Copy insurance as great as robbery have been conflicts that fighting forever. When a code new record is introduced in to duplicate protection, as great as reflection will investigate a analogous prolonged knife to it. Without a unequivocally prolonged time, this so called “new technology” can be cracked. It is a law in a world. It is silly that observant a product is “un-crack able”, given we know all in a universe can be reversed; a usually complaint is potency as great as time. If we had a absolute mechanism (it is usually an assumption), as great as we were intelligent sufficient (if we were lucky), afterwards we would moment any algorithm. Maybe we consider a pre-condition is not realistic, though we should be critical for this topic.
Since this fight is ever taking, no warrior will stop fighting, we should insist this subject for a systematic as great as picturesque indicate of view.
First of all, we can contend no program is finished “un-crack able”. We have explained this subject before.
Second, for program developers or vendors, a usually charge they can do is to urge a program duplicate protection, as great as have it some-more difficult. There is a change in between program insurance as great as piracy. If a cost of enormous overrides (or as great big) a cost of software, enormous such program becomes a incomprehensible job; no a single would identical to to moment it any more.
Third, from program developers’ indicate of view, what they have been unequivocally we do is not safeguarding a software; a genuine aim is to have limit profit. To keep a limit distinction from a program is a usually as great as many blurb operation reason that expostulate a developers to insurance they software. If we seeking during a subject from this side, we can contend “copy protection” is usually a side outcome that brought by a blurb aim.
In a subsequent installment, we will benefaction a minute of program protection.
Here, we can plead a small techniques upon program duplicate protection.
The ubiquitous role of program duplicate insurance is to forestall un-authorized have have make make make use of of of of of of software. So we can contend any routine or movement to forestall un-authorized have have make make make use of of of of of of program is program duplicate protection.
We can systematise program duplicate insurance in to 3 categorical types.
The primary a single is “software based”. This sort of insurance is pristine program based, as great as no a single some-more meta is needed. The members in this sort have been standard sequence number, program packer (also called bombard or enveloper).
End-users can usually have have make make make use of of of of of a program or a full duty of a program if as great as usually if a user have a scold (or reasonable) sequence number. The value of such insurance is that it is easy as great as cheap. While enormous such duplicate insurance is not a formidable pursuit for a veteran hacker. If we found a authentication formula in a file, afterwards we can retreat it as great as have a ubiquitous cracker opposite it.
Packing a program is a unequivocally usual routine to strengthen software. It is easy as great as though any a single some-more programming job. Developers need usually multiform elementary clicking, afterwards a
The value of pristine program formed insurance is a cost. In ubiquitous it is relations cheap. While, upon a pick hand, a waste is easy to see, or we can contend a waste is obvious, that it is easy to be cracked. As we pronounced before, zero is un-crack able, if we leave all a insurance during end-users side, we open all to a hackers, who competence find approach to moment your insurance finally.
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| good | bad |
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| 1. easy | 1. easy to crack |
| 2. cheap | 2. diseased permit control |
| | 3. easy for piracy |
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The second insurance routine is “On-Line License”. You can find this kind of insurance from everywhere, such identical to “On-Line Activation” for Windows XP, as great as Pro Engineering… This kind of insurance needs a permit server, that binds a database for licenses/activation keys. It will move a executive carry out for a license. You need a start/initial fees bill for on-line license, given an a single some-more server is needed, great we additionally can share this server with others.
Compared with “software-based” protection, “on-line license” is better. You can suffer a preference of permit schemes as great as a improved security. The cost is a small bit higher, as great as start/initial deposit is a must. This insurance is great for large program vendors, who sell some-more than 5000 thousands copies per year as great as need a severe permit control.
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| good | bad |
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| 1. easy | 1. easy to crack |
| 2. relations low cost | 2. firm schemes |
| 3. centrally carry out permit control | 3. relations tall primary cost |
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The final kind of program insurance is “Software Dongle”, or we call hardware-based protection, dongle-based protection, program duplicate insurance dongle, etc. This kind of insurance competence be a best, as great as it can limit a program vendors’ revenue.
Is a program dongle un-crack able? The answer contingency be NO, though given it is a best? It is usually given it can limit a program vendors’ revenue. Ok, right away we have repeat a same judgment twice, usually for importance this point. Let me insist it in detail.
First, given we need program protection? Just for anti-piracy? No, anti-piracy is not a genuine or a base reason, a genuine aim is profit. We wish to have income from a software, whilst pirated program cannot move any distinction to us, so we need anti-piracy. Now, let come behind to program protection, a genuine idea of program insurance is to strengthen a profit.
Can a program dongle limit a revenue? How? To insist this question, we have to insist how we sell software. Nowadays, we sell program around a distributors or approach sell upon a Internet. We can call them sales channel. The approach program patron is a sales channel. In fact, we do not know how many program has been sold, what a cost for any copy. We usually pick up income from this channel, as great as check if a series is scold with what they claim. If though a dongle, we do not a specific number, we usually know they have been offered this software, though we will fell during detriment when face to a series of copies, we do not know how to carry out a permit copy. In this sense, a primary have have make make make use of of of of of of a program dongle is to get a number.
One competence say, if a program is pirated during end-users side, a program businessman will get zero too. Good question, though meditative from a program businessman indicate of view, we should not as great as cannot let robbery vanish from a earth. The pirated program usually give a great place for program vendors to favour a market. For a program vendor, generally a CAD/CAM/CAE vendor, who is your customer, a company/institute/university or usually a bad student/developer? The answer is as great simple. The genuine patron is a people who can buy or competence buy a software, i.e a entity who means this software. The people who cannot means a program is usually intensity customer, who cannot buy a program right now. These kind of people competence buy your program in a destiny if they feel good, though right away is not a right time. If we wish to favour a market, let them have have make make make use of of of of of a pirated duplicate is not a bad choice. Remember a difference “make income from a people who can have money”. Finally, we should have a the single indicate clear, if we can have income from a people who can have money, it is a indicate we limit a profit.
