Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!munnari.oz.au!kaukau.comp.vuw.ac.nz!comp.vuw.ac.nz!dsiramd!actrix!clear
From: clear@actrix.co.nz (Charlie Lear)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Caught in the act of piracy
Message-ID: <1990Mar3.022029.21865@actrix.co.nz>
Date: 3 Mar 90 02:20:29 GMT
References: <1990Feb28.003201.10614@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> <1088@philmtl.philips.ca> <1990Mar1.143510.5584@phri.nyu.edu>
Reply-To: clear@actrix.co.nz (Charlie Lear)
Organization: Actrix Public Access UNIX, Wellington, New Zealand
Lines: 28

In article <1990Mar1.84@phri.nyu.edu> roy@phri.nyu.edu (Roy Smith) writes:
>	So lets assume that it is within the realm of technical possibility
>that such a thing could be done.  Are there actually companies that do that!?

The Australian company who produces the D'Bridge Fidonet enhancement
software for BBS's does just that.  You run the package's registration
option, and it dials the Australian support BBS, logs in, and sends a
packet of information you provided it with when you installed the
software.

D'Bridge BBS sends a temporary registration number, valid for a month,
to allow setup and testing of the Fidonet links.  This enables various
extra features required to xmit and rx files, but as stated self
destructs in a month unless you make a further call with your credit
card number handy to fully register the software.

I think it is an excellent system, for this type of product, as anyone
using it just HAS to have a modem and phone line.  I don't see it being
applicable to a non-communications environment - how can you be sure
someone running the package has a modem or is on some sort of net?  You
can't - unless your program is specifically designed to communicate with
other computers as its main application.   

-- 
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