Re: a2 dead? read this.

[Chad Choi Lin <chadlin@nyetcom.com>]

tws wrote:

> This message is to *everyone* who reads this group.

[snip]
 
> FACE IT.....copying of older, unavailable software HURTS NOONE!........  It is
> against the law, but nobody is LOSING MONEY..

Couldn't agree more with you about that. There's no point in obeying the
law if it becomes immoral or irrevelant.

> So, why not keep your eye out for people *Pirating* software that Matters
> **TODAY**??
> 
> Also, there are certain things that can be done to software to PREVENT it from
> being illegaly copied.  You can program serial numbers into software, you can
> program self destruct code into software, to make it destroy itself if it is not
> legitimate.
> 
> This would do *alot* more (actually, it would be solving the problem, instead of
> talking/bitching about the problem)
> 
> If a new title is to be released, Code the software to erase itself it is used on
> a "non-authorized" computer.  Include code in the Installer program to erase the
> program from the original disk once installed.
> 
> So, you now have a Software that is on your computer legitimately.  You no longer
> have a disk to restore from if your Hard drive crashes.
> 
> Good thing you have Serial numbers, receipts.  You can call the company and have
> them send you a new copy!
> 
> There's also Passwords which can be programmed into software.  All of these things
> are inconveinient for Software developers, I realize.  But:
> 
> 1) It actually SOLVES the problem (or at least, it is a legitimate attempt to)
> 2) Programming protection is ALOT better than having to deal with piracy.

Sorry, but I have to disagree with you on that point. Copy protection
schemes, in my experience, are not a Good Thing for two reasons:

1)   There is no such thing as a pirate-proof software lock

     Any disk trick or software scheme that one programmer cooks up,
another programmer can figure out and circumvent. Case in point: the
flight simulator F-15 Eagle not only came in a special disk format (to
thwart a simply copy program), it also included verification numbers
called "authentication codes" in the user's manual which had to be
entered when running the game program (to prevent pirates from using the
program). Upon loading and executing F-15 Eagle, the user would be asked
to enter a randomly selected code from a set of sixteen or so
possibilities (numbered 0 to 15, I believe), which had to be looked up
in the manual. Clever, no?
     No, not clever enough. The Black Bag eventually cracked the scheme
by defeating the non-standard disk format *and* patching the game code
to include an opening title page listing ALL the authentication codes!
The lesson to be learned is that any lock can be broken, all barriers
can be surpassed.

2)   Copy protection inconveniences the honest user

     I can personally vouch for the validity of this point. I have
original copies of Lode Runner, Karateka, Prince of Persia, and Where In
The World Is Carmen Sandiego? -- all of which I acquired *legitimately*
from Broderbund itself (via mail order, shortly before they dropped
their Apple II software lineup altogether). To be sure, they still work
fine.... BUT their copy protection prevents me from making backup
copies. So if an accident should happen (5.25-inch floppies aren't very
hard to mess up) or if the programs eventually succumb to "software rot"
(believe me, it really happens) I won't have an emergency disk to fall
back on, a backup copy which *Apple Computer itself* told me I should
make of each program disk. Why should I have to worry about losing the
use of software I came by honestly, just because the developer wanted to
frustrate a few pirates?
     As the Jargon File (aka "The Hacker's Dictionary") aptly describes
it --

COPY PROTECTION  n.  A class of methods for preventing incompetent
pirates from stealing software and legitimate customers from using it.
Considered silly.

Part of the reason why software piracy was (and perhaps remains) a hot
topic for the Apple community is that the Apple II was a favorite of
hackers -- computer enthusiasts who thrive on the free flow of
information and the sharing of knowledge. And let us not forget that the
Apple computer has its roots in the hacker community: Steve Wozniak was
something of a wunderkind of hackers, and devised the hardware for the
Apple I and II with the help and moral support of the Homebrew Computer
Club, a hotbed of hackers and computer engineering industry insiders.
You can read a stimulating account of those heady days (including the
story of Bill Gates and Tiny BASIC, which I summarized in an earlier
post) in Steven Levy's book, "Hackers."

-- 
Peace, Love, and Apple II Forever!
Chad Choi Lin
chadlin@nyetcom.com

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