distributing a license with PDA

[steve_rm]

Hello,

VS 2005
WM 5.0 & WM 6.0

I am creating some software and don't want the software to be installed on any other PDA devices.

I can give it to the customer, but how can I avoid the customer from installing it on other PDAs.

I think I need to create some license so that the setup I give them will not be able to install if it has already been installed on another PDA.

Which is the best practice when it comes to distributing software and to avoid the customer from installing on many PDA?

The customer will have to buy 1 license for each PDA they want the software installed on. However, the customer could easily pay for 1 license and install on many. This is what I am trying to avoid.

Many thanks for any advice,

Steve

[petevick]

You could ask for the serial number of the device, and provide a code that works off the serial number, although people get seriously p*ssed off when they come to change device and the s/ware no longer works. Ask disgruntled TomTom users who change machines and have to provide everything excepting a blood sample to move the software

The other way is tie it to the name of the pocket pc, so provided the name is the same, the s/ware will work.

So, get the name of the device, or the serial number, and hash it up somehow to come up with a serial number. Verify that on 1st run, and stash it away.

At the end of the day, if the crackers decide your s/ware is worth cracking, they will crack it no matter what you do.

My 2 cents worth

[brad jones]

I wanted to also comment that the idea of 'locked' installs has kind of become out dated and frowned upon. As petevick stated, what happens if your user gets a new PDA?

People are either going to honor your license and pay for your software or they aren't. Most respectable companies will pay the licensing fees required if they use your software because they don't want to risk the liability of violating a license. Many individuals won't honor a license, either because they won't feel they will use the software enough, or because they just don't care.

If you put copy protection on your software, you are going to make it hard for companies to roll out the software. This could thus cause many to not bother. You are going to also prevent indivduals from installing it as well due to your protection.

The end result is that while some people might abuse your licensing, the overall net should be more paid for licenses.

One thing you can do is to create a registration key. If you provide support for your software, then by having a registration key with each copy you send, you can verify that no more than one person is asking for help on the same copy you sold.

Just some thoughts....

Brad!