Need help with a project

Mon Jun 18 15:47:00 EDT 2018

Thanks, Lagi, for your suggestions.

In my case the program will be used in higher ed classrooms by students sitting side by side, often sharing the software keys. Also we are breaking into the Chinese education market with potentially tens of thousands, or more customers, where we have little control over who they are (we are working with a local distributor), and zero direct contact with them. An easy-going protection system is not appropriate, nor is something that I have the option of choosing. 

The SoftwareShield system is quite robust with serial key management and fingerprinting, and it seems to meet our needs. I just have to find someone on the LC list or elsewhere who can help me implement it. LC, the company, asks for $1000/day, which we might pay if they could do the job in a timely manner, but they are too busy now.

I believe the job is not very difficult, just JavaScript, and possibly some LC Builder, both of which are beyond me right now.

Peter Bogdanoff
ArtsInteractive

> On Jun 18, 2018, at 3:31 AM, Lagi Pittas via use-livecode <use-livecode at lists.runrev.com> wrote:
> 
> HI Peter,
> 
> The fact that it is a subscription system is the best protection you have.
> Use the simplest protection that will tell you if the system has been
> "pirated" - simple encryption of the company/institution address/details
> for instance. Don't allow them to change the address/telephone number etc
> in the program - so they have to "patch" the exe. When you notice this has
> happened (5 lines of code) set a timer.
> In 8 Months time you have a screen that comes up at boot time that says
> "Problem with your program please call  before any lasting damage is done"
> at xxxx-xxx-xxxx". If they don't call in say a month the program stops
> working with your number on the front screen and How they can get a legal
> copy".
> 
> Sage Payroll used to not protect their payroll, so come April when rates
> changed, Sage always Got (gets?) a spike in sales - No questions asked as
> long as the user can transfer his data from the "pirated" version.   The
> people who will buy your program will buy it - the people who will copy
> your program will copy it anyway - you didn't lose a sale you got free
> advertising. How do you think microsoft replaced Lotus 123 - they removed
> protection from Office then gave a £90 upgrade from any version (even non
> legal version) after a couple of years.
> 
> Making your program indispensable (without too many barriers) to your
> paying customers is the best way of building a loyal customer base.
> 
> Save yourself a lot of time hassle and money and make the subscription/name
> the protection
> 
> My 2 pence worth
> 
> Lagi
> 
> p.s. If it can be read it can be broken
> 
> A 5 minute google search and a bit of memory ....
> You'll be glad to hear no decompilers for Livecode - we are not on the
> radar.
> 
> // If you lose your sourcecode in the future .....
> http://www.javadecompilers.com/
> https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software-hacking/tool-apk-easy-tool-v1-02-windows-gui-t3333960
> https://www.yeahhub.com/best-19-tools-used-reverse-engineering-2018-update/
> http://www.refox.net/
> http://www.iphonehacks.com/2018/05/ios-11-3-1-jailbreak-updates.html
> http://www.decompiler.net/
> https://www.vb-decompiler.org/
> https://www.thoughtco.com/decompiling-delphi-1-3-1057974
> http://www.dvdsmith.com/remove-sony-arccos-protection.html
> https://www.roojs.com/blog.php/View/117/Recovering_encoded_php_files.html
> 
> //Even hardware dongles are not immune
> https://www.brstudio.com/dongles/deskey-dk2-dk3-dongle-emulator/
> http://www.dongleservice.com/dongle-bypass.phtml
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Fri, 15 Jun 2018 at 02:08, Peter Bogdanoff via use-livecode <
> use-livecode at lists.runrev.com> wrote:
> 
>>> you want to include some of the advanced capabilities like restricted
>> trial,
>> Yes, I do want to use advanced capabilities.
>> 
>>> Does it just wrap the executable or does it encapsulate the entire
>> directory?
>> It can do either.
>> 
>> I am using pw protection on all stacks, which is is working well. More
>> important is the license activation and management because it is a
>> subscription product—there is a single version which has a free, limited
>> status or a full, paid status—the program needs the capability to shift to
>> either. Also I need to control the installations of the program. It will be
>> used in educational institutions, by individuals, sometimes in iffy
>> locations (China) where I need to minimize piracy.
>> 
>> Peter
>> 
>> 
>>> On Jun 14, 2018, at 4:23 PM, Brian Milby via use-livecode <
>> use-livecode at lists.runrev.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Are you saying that you have the standard mode working but you want to
>> include some of the advanced capabilities like restricted trial, etc?
>>> 
>>> Does it just wrap the executable or does it encapsulate the entire
>> directory? I’m assuming you have decided that the password protection of
>> the stack isn’t sufficient.
>>> 
>>> Brian
>>> On Jun 14, 2018, 4:28 PM -0500, Peter Bogdanoff via use-livecode <
>> use-livecode at lists.runrev.com>, wrote:
>>>> Hi,
>>>> 
>>>> I’m working on a project that we are getting ready to publish as a
>> desktop application for Mac and Windows.
>>>> 
>>>> It is content heavy and I'm wanting to protect it, and am using a
>> product called SoftwareShield/GameShield:
>>>> 
>>>> http://softwareshield.com <http://softwareshield.com/>
>>>> http://gameshield.com <http://gameshield.com/>
>>>> 
>>>> It puts a wrapping around the executable and offers license management
>> that works well in its basic form. There are more advanced features that I
>> want to take advantage of that seem to go beyond the capabilities of
>> LiveCode script and my own personal abilities. It seems that LiveCode can
>> work with SoftwareShield, but I don’t know where to begin, nor can I
>> program anything besides LiveCode script.
>>>> 
>>>> This is an example of where I get lost about figuring out how to
>> progress:
>>>> 
>>>> "Because the kernel of SoftwareShield is developed in C++ and the
>> gsCore exposes flat API in standard way, any language (such as Object-C,
>> Java, NodeJS, Perl, Python, etc.) that can make api call to Windows DLL or
>> MacOS dylib can integrated with SoftwareShield SDK.”
>>>> 
>>>> http://doc.softwareshield.com/PG/index.html#pg_index
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Here’s docs they provide:
>>>> 
>>>> http://doc.softwareshield.com/index.html
>>>> http://doc.softwareshield.com/PG/ui_gs5.html#sdk_js
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> So, I’m looking for someone who can:
>>>> 
>>>> 1. Guide me through the process
>>>> 2. Do Javascript or advanced LC programming as needed
>>>> 
>>>> This is help I need immediately.
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks!
>>>> 
>>>> Peter Bogdanoff
>>>> ArtsInteractive
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