Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rutgers!princeton!allegra!ulysses!mhuxt!ihnp4!houxm!whuts!tes From: tes@whuts.UUCP Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: RE: Re: Re: A dream about breaking copy protection ! Message-ID: <1162@whuts.UUCP> Date: Thu, 25-Dec-86 11:14:21 EST Article-I.D.: whuts.1162 Posted: Thu Dec 25 11:14:21 1986 Date-Received: Fri, 26-Dec-86 02:37:00 EST References: <161@tiger.Princeton.EDU> <1366@nicmad.UUCP> <107@mas1.UUCP> <103@ems.UUCP> Distribution: world Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 35 Summary: takes me back to my youth..... In article <103@ems.UUCP>, mark@ems.UUCP (Mark H. Colburn) writes: > Let's face it folks, there is not a protection > scheme for software that can be written that cannot be broken. > ... > Copy protection is just like the locks on your car. First of all, will all you hackers Please take the money you are saving by violating copyright protection, and buy an on-line spelling checker! Thanks. This takes me back to PC ages "B.I." (before IBM), the standing "rite of passage" for entry into the inner sanctum of your local computer club was to successfully violate the protection scheme for Visicalc (TM). Where is Visicalc now? Wiped out by competi- tors with larger advertising budgets, and more willing to pro- tect their rights via draconian measures. In a word, Visicalc was bled to death and never regained enough capital to push forward on their considerable technological lead. On a more personal note, the copy protection scheme was clever for its day. The one I broke used absolute addressing, a ROM timing loop and several sectors of the code placed on a portion of the disk, unmarked in the FAT to protect it. After breaking it, I decided that my time was too valuable to my employer--besides I am a Systems Engineer, not a hacker. I appreciate the education the experience gave me, but decided that these people needed their revenue; and I and my employer needed my creative juices applied to genuine revenue generating efforts. Oh, for the good old days. -- ----- Terry Sterkel -====---- AT&T Bell Laboratories --------- {harvard|allegra|ulysses|ihnp4}!whuts!tes ----- [opinions are obviously only my own]