[sword-devel] Cool idea: Commercial Linux /Windows Bible program based on Sword

[sword-devel@crosswire.org]

On Tue, Jan 30, 2001 at 09:53:32PM -0500, Todd Shirey wrote:
> ...Generate a key based on a MAC address - if there is no network card
> installed generate the key from the OEM number from the hard drive. In
> either case the legal user of a module couldn't share the key with anyone.
> The key would work only on the machine for which it was generated. We do
> this with our commercial software.
> 
> Todd
> 

This seems to me a very bad idea. If the user changes his network card,
which I am planning on doing in my machine shortly, or changes his hard
drive, which I have done twice within the past year and a half or so, what
is he going to do? If there is a method for regenerating the key that does
not require paying more money, then that can be used for pirated copies. If
not, then the user must pay out more money when any piece of hardware to
which the licenses have been tied has been changed. I am presently
attempting to break this sort of protection on an old Mavis Beacon program
we have, because the machine it was installed on was thrown away and all we
have is a backup copy that detects that the hardware is different that what
it was installed on. We payed for the software, but we can't use it.

On the other hand, any method for protection which does not tie the license
to the hardware or some other piece of software which the program should
not mess with must (MS Office seems to use font files) must necessarily be
insufficient to prevent piracy.

The problem is really a conundrum that cannot be solved without being a
pain to the customer. Bruce Schneier has an insightful artical on copyright
protection at http://www.counterpane.com/crypto-gram-9811.html.

There is no truly secure way to do this, as Schneier shows so well. The
only thing is to make it just difficult enough to keep honest folks honest.

Alexander Garden
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-sword-devel@crosswire.org
> [mailto:owner-sword-devel@crosswire.org]On Behalf Of Troy A. Griffitts
> Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2001 9:42 PM
> To: sword-devel@crosswire.org
> Subject: Re: [sword-devel] Cool idea: Commercial Linux /Windows Bible
> program based on Sword
> 
> 
> >> I would challenge anyone to get a plain text version of a locked module
> >> without having the unlock key.
> 
> >Yes, but once you have the key, you can pretty much give it out to anyone.
> 
> Yes.  Agreed, but is that any different than a win98 key, et. al.?
> I don't think we want to solve the software industry's copyright
> violation problems, just make violating them sufficiently difficult and
> blatant.
> 
> 	Thoughts?
> 		-Troy.
> 
>