sure the
way is
on
different

Okay, so what do you do if some part of the machine (presumably the part  
on which the code number or whatever that the program has fixated itself  
upon goes bad, you replace that part, and now your program won't run  
because it's on a "different" computer???

This is, of course, assuming that the program uses something in ROM (like  
the BIOS serial number, maybe?) and not a disk-based code number.   
Obviously if the drive goes bad you'll be reinstalling the stuff anyway.

I work in a computer lab which is part of the university microlab system.   
We have the wonderfully fun task of maintaining well over a hundred  
machines, both PC and Macintosh, as well as administering a network of  
over 50 NeXT machines.  I personally am concerned only with a small lab  
with ten PC's and ten Mac's.  (I'm not the manager, but help him with  
admin often).  IMHO, copy-protection schemes of ANY sort are nothing more  
than a major headache for the legitimate user.  Anyone who wants a copy of  
your program and doesn't care about legality will get a copy.  Period.   
"Pirate board" or no pirate board.  I too have "friends" who blatantly and  
quite successfuly "hack" copy protection schemes practically in their  
sleep.

Let's consider what goes on in our lab.  Almost daily we have at least one  
machine down, sometimes several, due to some goofball screwing up some  
setting or other on a piece of software.  Admittedly, we (being students,  
mostly) are not the world's most efficient and effective network  
administrators, but we try.  Keeping even the twenty machines that are  
(partly) my responsibility even vaguely looking and "acting" similar to  
the average user, and maintaining "behind-the-scenes" consistency is a  
real headache, but not so bad a headache as trying to remember twenty  
different folder locations of Norton Utilities when some guy trashes his  
disk.

Often we have hardware problems at peak "business" times and have to do  
some parts-swapping to get stuff working temporarily. . . .

Well, I'll cut to the chase and quit boring y'all . . ..

The point is, often we have to re-install software and copy configuration  
files etc. from machine to machine.  By far the easiest way we have found  
to do this is to get ONE machine working EXACTLY the way we want to, then  
COPY the complete setup of this machine to the other nine (of that  
machine's type).  This ensures us that (for at least ten minutes) we have  
ten IDENTICAL machines to work with.  Having them networked simplifies  
this considerably, as our major packages (WordPerfect, Windows, etc.) are  
all network versions and thus only one copy to mess with.

Often, however, we need to install a package requested by some instructor  
to one, some, or all of the machines for a special project.  This is  
usually a hand-written or shareware,etc. program similar to what I believe  
the original poster was asking about.  The few we have had with "copy  
protection" schemes have caused nothing but NIGHTMARES for us to maintain  
 . .

In short, don't waste your time with a copy protection scheme.  It's sort  
of like outlawing guns.  The criminals will get your program anyway, and  
you will only be hurting the legitimate, honest user.  Write a good user's  
guide and tech manual, whatever else for your program (PLEASE do this  
REGARDLESS of whether you copy protect the thing!!!), and only distribute  
the manual to LICENSED users.  Jack the price to cut your losses, but  
please take a cue from the major companies (who can admittedly afford the  
costs of illegal copies far better than you) and don't burden the  
legitimate user with a "copy protection" scheme!


Sorry for the tirade, but it's been a long day here . . .. :-)


Mark S. Underwood
EE Student, University of Kentucky
Lab Assistant, Boyd Hall Microlab 
	(a tiny little division of UK Library Microlabs)
E-Mail:  msunde01@mik.uky.edu


