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Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!cwjcc!gatech!mcdchg!ddsw1!karl
From: karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Karl Denninger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.misc
Subject: Re: Software Development And Piracy (Spurred By FTL replies)
Summary: Piracy is WRONG, but SO IS COPY PROTECTION (Yep; I am a developer too)
Message-ID: <2363@ddsw1.MCS.COM>
Date: 6 Dec 88 18:10:56 GMT
References: <555@icus.islp.ny.us>
Reply-To: karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM(Karl Denninger)
Organization: Macro Computer Solutions, Inc., Mundelein, IL
Lines: 264

(Added comp.misc to the newsgroups; flame me if you must, I thought it
 relavent to other than Amiga system owners).

In article <555@icus.islp.ny.us> eric@icus.UUCP () writes:
>
>Hmmm This Bit about FTL and copywritten Save files and
>peoeples replies to it have made me decide to write A note.
>
>My name is Eric Hyman, And I like you am A dedicated Amigophile.
>By trade I am A Programmer, and I am currently trying
>to MAKE A LIVING (Underline that) by doing software for our favorite machine...
.......

Yes, and so am I (a programmer by trade; we do conferencing software).

>Compromise: Manual based protection on Game load, using
>statistics on the units in the game that are contained on a ready
>refrence card.(It will be handy when you are playing), In addition, 
>with an assignment or two, the Game will happily reside on a Hardrive,
>and will run on Any( Cross my Fingers 8) ) Amiga configuration.

Now that I can live with -- but that's not what FTL has done!

>Now to my points.
>
>How many people reading this article can HONESTLY say they have NEVER
>Copied A disk of Commercial software.

I can't say that... but what I CAN say is:

	I've never copied a disk of non-crippled commercial software.  This
	is mainly due to (1) my sense of fair play, and (2) I'm not a
	thief.

	I HAVE copied crippled software (CPd things), mainly to see if
	they'll even BOOT on the hardware we use!  This is a relatively
	recent phenomena, and is inspired by the $250 worth of TRASH DISKS
	that I have (that once did boot, and did hold games of various
	descriptions).  These are programs that I paid for, and should be
	able to use, but fail to load on all our present hardware due to
	copy protection.

>Im willing to bet few people will raise their hands and those of you
>who can honestly do so are to be commended (If your interested,
>Send me your address and I'll send you one of my games FREE!)

Got a PC Version? (or wait a few months for us to get an Amy; hurry up
Commodore -- we want one of the rumored next-generation machines!) :-)

>How many of you on the other hand have come up with a Rationaliztion for
>their copying. for example:
>
>2.	"I Don't have enough money to buy all the progrms available,
>	 By copying Them I can find the ones I truly like/Use and
>	 THEN I go out and buy them"

How about "I don't have money to throw down the drain on copy protected
software that will either self-destruct or be useless when I buy a faster 
(but still compatible by everyone else's standards) computer, and I refuse to 
provide economic incentive to manufacturers who deliberately cripple their 
products and limit their scope of usefulness."

>4.	"With All the bugs in xxx Software, I'll copy and use
>	it untill Im satisfied its done, then Maybe I'll buy it"

This one is valid today too -- gawd, I wish it wasn't.  Look in
comp.unix.microport sometime; their 80286 Unix release hasn't even deserved
the label "beta" until recently.  Once again, this particular cause of
copying is simply protection of the user's interests (having been ripped off
once too many times).

I got burned on that one (Microport) to the tune of nearly $700!  This for
software that didn't (and from what I am told still doesn't) meet the 
requirements that I gave the salesperson when I placed the initial order -- 
almost two years after the initial purchase.


IMHO:  Copy Protection counts as a bug in my book; one that I _might_ be able
       to live with if it stays the heck out of my way.  Intrusive, invasive,
       or simply draconian CP measures count as a fatal bug.

