[DXBase] Thinking outloud/Food for thought

[Wes (N7WS) and Linda]

At 06:11 PM 11/26/2002 -0600, Joe Glockner wrote:
>Jack,

I'm sorry, but I cannot let this pass without comment.

>
>I saw Courtney's earlier post that mentioned the software piracy of
>DXbase issue.  It really burns my xxx that we have thieves out there and
>while I know it's costly to prosecute, I think you ought to go after
>anyone once you have the evidence needed.  I've heard of some attorney's
(sic)
>who will do this pro-bono as well.  Think they are funded by the
>Software Piracy Association.
>
>Anyway, if it were my business, I would take whatever steps you can to
>help reduce this.  It occurs to me that as long as you distribute the
>software on disks or CDs, that the thieves are going to steal it.  So
>seems to me that as a first step, you gotta stop sending it out on CD. 
>There are some pretty good encryption packages out there that allow
>people to download and install from the web.  I know some of them have
>been cracked, but usually they got cracked because the encryption wasn't
>implemented as well as it could have been.  They usually come in two
>flavors:

Why on Earth is it to be assumed that everyone who will use this (or other)
programs will have Internet access (apparently with a dedicated T1 line
too).  Nothing frosts me like buying some software package or another that
was rushed into delivery before it is ready where I am expected to download
20 mbytes of "late release improvements" using my 28.8K dial-up connection.

For example, the widow of a silent key friend recently called upon me for
help because she had picked up a virus (thanks Outlook Express) and had
naively gone to Office Max and bought McAfee Anti-virus.  I installed the
program and then spend over four hours downloading "updates" for this POS.
Without my (or some else's) help she *never* would have got this running.

Vendors should not assume that everyone has a 10GHz Pentium 27 with 48 Gb
of memory and a wide-screen high definition 48 in. flat screen monitor and
a full-time satellite Internet connection.

>
>1.  User can download and install but it will only run on the machine
>that they install it to.  Much like Microsoft XP where it is tied to
>hardware and that's that.  If user changes major hardware, then they
>gotta re-register. 

Do this and you've already sold me my last upgrade of DXbase.

>Perhaps you could allow a user to run on up to two
>machines for one fee, and an additional fee for more than two machines.
>Just because someone owns 71 machines doesn't mean they gotta run DXbase
>on each one of them... hihi...

I have a desktop in my home office where I do my QSLing and a laptop in my
cramped shack where I do my logging and I'm thinking about another one for
my travel trailer.  I should have to buy multiple copies?  There is just
one of me running the computers and radio.  If I buy a book at Barnes and
Noble I can read it then hand it to my wife so she can read it too.  Should
I have to get B&N's approval to do this?  (Yeah I know the publishers are
working on ways to correct this "flaw" and Poindexter will have real time
knowledge of what page I'm reading but that's another issue.)

>
>2.  User can download crippled version and must get a key from you to
>unlock all the features.  This helps some, but then somebody could just
>give the key away to their buddies and your back to having the thieves
>steal your work.
>
>In either of these cases, users can download it as often as they want
>without additional charge as long as they are registered.
>
>There may be some good reason for objecting to either of the above, but
>I can't think of any unless you are the pirate trying to insure that you
>can continue to pirate somebody else's work.  Again, if it was me, I'd
>go with option 1 and let the thieves start spending their money for
>DXbase or else go steal someone else's product.

Well, I object and I'm a paying customer.  

>
>Just my two cents worth of opinion.
>
>By the way, I also saw the comments about dropping upgrade support for
>old database formats.  It never occured to me but I like this idea too.
>If someone opts to skip upgrades, then it's only fair that they pay the
>additional cost for their decision.  Why should I pay ( indirectly ) for
>someone else's decision.  

Hear hear. I don't use the packet cluster spotting, so why should I pay for
those features that I didn't ask for?  I demand a refund.

I say, support importing from only the
>previous version and if somebody needs support for older versions, then
>sell them the conversion package.  I can't imagine why somebody would
>skip any of the last few upgrades anyway.  They were crammed with lots
>of nice improvements and well worth the few dollars to upgrade.  Just
>doesn't make sense, but oh well.

Too often, "upgrade" is a euphemism for "bug fix with a price tag".  There
are lots of reasons for not upgrading every time a vendor happens to offer
one.  If the upgrade only includes features that are of no interest to me,
then "Why should I pay ( indirectly ) for someone else's decision.(?)"  

Wes  N7WS