Jason Freund :
>I think Denis was posting those sites to alert developers that their apps
>might be getting pirated on those sites -- not to promote the pirate sites
>:)
That was indeed my intention !
At least one of my apps is present on warez sites, and I don't like that
very much... Would anyone, by the way ?
Regarding the possible actions, I don't think you can go against pirates.
They are usually as smart (if not smarter) as us and will finally find a way
to get around protection schemes. Moreover, they usually have plenty of time
to do that, and it's kind of a challenge for them.
That's why I agree on the point that we should do our best to "keep honest
people honest", as someone said.
1- A minimal protection is needed. Please never let a shareware app
unprotected : it's the best way to have it included in basic warez
collections. At least, make it display nag screens and/or have reduced
functionnality after the evaluation period. Also, avoid apps which are
unlocked by a user-independant scheme, since it's too easy to have this
information widespread.
2- Include a precise license agreement with all your packages, and in the
documentation files, to explain that the license is individual, that
registration codes or registered apps must not be shared, even by users who
"by chance" have the same user id.
3- Also include a document to explain that if the app is sold that cheap and
supported that good, it's because users pay their registrations. Otherwise,
there wouldn't be any evolution, nor support, and maybe the app wouldn't
exist any longer.
4- Don't overprice your apps. The wider use it may have, the lower price you
can give...
5- Don't publish over-restricted demos or locked apps. Frustration can also
be a reason for piracy.
I noticed that the Palm newsgroups are generally well-behaved regarding
warez : when someone asks for warez URLs, he usually gets flamed, because
many users know that most of the success of the Palm Computing Platform
comes from its software collection.
I think we should maybe emphasise on this by writing a manifesto to explain
to Palm users that paying their registration fees is an investment and a
support for the Palm community, not a "tax".
Unfortunately, English isn't my mother tongue, so I would prefer someone
else to do that.
-- Denis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Visit my Pilot page !
-- http://www.ablivio.com
