Re: New Copy Protection Methods?

[e p chandler <epc8@juno.com>]

On Sep 22, 2:44 pm, dog_...@macgui.com (D. Finnigan) wrote:
> I was wondering this morning if anyone had come up with any novel copy-protection
> methods, or if perhaps it's too perverse a topic in this day and age.
>
> An amusing one I had thought of would be to have every even track number be
> 13 sector, and every odd track number be 16 sector. Perhaps this has been done
> already?
>
> Anyway, it might lead to some interesting theoretical discussion, though I should hope
> that no one starts distributing new Apple II programs as copy-protected. :-0

ICK. IMO the only purpose of copy protection on a floppy disk system
is to make un-reliable software even more un-reliable. Not only does
it interfere with legitimate uses of the software, but floppy disks do
wear out, get damaged, eaten by the dog, run through the microwave,
etc.

The protection schemes of the past were perverse enough, given that
the Disk 2 is almost completely controlled in software, subject to the
contstraints of the GCR erncoding scheme.

I have heard of some nasty schemes. One used spiral tracking, moving
the head in by quarter tracks as the disk revolved.

But all copy protection schemes can be broken. In the old days,
pirates had access to all sorts of specialized hardware for
interrupting the boot process, taking snapshots of memory, etc.

The whole silly process reminds me of the Prohias cartoons that ran in
MAD magazine - "Spy vs. Spy".

--- e