Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!agate!garnet.berkeley.edu!bmug From: bmug@garnet.berkeley.edu (BMUG) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Moebius patch (deprotection) Message-ID: <24147@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> Date: 8 May 89 17:19:47 GMT References: <538@biar.UUCP> Sender: usenet@agate.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: University of California, Berkeley Lines: 39 In article <538@biar.UUCP> trebor@biar.UUCP (Robert J Woodhead) writes: (stuff deleted) > The main reason for the decline in copy protection is 1) the prevalence > of hard disks and 2) the decline in level of technical literacy in the > marketplace. I thought that the major reason for the decline in copy protection was the fact that any update of Apple System software and/or new versions of the ROMs would almost certainly break most forms of copy protection. Apple techsters have warned software publishers of this fact for years, and I guess the constant free upgrading and disk mailings to their installed base have persuaded many publishers that copy protection is just too damned expensive. Not to mention thousands of indignant phone calls to their tech support lines (and president's office) upon the release of new Systems or machines from Apple. > The sole purpose of the protection was to protect the program during the > critical first month of sales; literally, in the hopes that > people would buy it before they went to their next user group > meeting. Just to clear the air a little, most user groups (including BMUG) are *not* Tortugas for software pirates (Tortuga was the headquarters for several famous and infamous pirates during the 17th-18th century), but rather (again, like BMUG) do all they can to discourage piracy, cognizant of the fact that piracy only steals from software authors and makes it more difficult for quality products to come to market. More cogent arguments for this view are available in several articles in our newsletters; anyone interested in back issues of same can get in touch with us at the address or phone below. My apologies to any current residents of Tortuga... John Heckendorn /\ BMUG ARPA: bmug@garnet.berkeley.EDU A__A 1442A Walnut St., #62 BITNET: bmug@ucbgarnet |()| Berkeley, CA 94709 | | (415) 549-2684 | |