Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!cbmvax!grr
From: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: About Software Piracy!
Message-ID: <3072@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 4 Jan 88 06:50:09 GMT
References: <2258@crash.cts.com>
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 44

In article <2258@crash.cts.com> haitex@pnet01.cts.com (Wade Bickel) writes:
> 
>         Why has't some provision to protect software been included in
>       the hardware?  Does C= think protectable software would hurt the
>       Amiga in some way?

Ok, you're on...

What precisely is it that we should be doing in the hardware?

Remember:

1) The software has to somehow interact with the hardware "protection"
   and the crackers can bypass that check as easily as any other.

2) The hardware serialization scheme has drawbacks in that either it's
   too easy to change the serial, or too hard wherein you get scewed if
   you change machines.

3) The consumer software licences are generally oriented towards a user
   and his machine, not some specific machine.

4) Most software vendors/distributors aren't willing to undergo the expense
   of diskette serialization/encryption or any scheme whereby the consumer
   must call in with the serial number and receive a key.

5) No matter how detailed and devious the protection, the benefit lasts
   only until a cracked, unprotected version starts doing the rounds.

Please, there are no simple solutions to the copy protection/piracy issues
or you could be sure that IBM would have implemented them on the PS/2 series.
There is an underlying social problem in that significant percentage of
computer users do not respect the software provider's view of value and
intellectual property.  Unless you can provide some adjustment of this
situation you are stuck with various accommodations and stategems.

BTW, I've arrived at the conclusion, that by reimplementing the Amiga and
omitting RAM and using cheap, read-only disk drives, the virus problem
can be eliminated and all Amiga owners will be safe and content ever-after!

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,	uucp: {uunet|ihnp4|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: cbmvax!grr@uunet.uu.net
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)