On Aug 22, 2005, at 5:54 AM, Olin Lathrop wrote:

>> That's exactly what is happening /now/ with closed source software.
>> I don't see a big advantage regarding this in closed source.
>
> But open source would make this substantially easier.  Certainly
>  the number of people that would have the skills to crack open
>  source is much greater than those that know how to crack
>  executable binaries.

bah.  Most software is "cracked" by people who google for "nanolimp
project crack" and follow the instructions.  Frequently it'll be a list
of published "license codes" that are supposed to come from the
fancy holographic label that's on the box your CD was in.  That
doesn't take much skill.  Having the would-be cracker need to install
a compiler and actually compile source would probably cut down on
cracked versions at least 80%.

(OTOH, the top-level cracker could compile a pre-cracked version
and distribute it through covert channels.  My impression is that
most illegally used software is copied from legitimate users and
used with un-owned license codes, rather than having been distributed
in cracked form.  I wonder what the actual statistics are like?)

BillW
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