Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ncrlnk!ncrcae!hubcap!gatech!ncar!ames!pasteur!agate!e260-1c.berkeley.edu!c60a-2di
From: c60a-2di@e260-1c.berkeley.edu (The Cybermat Rider)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Software Development And Piracy
Summary: Misc. comments
Message-ID: <18506@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 21 Dec 88 02:20:50 GMT
References: <555@icus.islp.ny.us> <12296@cup.portal.com> <2433@ssc-vax.UUCP> <225@hsi86.hsi.UUCP>
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In article <225@hsi86.hsi.UUCP> derek@hsi86.UUCP (Derek Lee-Wo) writes:
>In article <2433@ssc-vax.UUCP> eder@ssc-vax.UUCP (Dani Eder) writes:
>>When program runs, it displays credit card number as part
>>of startup.
>>Now if purchaser gives a copy away, he is also giving away
>>his credit card number.
>>
>The only draw-back is that not all software buyers have credit cards. What
>would happen to that 13 year old who wants to buy the latest game for his
>computer??. He could ask his parents to buy it for him, but if he did give a
>copy to his friend, his parents credit card number would be displayed. We
>wouldn't want that, would we??.

Well, the PARENTS wouldn't want that, so it's up to THEM to educate their
youngster on the ethics of software purchase & distribution.

Personally, I think this is a pretty good way of "protecting" software.  For
one thing, it helps ensure that (to a certain extent) money is not wasted on
frivolous software (I'm assuming, of course, that if you're old enuf to have
a credit card, you're also mature enough to realize the value of money).  If
your parents have to finance the purchase, you'd BETTER be able to convince
them that it's worth it.

Of course, I can easily visualize a dedicated pirate defeating even THIS
protection scheme........

>
>-- 
>+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
>|Derek Lee-Wo, Health Systems International, New Haven, CT 06511.             |
>|E-mail address :- ...!harvard!yale!hsi!derek.                                |
>+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adrian Ho a.k.a. The Cybermat Rider	  University of California, Berkeley
c60a-2di@web.berkeley.edu
Disclaimer:  Nobody takes me seriously, so is it really necessary?