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From: vanam@pttesac.UUCP (Marnix van Ammers)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: software piracy/copy protection
Message-ID: <457@pttesac.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 7-Jul-87 02:46:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: pttesac.457
Posted: Tue Jul  7 02:46:41 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 8-Jul-87 06:28:20 EDT
References: <1223@spice.cs.cmu.edu>
Reply-To: vanam@pttesac.UUCP (-Root Admin-)
Organization: Pacific*Bell ESAC, San Francisco
Lines: 35


Regarding copy protection and other gripes about commercial
Amiga programs, how about:

We establish a set of standards for Amiga programs and make
a database showing which programs conform to which standards?

I got this idea from a previous posting where an Amiga programming
contest was announced.  There were several pages of specifications
which entries had to meet.  For example, they had to work in 512K,
had to work with additional fast ram being in the system.  They had
to allow multitasking (not allowed to take over the machine).  They
had to use standard Amiga mouse commands (not like flight simulator
which seems to use MAC mouse commands).  Etc. etc.

I think you get the idea.  I was just going to say that I'm 
surprised that Amiga World hasn't done this, but then I realized they
get a lot of their money from software companies advertising in their
magazine.  I don't know maybe it would bring them more grief than it's
worth to them.

But *WE* could do it!  We just need a list of specifications.

Hey I'm not saying that it's *always* bad not to follow standards.
But I'd like to know about any deviations and the why's before I
shell out my $$.

Also they should make a law that the copy protection scheme be
legibly posted on the cover of any software package.  Nothing
infuriates me so much as to find out that I can't put a program on
my hard disk, or if I do I'll still have to insert a "key" disk.

Enough ...

Marnix