Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!samsung!munnari.oz.au!comp.vuw.ac.nz!actrix!kennels!sbeagle From: sbeagle@kennels.actrix.gen.nz (Sleeping Beagle) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Dongles to defeat piracy Message-ID: Date: 22 Dec 90 13:44:12 GMT References: <49025@sequent.UUCP> Organization: Orb Systems Unlimited, NZ Lines: 30 cseaman@sequent.UUCP (Chris "The Bartman" Seaman) writes: > > joystick port. Basically you had to have the dongle before you COULD play > > the game! (It's a pity that the game was a flop... :-) > > An interactively used dongle may well defeat most pirates, but it will > also (I suspect) defeat quite a number of sales. I decided long ago > that I would never buy any piece of software, be it productivity or > entertainment, which required the use of a dongle. I don't care what > the relative merits of the software are, the existence of a dongle is > the ultimate in inconvenience and insult to me as a user. > A dongle - sort of. But would you be prepared to play a game which came with a basic voice input device so you could shout out "Fire Missile" when chasing a Mig? A really simple device along these lines might add $10-$20 to the price of the game but could improve it a lot - and be very very hard to pirate. There are other devices you could have along these lines too. They wouldn't really be dongles in the true sense of the word, they would just be hardware enhancements to the game. And it has to be a darn sight better than blasted code wheels and disk crunching protection.... -- ** Official Signature for Sleeping Beagle (aka Thomas Farmer)! ** sbeagle@kennels.actrix.gen.nz || Disclaimers are for sick societies ** Thomas.Farmer@bbs.actrix.gen.nz || with too many lawyers.