Malfador Games Pirated

[Fyron]

reducing the speed of the internet to something redicously low (14.4 anyone?)

That is just ridiculous. Trying to fight the tide of technological progress will only get you run over. Noone would go for such a vast reduction in their internet speed, even regular dialup Users! Well, surely there are a few kooks (or however you spell that...) that would, but not many.

or redesigning both Operating Systems and the Internet itself to prevent it.

MS tried that, and look where it got them... But more seriously, all that would do is cause more and more pirates to go to free, open source OS like Linux et all. You can not redesign the internet to prevent it, unless you want to give up basic rights and have it patrolled draconianly (even by programs).

Then CD Burners. They made that Copy Proof CD, but as CNN reported, that's bypassed by a single key.

It is impossible to make a copy-proof CD. Any method can and has been cracked.

Why not design copy-proof programs?

Because that won't work.

Programs that'll self destruct or void itself if you try to copy it

Impossible. If you can read data, you can copy it. There is no way a CD (or any other realistic medium from which you read the data) can tell it is being copied instead of being read normally.

where the programmers and developers alone know the special codes to install patches.

Umm... so you have to call them and have them come install updates to your program? Reverse-engineering can and does undo all of the anti-piracy stuff built into programs. Go ahead and write in the need for special codes. Someone will just remove that from the program. Unless you want to make your program run 24/7, which will never fly for the vast majority of software applications, and never for games.

[ January 14, 2004, 03:18: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

[narf poit chez BOOM]

some of you didn't seem to notice this:

like increasing the resources of the citicens of those countries.

crime tends to follow low-income areas. why? because they have to feed their families somehow. and no job prospects means depressed. and depressed means anger. and blah blah blah dark side.

so, help those areas acheive prosperity and democracy.

[Fyron]

That's harder than you would think.

[tesco samoa]

Also copy protections should not break the law itself. I am allowed to make back up copies. If I cannot then perhaps this is not the product for me.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

That's harder than you would think.

i didn't say i thought it would be easy, just that it would be the right answer.

[Azselendor]

The problem with computer piracy is that it is not limited to low income Groups. The problem is with the core nature of the internet.

The net was designed to be open source, free for all to use and add to. But the law and human nature operate in the opposite direction.

Increasing the quality of life would help in reducing some of this, but not all of it. The underlying problem is the net's dual nature. Secrets and Stealth vs Access and Information. Sure, you can hide on the net, but that is a mere illusion.

Fyron, my post was to merely point out how insane prevention is, but avenues that can be taken. Like an STD, 100% prevention cannot be achieved unless you simply don't do it.

[Paul1980au]

Creative developments in copyright protection will help to make it harder for the pirates and help the underlying bottom line for software companies the alternative is to do nothing which is not such a good idea to keep creative game programmers in business.