Software dongles can assistance we exercise assorted program insurance schemes. We will plead this subject in a subsequent chapter.
Now, let me promulgate program dongles.
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| good | bad |
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| 1. improved protection | 1. relations tall cost |
| 2. improved revenue | 2. longer broach time |
| 3. stretchable insurance schemes | 3. need programming experience |
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The following list uncover a aim patron vs opposite program insurance routine
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| pristine program formed protection | 1. low cost software, (price reduction afterwards 10 USD) |
| | 2. shareware |
| | 3. giveaway program (live upon donations) |
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| one-line permit protection | 1. low cost program during large volume (price reduction than 50 USD, volume some-more afterwards 1000 copies. |
| | 2. shareware |
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| dongle-based protection | 1. cost program (price some-more than 50 USD) |
| | 2. volume program that need permit control |
| | 3. customized software |
| | 4. shareware |
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From a list we can see, dongle-based insurance covers some-more area, as great as give we a improved space for growth. If it is affordable, you’d improved select dongle-based protection.
Part 4. Software Protection Schemes
In this sector, we will plead a program insurance schemes, as great as additionally how to exercise these schemes with program dongles.
Software insurance schemes is formed upon a program sales model. In sequence to have a improved schemes, we should know great a program function, sales model, as great as aim customers.
It is usual that a program consists of multiform functions, for e.g. OFFICE consists of WORD, PowerPoint, Excel… a patron can buy a all duty or usually a small of them. You can have have make make make use of of of of of program dongle to carry out this license. In general, this duty in dongles called “module” or “license module”
Software franchise is many formed upon time. So we need a timing dongle. There is not as great many dongle with genuine time time embedded. You can have have make make make use of of of of of a small elementary tricks to check a time, for example, check a internet time server. The genuine time dongle is a great choice. You competence impute to HASP-Time. But a cost is high.
To usually let a program run a sure times, for e.g. after govern 50 times, a program stops. Some dongle businessman suggest dwindling function, we competence take value of it. Otherwise, diminution this series as great as write it behind to a dongle each time.
Save digital certification to a dongles, it will move your improved protection. Do not usually check if a dongle is there, leave a small thing inside dongle. But be careful, a interpretation should be encrypted, if a dongle has an encryption engine it would be perfect.
The typical insurance is usually to check if a dongle is there. This insurance is unequivocally week. If we can engage a dongle in to a computation, it will give your unequivocally great effect. Some dongles have a computing engine, that can run a sure algorithm inside dongle, it would be improved choice.
Some dongle vendors suggest a small prepare books or pick spirit upon program protection, we competence impute to them, they have been veteran indeed.
Part 5. How to Choose Software Protection Dongles
There have been about twenty program dongle vendors all over a world. The large figure in this area is Aladdin ( http://www.Aladdin.com ). Since rainbow was acquired by safe-net, they mislaid a primary position. Well, how to select a dongle is an additional topic. We cannot contend a greatest businessman suggest a many appropriate product. The many appropriate product is a product that encounter your requirements.
In a following paragraph, we will plead upon how to select a dongle from opposite aspects.
Doubtless to say, cost is regularly a primary topic. We usually have have make make make use of of of of of a many renouned dongle vendors as an example. HASP is expensive, some-more than twenty USD level. Sentinel is similar, though 1 or 2 USD less. WIBU ( http://www.WIBU.com ) is roughly a same with Sentinel (http://www.SafeNet-Inc.com) . Eutron (http://www.Eutron.com) is 10-20 USD level, as great as identical with UniKey (http://www.eSecuTech.com). You can get a special suggest from dongle vendors if we have been a unequivocally volume customer.
There have been multiform sorts of dongle, LPT, PS/2, Serial, USB as great as even PCI cards. Based upon my experience, USB would be many appropriate selection, given 95% mechanism go along with USB ports.
Since program insurance is a pursuit need experience, we should know await is additionally a partial of product. Before we buy it, we should check if a await is unequivocally good. Try to get some-more idea from their await engineers. If we consider a await is not good, you’d improved find an pick to equivocate serve problems.
It is shown that many dongles have been constructed in China. But it seems that if a prolongation routine is tranquil underneath a improved management, a product is better. If it is underneath to bad management, a product is bad quality. It is endorsed to select an general brand, as great as be clever with a pristine Chinese code even they have been cheap.
The dongle duty can assistance we to exercise a program insurance schemes. The many elementary duty is to review as great as write. All a dongles have this function. If we wish to exercise some-more function, we should deliberate a await operative from program dongle vendor. If a dongle usually has read/write function, it is not a genuine dongle, it is usually a toy.
After we buy dongles as great as send dongles with your software, we will await a dongle for your customers. If we patron encounter any problem, we have to assistance them to difficulty fire a problem. The many usual complaint is “Dongle Not Found” problem, i.e. after patron implement a motorist as great as insert a dongle, a program still contend no dongle found. It is a headache for program dongle vendors. But it seems we find a improved resolution now,. Entron as great as UniKey yield supposed “Driverless” dongles, that need not implement a driver. It is an HID (human interface device), operative identical to mouse. This kind of dongles yield a improved resolution than normal dongles.
Part 5.Conclusion
In this elementary paper, we plead a supportive subject upon program protection, as great as an general outlook upon dongle protection. we usually wish to share my knowledge in this area with pick developers. Hope we can suffer it.