minutes every time you run it)
- crippled demo (some features disabled)
- unusable demo (e.g. audio cut-out every 10 seconds)
- nagware demo (fully featured but with an annoying splash screen,
like
Graphic Converter)
_______________________________________________
coreaudio-api mailing list | email@hidden
Help/Unsubscribe/Archives:
http://www.lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/coreaudio-api
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
urs heckmann
email@hidden
www.u-he.com
_______________________________________________
coreaudio-api mailing list | email@hidden
Help/Unsubscribe/Archives:
http://www.lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/coreaudio-api
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
| References: | |
| | >Demo Choices (From: Craig Bakalian <email@hidden>) |