>Now granted if your a type 2 or 4, and you Adhere to your reasoning,
>then Admitedlly this ins't as bad as the other types (Especially those
>who copy and distibute for the mere fun of it)
>
>	Gettysburg Amiga: (Rated #1 2 years in a row as An 8 Bit title )
>	Release January '88
>
>	(Fumbles for latest ledger sheet )
>
>		$2935.45

>All of which was paid on A % of sales that is about average for the industry,
>My first product Kampfgruppe has netted me about double that, over
>two years and hopfuly Rebel charge will get me Signifigantly more.
>But Who knows. Currently I am doing nothing but writting for the AMiga,

Gawd are these real numbers... $2935 looks TERRIBLE, but is it?  I mean, how
many copies have been sold?  If you're only making $1 a copy, you've sold
nearly 3k copies.  If you're only getting $1 a copy, you're getting RIPPED OFF.

>	Why Am I not making money? Becase for Every Unit that SSI sells
>	At least 4 Are copied! And From my experience at least 1/2 of those
>	are copied by people who use it, but won't buy it for one
>	reason or another.

If you have 500,000 machines out there, and only 3000 sales, you haven't
even dented the market.  Or someone has sold/copied 30,000 units and only 
told you about 3,000.

How does SSI come up with the 4:1 ratio?  I simply can't believe that half
of these people would have paid money for the package if they couldn't
pirate it -- it flies directly in the face of what I have experienced.

My experience (7 years in the business and counting) is this:

	o Business people copy useful, productive things.  They learn how
	  to use them by buying the second-hand manuals in a bookstore (ie:
	  using Lotus 1-2-3, etc).  Lawyers, incidentially, seem to be the
	  worst offenders (although this may be just wild ranting :-).  They
	  do this because they don't like paying $500 a copy for Lotus; most
	  are FULLY aware that what they're doing is illegal, but won't stop
	  as long as the risk of getting caught is comparable to smoking a 
	  joint in your home.

	o Kids copy games.  These kids either (1) can't afford the game, and
	  thus wouldn't buy it anyways, or (2) have to have everything, and
	  once again couldn't buy it (who could afford EVERYTHING).

	o Adults copy games.  Well, sometimes.  But we're more likely to BUY
	  the darn thing if it really is fun and works -- but "fun" and
	  "works" means "keepa you hands off my multitasking capabilities!"
	  to many people, or "keepa you boot disk write-protected!" or
	  "keepa youself installed on this-here fixed disk drive."  These
	  adults will REFUSE (like I do) to buy crippleware.  

Note that among business software, even though the copying is RAMPANT, the
manufacturers are ALL removing copy protection.  Why?  Because the market
has TOLD THEM, in NO uncertain terms, that it WILL NOT purchase copy
protected software.

All it takes is ONE company that doesn't cripple their products -- and all
of the cripple-ware firms' business dries up overnight.

>	So instead of whining and complaing about how this company won't write
>	for the machine, or that company won't, or another won't do 
>	A better job. BUY SOME SOFTWARE and give them
>	incentive. its A rule in this industry, Whichever market
>	genrates strongs sales is gonna be where the Development dollars go,
>	and if there aren't enough sales, there isn't going to be a push in that
>	market.

Crippled, copy-protected software might have been acceptable in the days of
the C=64 and single floppy disk drives (where a reset was REQUIRED all of
the time!).  It's rediculous, unacceptable, and a disqualifying misfeature
for software in today's environment, especially on a machine such as the
Amiga!

I will buy software -- IF AND ONLY IF I can:

	1) Use my machine fully, given adaquate resources.  This means that
	   anything that "takes over" and locks me out of multitasking is an
	   immediate "outski".  Requiring 2M of RAM to play game  while
	   compiling my latest project is ok, even slowing the game (or
	   allowing me to specify who gets priority) is ok, but killing
	   multitasking or (worse) requiring a reboot/power cycle to leave 
	   is NOT ok.  (I'll qualify that -- for a truly real-time
	   simulation where timing is absolutely _critical_, I would think
	   that disabling multitasking would be ok... but I should be able
	   to select "nasty" mode at will.  Even in this case you can still 
	   let me resume my other work when I exit the game from some menu 
	   or prompt).  A system RESET as a way to leave ANY program is a 
	   horrible kludge!  This current trash comes from _good_ programmers?
	   
