Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!ames!elroy!cit-vax!lim
From: lim@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu (Kian-Tat Lim)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Copy protection etc
Message-ID: <5520@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Date: 22 Feb 88 11:18:43 GMT
References: <10332@mimsy.UUCP> <2239@zaphod.UUCP>
Reply-To: lim@cit-vax.UUCP (Kian-Tat Lim)
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Lines: 34

In article <2239@zaphod.UUCP> dkatz@zaphod.UUCP (Dave Katz) writes:
>    +----------------------------------------------------------------+
>    |                                                                |
>    |   If a software protection scheme existed that produced        |
>    |   no hardships to the honest user and only acted to prevent    |
>    |   people from obtaining the software by means other than       |
>    |   purchasing it, would you support that form of software       |
>    |   protection?                                                  |
>    |                                                                |
>    +----------------------------------------------------------------+

YES.  *BUT* there are some interpretation questions:

1.  No hardships to the honest user should include the ability to see the
    software in action before purchase, either through a demo version, or at a
    dealer, or otherwise.  It is a hardship to have to purchase expensive
    (to me, a student, expensive is > $10) software without any guarantees that
    it will fulfill the need I have for it.

2.  "No hardships" means *NO* (zero, nada, zilch) hardships (within reason).
    If a system error steps on the executable, it shouldn't decide that I'm a
    career pirate and eat my hard disk.  I should be able to back up my
    program in any way I choose, and retain the ability to restore it in a
    fully functional form without having to write or call the company for
    another original copy.  The program should remain easy to use (ruling out
    "protection" schemes in which the program is incomprehensible without the
    800 page manual).

I think that satisfying these two requirements (especially the latter) will be
extremely difficult.  The only practical way of achieving this idealistic goal
is, at least currently, to provide excellent service to registered users only,
with no other copy protection.

-- Kian-Tat Lim (ktl@wagvax.caltech.edu, GEnie: K.LIM1)