Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!cbmvax!cbmehq!cbmdeo!icoast!hbrinch From: hbrinch@icoast.UUCP (Henrik Brinch) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer Subject: Mike Farren tutorial Message-ID: <18e6fcda.ARN0f18@icoast.UUCP> Date: 29 Mar 91 12:06:34 GMT Reply-To: hbrinch@icoast.UUCP Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.programmer Organization: InfoCoast Technologies Lines: 77 I'm getting fet up with these discussions about which language is best, how to make the program best etc. Some applications IS best for assembler and others would be insane to program in it! The fact is what the individual programmer likes best, a high-performance program with a long development time contra the not-so-high-performance program with a short development time! Some times it is also VERY clever to mix ie. C with ASM / ASM with C! If the individual programmer doesn't want to make use of the systems libraries then it is his choice, _BUT_ he MUST follow the Commodore directions for legal code! That is the major problem with all hardware- hackers, using processor pause's and sometimes priviliged instructions etc. which only will work on one type of processor. About harddisk installable games, you have to consider the PIRACY problem it might be hard for you american people to see the problem, but for the european people this is a HUGE problem. The european people has ABSOLUTELY _NO_ respect for copyright on computer software (lack of moral!). What can be done to prevent this - Well, PROTECTION is the only answer (lower prices is just a bad excuse!). How can this protection be done? By disk protection or password protection, what will you prefer? I say neither of them... but you have to choose. Disk protection is harder to remove and the only disadvantge is that it can't be installed on harddisk, where a password protection will annoy you EVERY time you use the program. The choice is yours! Another way is to register the users of the program, but that's not a very safe solution. From the user's point of view protection is really a pain in the *ss but from the publisher/programmer there's no other way around it to survive in this hard business. For example look at "Dragon's Lair" it sold app. 60,000 copies...why? Because it took the crackers 3 months to make a copy! My point of view is : Games are not for hd's, BUT all other utilities are harddisk stuff and MUST be installable. Games usually kills the system (99.9%) so the programmers can use 500K instead of 300K which again means better games. When killing the system how would you access a harddisk? Using scsi.device? hahaha Forget about that. All programs should be made keeping the system alive, again meaning that it shouldn't be any problem to install it on harddrives. I've made a commercial program myself, even WITHOUT protection, but that program is in the educational part so the piracy problem isn't a problem. The real problem is the block-busters which will be pirated and the publisher/programmer will claim that they've lost several thousands of dollars.... is this true? The people who pirate will they ever buy an original? Perhaps not, and as I stated earlier the high software prices is just a bad excuse, on the other hand if the prices is the problem why even bother to buy a computer when you can't afford the software? (BTW: In the reviews of my program, it was mentioned as a plus that there wasn't any protection at all.... who knows maybe all the fun in copying a non-protected program is gone, it's always funnier doing what's illegal (common knowledge?)). SOLUTION???? The software companies could make somekind of keydisk system where you have to have inserted the original disk in the drive. Face the facts : The world will always be full of pirates, and ALWAYS full of protections you'll just have to live with them or boykot those programs with protections. I don't like reading about other programmers claiming to be the best, "oh I've been xx years in business, with xx titles on the market" BVADR safe us for that kind of crap and try to argument as adults instead! I do hope this discussion is soon out of life! Flame me if you want because I just loooove to be flamed! ;-) Sincerely, InfoCoast /\ /\_ Henrik Brinch \ cbmehq!cbmdeo!icoast!hbrinch Technologies /\/ \/ \ Kloevervej 7 \ FidoNet 2:230/112.3 ____________/ \ / \ 2800 Lyngby \ Voice/Fax tel.# +45 42 87 67 23 / \/ \ Denmark \ "C is SILVER - But ASM is GOLD"