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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!ucsfcca!dick
From: dick@ucsfcca.UUCP (Dick Karpinski)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: copy protection
Message-ID: <428@ucsfcca.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 4-Dec-85 14:40:24 EST
Article-I.D.: ucsfcca.428
Posted: Wed Dec  4 14:40:24 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 7-Dec-85 03:22:23 EST
References: <1204@jhunix.UUCP> <763@bbnccv.UUCP> <11016@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Reply-To: dick@ucsfcca.UUCP (Dick Karpinski)
Distribution: net
Organization: UCSF Computer Center
Lines: 19
Keywords: Copy protection and lab use
Summary: Unreproduceable sigularity is enough

In article <1009@security.UUCP> jkm@security.UUCP (Jonathan K.Millen) writes:
>REALLY ideal scheme should identify the purchaser rather than the
>machine.  The software should freeze on the buyer's fingerprint, or
>some other personal characteristic which (unlike a password) can't be
>given away.  I wish I could think of a way to do that.
>
That is the point of the $5-15 dongle, a piece of hardware attached
to the computer in some innocuous way (as a pass thru rs232 port?)
which acts as a singular, non-reproduceable key.  If it is a micro
chip with one subroutine in its rom, then it will be hard to cheat.
But you can move it to the office/home/replacement computer easily.

Dick

-- 
Dick Karpinski    Manager of Unix Services, UCSF Computer Center
UUCP: ...!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!cca.ucsf!dick   (415) 666-4529 (12-7)
BITNET: dick@ucsfcca   Compuserve: 70215,1277  Telemail: RKarpinski
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