Hi Stephen
You could just roll your own based on things like hard drive serial no., n/w card mac address etc.
I'll do that.
The only problem with this, and any copy protection for downloaded programs, is the hardware upgrade issue. Basically most methods license the software for use on a specific computer, and if the computer is upgraded and one of the key items is changed (new network card, or new hard drive, whatever), the software no longer works.
How about using a number of 'hardware id' methods, hash each separately with something like MD5 (except not that... but a good strong hash algo) and test them against the license for that machine. If only one of them fails - because of a new HD, or whatever - warn the user and give them some way to update their registration. If more than one don't match, it might be safe to assume it's been copied.
It's not a silver bullet, but it can save lots of aggravation for your users in the long run. Imagine how you'd feel if you'd shelled out (for example) $100 on registering a program, use it a lot, then find that when you upgrade to a gigabit ethernet card the program suddenly stops working.
Moral: copy protection is a more complex topic than it first appears.
-- Corey Murtagh The Electric Monk "Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur!"
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