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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!eagle!mhuxl!houxm!houxy!stekas
From: stekas@houxy.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: Software Piracy and Coupons
Message-ID: <161@houxy.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 11-Nov-83 15:26:30 EST
Article-I.D.: houxy.161
Posted: Fri Nov 11 15:26:30 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 13-Nov-83 06:04:39 EST
References: <3732@duke.UUCP>, <207@pyuxss.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 14

Has it really been established that the new copy protection
techniques rely on "soft-bit"?  Couldn't the "bad sectors"
be generated simply by writing a CRC value which is inconsistent
with the data?  I don't know of any vanilla flavored floppy
controllers which could write such "bad sectors" intentionally.

It seems that there are better and easier techniques for writing
bad sectors in ways which stock controllers couldn't duplicate than
by writing data so "soft" that they vary from read to read.

Does anyone know for sure?  Are "soft bits" a rumor or a fact.


                                Jim