At AndAppStore we've had the same license server technologies in place for over a year, we just haven't had the LVL wrapper around it (see http://bit.ly/dbniJP for a post from April last year about it). We offered the implementation we developed in early 2009 which uses RSA secured licenses to Google as a starting point for a unified solution which all app stores could make use of in late march/early april 2009 and got a thanks but no thanks from the Market team via a member of the Android team (as I mentioned last August http://bit.ly/d9Deoi).
So you can imagine we're, well, more than a little niggled to see the same technologies used in the same way with the LVL wrapper around it rolled out as a Market only proprietary solution. If you combine that with the fact that details of how to use the original Google copy protection system weren't given to 3rd parties in order to either use or implement a compatible solution, I think you've got a pretty clear sign of how Google view alternative markets. My initial thought is just to roll a compatibility library as a drop in replacement for Googles LVL so developers could compile a version to use the AndAppStore system if they wanted to sell on AndAppStore. Because the Google system uses the same crypto-secured design as AndAppStores existing solution it'd take less than a day to create, so my only question is if we did it would developers use it? As a side note; The main reason we didn't use our client as the marshall for license queries is because we can't guarantee it's on every device, and neither can Market. This is particularly important with Market because users of devices where it isn't installed may only be able to get access to many paid apps via pirated copies (if the developers don't list on alternative markets). If you're thinking that's a small market then, well, compared with Android 'phones then yes, you may be talking a few percent, but in terms of numbers you're looking at tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of devices. Al. -- * Looking for Android Apps? - Try http://andappstore.com/ * ====== Funky Android Limited is registered in England & Wales with the company number 6741909. The views expressed in this email are those of the author and not necessarily those of Funky Android Limited, it's associates, or it's subsidiaries. On Jul 27, 7:56 pm, "Raymond C. Rodgers" <raym...@badlucksoft.com> wrote: > On 7/27/2010 2:48 PM, Tommy wrote:> It would be interesting if other android > market apps could buy or lease the > > rights to the License Server or have their market checked just like it does > > the google market records. Im sure if google wanted they could find a way to > > make that work. > > I have no doubt that Google could license the technique or availability > of the license server to other markets, but I'm not sure if they'll see > that as being in their business' best interests, or how profitable they > think it could be. Although they are allowing other markets to be built, > and allow outside applications to be installed on Android if the user > enables that feature, they aren't exactly going out of their way to > support the development and establishment of competitors. But they > aren't actively trying to eliminate them either. It's the job of the > competition to adopt, adapt, or innovate, and since alternative markets > might not be able to adopt this change, they'll have to adapt or > innovate, and find a similar or better solution. Until or unless Google > decides to let them in of course... :-) > > Raymond -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Developers" group. To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to android-developers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
