Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!lll-tis!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!BU-CS.BU.EDU!bzs
From: bzs@BU-CS.BU.EDU (Barry Shein)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Exchanging serial numbers
Message-ID: <8803011911.AA01004@bu-cs.bu.edu>
Date: 1 Mar 88 19:11:57 GMT
References: <8802281501.AA06953@wb6rqn.UUCP>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 28


>The intention behind exchanging serial numbers is very simple: to keep
>the software from being useful if it is copied.  It protects by
>preventing an operator from gaining an advantage from the copy while the
>original is still running.  In this way it is definitely a form of copy
>protection.  The intention is to provide a scheme that will help protect
>our software in a manner that is totally transparent to the user.

>Now I will ask my original question again.  Will the appearance of a
>strange option in the TCP header cause a problem for other
>implementations of TCP?

>Brian Lloyd, President
>Sirius Systems, Inc.

What I don't understand is given as you feel so comfortable with the
idea of imposing various copy protection schemes to ensure maximizing
profits etc (or your prediction that it will maximize profits, whether
it will make your software fundamentally undesireable is argueable)
why do you expect free advice to further your profits on this network?

To respond in kind, many of us charge good money for consultations to
provide the information you desire, I suggest you change your request
to a help-wanted ad and put it somewhere appropriate. If it's not
worth anything to you it's surely not worth anything to us.

Check. Your move.

	-Barry Shein, Boston University