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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 10:09 am
by PB
> Uhmm... i of course have worried about protection and found out the
> best way is to have some kind of online verification

So what happens when my modem dies or I can't afford my net connection
anymore? The app wouldn't be able to be used. I'd never pay for an app
that did that.

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 10:35 am
by thefool
im pretty sure he only means that it shall be done first time.

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 12:07 pm
by Num3
Yeah... The idea is nice, but look at Half Life 2 problems...

Hundreds of registered users complained because the servers got so filled up they coundn't register the game, others just because they didn't have an internet to register the game to start playing!

Same thing with microsoft....

My idea would go for this:

Create your own installer, that requires a unscramble (one way only) key to install your program, and the installer constains 3 versions, the unregistered, the registered and the black list fucked up executable.

If the key is black listed, just unpack the fucked up version, if no key, the demo version, if the unscranble is sucessful the working executble!

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 1:28 pm
by thefool
blacklists can be avoided by crackers. but otherwise its a nice idea!

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 2:02 pm
by DoubleDutch
keygens aside, the RankSpirit website and program look great!

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 2:13 pm
by thefool
yeah it does.

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 2:33 pm
by Tommeh
No, it would do it every time, maybe more than once after its started

The point is you CAN'T put that kind of verification in an offline app as i said it would be labeled as spyware, you can put it in an app that needs to be online eg, a server of some kind. If your modem dies then the app is useless anyway ;)

Also think about it, if it only does it once, then your back to square 1, you have to store the information somewhere and if that happends people are going to change it, or give it out to people :-)

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 3:53 pm
by thefool
but still: that information doesnt mean too much. you can jump over the check!

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 5:23 pm
by DoubleDutch
Regular updates with server contact on major updates - change key method each major change, that way people see that its worth buying rather than waiting for cracks each time. Have multiple checks...

Also if you have 2 or more seperate applications, have each check the other ;) Auto delete if an invalid exe found...

Thats what I'm building in into SpyMon & Voodoo, soon if one detects a modified version of the other - it will delete it!

It would be good if there was a data command in PureBasic that would auto xor encrypt strings.... I will suggest it.

-Anthony

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 5:51 pm
by Pupil
DoubleDutch wrote:Also if you have 2 or more seperate applications, have each check the other ;) Auto delete if an invalid exe found...

Thats what I'm building in into SpyMon & Voodoo, soon if one detects a modified version of the other - it will delete it!
I would advice you to not go the delete-road, as there possible are some legal issues in some countries that may work against you if you're unlucky..

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 6:21 pm
by thefool
as long as it only deletes the exe isnt that legal?

or else just overwrite some bytes with 0h!

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 6:47 pm
by Pupil
thefool wrote:as long as it only deletes the exe isnt that legal?

or else just overwrite some bytes with 0h!
I can't really tell if it's legal or not, as i'm not qualified to say for certain that it's one way or another. However, what i'm certain off is that i wouldn't implement something like this because i just know it'll come around and bite me in the ass one day..

Say for instance that someone uses an exe packer on the exe, next time he uses the second program it erases the first program, who wouldn't be mad at something like that!

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 7:24 pm
by thefool
thats true.. maybe just a simple messagebox would be better?

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 10:28 pm
by DoubleDutch
or set a flag in the registry for the 1st "cracked" program to see...

that may be a better idea.

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 10:45 pm
by thefool
hm yeah..

i would, however try to change some bytes in the program that has been changed, some bytes that it checks itself. And set the registry key too! that way there is 2 things the cracker has to do to make it work again.