software protection

[babyjesus]

so after reading a lot of threads, there's some really intelligent people here. I'm starting an online small programming firm with some friends. problem is software cracking these days, i've heard of exe encrypters, hd serials, volume serials, etc.

my question is to the pros or someone very experienced with software security. what is the best way to protect your app? thanks

[Hack]

Moved To General Developer

[DeanMc]

Provide none. People will crack an share it regardless. Have no license keys no install limit no connection to web to verify. The only limit you should have is if you change something that causes you to bring out a major version they have to pay for the newer version other than that copy protection is a waste of time and usually hurts business.

[babyjesus]

anyone else have a more positive feedback? dean, i see what ur saying, but having protection is better than having no protection at all. that's why i made this thread, to get a wideview of advice

[DeanMc]

Not necesseraily. Using software protection for shrink wrap style products is like using jelly for your car doors, its an annoyance to use and offers no protection overall as it is easy to eliminate.

On the other side you have specialised software built for specific companies or sectors, protection is a waste of time here, what you want is a solid liscence agreement as to the terms of use and make sure it is signed as that is the only protection that holds up in court.

But hey that is just my feeling on the situation Im sure there are plenty of other opinions.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Fortunately, I only write internal apps and hobby apps that I give away. However, after reading through many of these, it appears that your options are these:

1) Spend lots of money to prevent that portion of cracking that you can.
2) Create programs that nobody will bother cracking.

The problem with option #1 is that everything can be cracked, and once it has been cracked, if it has wide general appeal, it will be available to anybody who wants to steal it. If it is software that is to be used in some sector of business, and has no appeal beyond that sector, you can generally get away with no protection as businesses will generally pay a price for a product rather than stealing it.

If the software is something that appeals to a large segment of the population, especially the younger set, then you can count on theft eventually dominating the distribution. This won't happen if the software uses a service that is available over the web (nobody has stolen Google, because there's nothing tangible to steal). Otherwise, the solution that appears most viable is one where new versions can be released periodically. In that case, older versions might be made available for free on the principle that:

1) They are already available for free to those with lax ethics.
2) They act as chum for the newest version.

[Lord Orwell]

a fine example of this: The game prototype went on sale yesterday. It was on bittorrent with a crack a couple of hours later. Are you as good a programmer as these guys? Not even microsoft can stop it.

Basically if your program is worth cracking, it will be cracked. So if you are going to go with some kind of protection, make it simple. It's easier to use and stops the casual people.

[penagate]

I agree with Dean.

Boxed software, if it is worth cracking, is just about always cracked.

If you are just starting out and haven't done any work yet, I advise you to concentrate on providing specific solutions. Something that's tailored for one client isn't likely to be worth much to anyone else and thus you avoid this problem altogether.