	   (I'll save for a seperate comment at a different time my opinion
	   of an operating system that can't keep track of and free at exit
	   the resources a process has requested and/or used.... :-)

	2) Copy it to prevent the diskettes from being destroyed or infected
	   by any form of virus or other nasty (including my coke bottle on
	   the desk which might tip over).  This includes putting it on my
	   fixed disk "n" times. (Why?  Do you do development on your gear?  
	   Device drivers perhaps?  How many times have you accidentally
	   destroyed your disk pack and needed those backup tapes?  I refuse
	   to lose $1000 worth of software when my disk drive fails; that's
	   why I make backups).

	3) Run the package on my equipment, and ANY EQUIPMENT COMPATIBLE
	   WITH THE SAME STANDARD that I buy later on.  This last point is
	   very important -- those games referenced earlier probably still
	   DO load and run on a 4.77 Mhz PC.... but we use 16 Mhz '386s here
	   now to work and play!  Along the same line, timing-based programs
	   are definately out -- haven't game writers learned how to use a timer
	   channel yet?  Sheesh -- any reasonable system these days has 
	   interrupt-driven timer control; usually multiple channels are
	   available!  There is NO EXCUSE for games that run on an Amiga
	   1000 but fail on a 2000 with a 68020 board, for example.  Those
	   of you who program and feel otherwise are urged to take a good
	   programming class -- you need it.

	4) Have some reasonable recourse if it doesn't work reasonably well
	   or at all, including returning the product for a FULL refund.  If
	   I can't get that, and I can't manage to evaluate it in any way
	   first, it's not worth the risk. (Question: Would you buy a car or
	   computer without ever SEEING it?  By just looking at pictures in
	   some catalog?  How big of a fool do these publishers think we are?)

>	I've Done everything I though I had to for A Succesfull amiga
>	product. And so far have been very disappointed by the
>	results. So either I'm doint something wrong r a lot of
>	people are talking out of two corners of their mouths when
>	Stating their excuses for pirating. And quite
>	Frankly If I didn't like this silly machine So damn much
>	I doubt I'd still be working on it! (My pocket
>	book would much rather sell over 100000 versions of a messy
>	dos program!)(Comments?)

We (as software authors and publishers) need to do the following:

1) Inform computer clubs and other "swapping places" that piracy is no
   longer acceptable -- and ACT ON IT.  Yes, this means raids if necessary,
   and perhaps stronger laws (or at least an incentive to enforce them).  How
   do we do this?  Join organizations (or form one) such as the SPA, and
   INSIST that this be the agenda of these organizations.  After all, these
   associations are in existance to help publishers and authors -- let's see
   some action rather than just strong words.

2) Publishers have to stop slapping people in the face by putting these
   silly "copy protection" schemes on their disks.  Face it -- anything you
   can protect, a clever person can pick the lock on.  All this does is
   force me to steal either TWO pieces of software (since I won't pay for
   software that's crippled -- and that ALWAYS includes the unlocking toys),
   or USE NONE OF THEM.  Ok, PUBLISHERS, EITHER decision that I make at
   this point gets you nothing -- if you'd be reasonable you'd also gain
   some of my cash!  The real software-buying world has already decided that 
   copy protection is unacceptable; when will you catch on?

3) If you MUST MUST MUST hold something over a purchasers' head, how about
   a "burn in the name" scheme?  No, it's not airtight, but it DOES stop
   casual copying 100% (give it away, sure, but your name is on it!).  It 
   also has a cost -- one computer at each possible point of sale, and a 
   "special" serialization disk for the computer software store to use.
   Yes, it would take programming skill and an investment at the point of
   sale, yes, it would not be foolproof, but it wouldn't prevent the
   package's use either.

This is a free market.  Someone ought to fill the very real need for products
that aren't crippled like this.   Is anyone out there (besides us) in the 
small-systems software publishing business listening?

Btw: My relavent experience:
     We publish and write Unix and Xenix software, as well as some DOS
     material.  NONE of our products has or ever will be copy protected, 
     although one of them does have the owner's name "burned" into it.  That
     was the only concession I would make to the "protect the damned thing"
     people.

Yeah, these are the views of the company.  We had a nice long discussion on
this topic before deciding to "burn names" on one of our products.

--
Karl Denninger (karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM, ddsw1!karl)
Data: [+1 312 566-8912], Voice: [+1 312 566-8910]
Macro Computer Solutions, Inc.    	"Quality solutions at a fair price"