Hi Dwayne,

Take a look at how Richard from Imagecraft has done it with a keycode.

John Dammeyer


Automation Artisans Inc.
http://www.autoartisans.com
Ph. 1 250 544 4950


> -----Original Message-----
> From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu 
> [mailto:piclist-bounces@mit.edu] On Behalf Of Dwayne Reid
> Sent: Monday, March 26, 2007 12:13 PM
> To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public.
> Subject: Re: [EE] shareware / software copy protection
> 
> 
> At 05:05 AM 3/26/2007, Victor Fraenckel wrote:
> 
> >http://www.cnczone.com/forums/index.php
> >
> >and see if there is not S/W available that basically does 
> what the OP's
> >does.
> 
> I haven't spent much time there but one of my co-workers has - both 
> there and elsewhere.
> 
> Its why we wound up developing this in the first place - it seems 
> that the only good isolation path G-code tools were part of the 
> expensive machines (T-Tech, LKPF) and not available elsewhere.
> 
> However, we are not adverse to finding something else.  I'll 
> continue looking.
> 
> Our situation is this: we have a toolchain that allows us to process 
> the output from our CAD system into a form that allows us to use a 
> small CNC mill to make simple prototype circuit boards.  Part of that 
> toolchain is software that we wrote because we couldn't find anything 
> to do that job.
> 
> I'd be content to just keep this in-house.  It serves our needs.
> 
> However, I spend a fair amount of time on mailing lists where it 
> seems that many people are having difficulty in coming up with a 
> similar toolchain.
> 
> So: my thought was to have our software guy spend a significant 
> amount of time in putting the software into a form that others can 
> easily use.  We don't need to do this if we just keep this as 
> in-house process.  Its clunky and darn-right user-unfriendly but it 
> gets the job done.
> 
> So: if I want to let this out for others to use, it has to be 
> polished up and whatever little niggles that currently exist need to 
> weeded out.  That costs money - that person could be / should be 
> working on other paying projects.  We would want to recover at least 
> a portion of those costs.
> 
> Here's where what I call "copy protection" comes in.
> 
> If we do release this to the public, I would want to do so in such a 
> way that each copy the software is tied to person who purchased it.
> 
> I'm thinking of something like how Steve Gibson (GRC) has dealt with 
> Spinrite: each copy of the software is custom-compiled with 
> personally identifying information for its purchaser.
> 
> Someone mentioned the model I'm thinking of: "Guiltyware".  Sort of: 
> "Shame on you if you stole this".
> 
> This has been an interesting discussion.  I've certainly been exposed 
> to ideas that I had not considered and I am grateful for all of the 
> comments.  Keep them coming <grin>.
> 
> dwayne
> 
> -- 
> Dwayne Reid   <dwayner@planet.eon.net>
> Trinity Electronics Systems Ltd    Edmonton, AB, CANADA
> (780) 489-3199 voice          (780) 487-6397 fax
> 
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