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From: tdn@cmu-cs-spice.ARPA (Thomas Newton)
Newsgroups: net.games,net.micro.apple
Subject: Re: Software Piracy
Message-ID: <324@cmu-cs-spice.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 28-Mar-85 23:50:06 EST
Article-I.D.: cmu-cs-s.324
Posted: Thu Mar 28 23:50:06 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 1-Apr-85 23:51:30 EST
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 53
Xref: watmath net.games:1779 net.micro.apple:1829

I agree that the sale of copy-protected disks should be outlawed.  I have both
an Apple Macintosh and a pair of Ataris (one 800, one 800XL).  One thing that
I like to do with software that I have purchased is to make a backup copy for
my daily use and put the original copy away.  On the Mac, it is fairly easy to
modify certain aspects of a program using the Resource Editor, and I sometimes
take advantage of this capability.  Needless to say, it isn't a very good idea
to experiment on original disks.

Most of the software that I have for my Atari is not copy-protected, with the
exception of two Electronics Arts games (Pinball Construction Set and Worms),
the Atari Macro-Assembler, and Atari Microsoft BASIC.  Atari Microsoft BASIC
has a lot of commands (TRS-80 Disk BASIC + some), but I don't use it often
since it leaves very little free memory.  I stopped using Pinball Construction
Set after I lost some of my DATA files by moving them from one disk to another
(the files probably contained absolute sector numbers or other such garbage).
A piece of software that is useful is the Atari Macro Assembler.  I removed
the copy-protection on my working copy using instructions that I found in old
info-atari archives, and now I don't need to worry about losing my original.
I also don't need to listen to the horrible crunching sound that the 810 drive
makes when it hits a bad sector (it sounds like the head is biting the dust).

I have bought exactly five copy-protected programs for my Mac:  Macintosh
Pascal, Seastalker, Hitchhiker's Guide, Microsoft WORD, and Sargon III.  I
only bought four of these programs because I had a reasonable expectation
of being able to circumvent the copy-protection.  This assumption turned
out to be true in three of the four cases; Hitchhiker's Guide has much better
protection than the other Infocom game.  I bought Macintosh Pascal despite
the copy-protection, but I now regret that decision.  (Macintosh Pascal has
the most nasty copy-protection scheme of which I have ever heard, other than
the "Killer Prolok" scheme which will actually try to damage your computer).

Recently, I faced the choice of which C compiler to buy for my Mac.  There are
basically three that seem to be worth considering:  Aztec C, Consular C, and
Megamax C.  Aztec C is copy-protected, Consular C is copy-protected (but you
can get an unprotected version for $25 more), and Megamax C is not protected.
Guess which one I bought.  I am now the owner of a copy of Megamax C version
2.0, and my checking account is $188 poorer.  (If I had paid list price, it
would have been $299 poorer, but the Computer Store gets stuff at a discount).

And finally, before anyone flames me to say that "it's fine to advocate an
end to copy-protection, but you're not getting hurt":  I did write a couple
of programs for the Atari 400/800 which were sold through the Atari Program
Exchange (now defunct).  Neither one was copy-protected, and both came with
source code.  (I wasn't the only person to follow this practice; one of the
nice things about the Atari 800 is that you can get full source listings of
the entire operating system, disk operating system, and BASIC.  Compared to
the "operating system" on many other low-cost computers, the Atari 400/800
operating system is very comprehensive).  I don't think it's right to screw
the people who purchase your program, even if it would make a pirate's life
somewhat harder.

                                        -- Thomas Newton
                                           Thomas.Newton@cmu-cs-spice.ARPA