MartyConnelly
martyconnelly at shaw.ca
Mon Jul 19 12:56:51 CDT 2004
Well I guess if they are still worried, you could obfuscate some or all of the field names with something like speed ferret as they did with MYOB. This just slows down the person doing the reengineering. I have only had to reverse engineer one accounting package DacEasy, that had a backend database Btrieve. I had partial table layouts. Table and field names and sizes. It took me six months to write a POS in C code that integrated with it. The hard part was figuring out what fields had what calculations associated with it. In some places the numeric part after the decimal point indicted the partial inventory count. For example 2.54 meant 2 cases with 54 items out of 144. You had to refer back to another table that held this info on partial units . So if you have any field descriptions in your tables you might want to strip these out. Then again, maybe you get an Angel investor, that buys you out. Rocky Smolin - Beach Access Software wrote: >Marty: > >Every place I've done work where there were mdw's involved the problems >ranged from nuisance to nightmare. Since this is my proprietary product and >I'm hoping to have lots of them installed around the world over the next few >years (hope springs eternal) I'm really reluctant to start down that road. > >I think I've convinced my Chinese distributor, who started all this, that >having the back end open while the front end is totally protected, is the >best of both worlds. > >Rocky > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "MartyConnelly" <martyconnelly at shaw.ca> >To: "Access Developers discussion and problem solving" ><accessd at databaseadvisors.com> >Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2004 9:50 PM >Subject: Re: [AccessD] Hiding Back End Design > > > > >>Well if you were the owner through mdw you could, everyone else would >>have to go through a query. >>This assumes the mdw is crackable. >> >>Rocky Smolin - Beach Access Software wrote: >> >> >> >>>Marty: >>> >>>Why couldn't they just go directly into the back end and open the table >>> >>> >in > > >>>design view? >>> >>>Rocky >>> >>> >>>----- Original Message ----- >>>From: "MartyConnelly" <martyconnelly at shaw.ca> >>>To: "Access Developers discussion and problem solving" >>><accessd at databaseadvisors.com> >>>Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2004 6:40 PM >>>Subject: Re: [AccessD] Hiding Back End Design >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>>I came across this today under the Access ORK.You might be able to hide >>>>the design this way. >>>>http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/2000/three/65t3_9.htm >>>> >>>>Using the RunPermissions Property with User-Level Security >>>>In order for Microsoft Access to display a table or query, it must read >>>>the design of that table or query. As a result, in order for a user to >>>>read and display the data in a table or query, that user must also have >>>>permission to read the design of the table or query. >>>>If you dont want your users to see the design of your table or query, >>>>you can create a query and set its RunPermissions property to restrict >>>>their access to this information. >>>>Set it up and test against one of the access reengineering case tools >>>>like Sparxs or EZDesign. >>>> >>>>Rocky Smolin - Beach Access Software wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>>One of the great advantages of Access is that the user can work with >>>>> >>>>> >the > > >>>>>data apart from the front end app. It's transparency is a real >>>>> >>>>> >marketing > > >>>>>plus. So I'd like to leave the back end open. I think it will be >>>>>beneficial. >>>>> >>>>>Rocky >>>>> >>>>>----- Original Message ----- >>>>>From: "Andy Lacey" <andy at minstersystems.co.uk> >>>>>To: "'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'" >>>>><accessd at databaseadvisors.com> >>>>>Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2004 11:36 AM >>>>>Subject: RE: [AccessD] Hiding Back End Design >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>I'm going to sound a dissenting voice here. I don't understand why >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>Rocky, >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>>>>who's no doubt sweat blood to develop his vertical app, should in >>>>>> >>>>>> >effect > > >>>>>>give his system away? Because surely that's what he'd be doing? The >>>>>> >>>>>> >only > > >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>way >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>doing a development like this makes sense is to get economies of scale >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>by >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>>>>selling lots of copies. Without that incentive vertical apps would >>>>>> >>>>>> >never > > >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>get >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>developed at all because, in the main, a single customer can't stand >>>>>> >>>>>> >all > > >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>the >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>development costs. And if you're going to put in the graft why >>>>>> >>>>>> >shouldn't > > >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>you >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>dream of making money on it, and why should you open yourself to being >>>>>>ripped-off by people who can't be arsed to do the hard work >>>>>> >>>>>> >themselves? > > >>>>>>Sorry, don't understand. >>>>>> >>>>>>-- Andy Lacey >>>>>>http://www.minstersystems.co.uk >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>>>-----Original Message----- >>>>>>>From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com >>>>>>>[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of >>>>>>>DWUTKA at marlow.com >>>>>>>Sent: 23 June 2004 18:30 >>>>>>>To: accessd at databaseadvisors.com >>>>>>>Subject: RE: [AccessD] Hiding Back End Design >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>>'Open source' should pervade into all areas of the >>>>>>>information age. Music, programming, videos, etc. >>>>>>>Unfortunately it will take a complete change in humanity's >>>>>>>driving force....the accumulation of wealth. As long as >>>>>>>people are trying to make a buck, it will be virtually >>>>>>>impossible to get them to do stuff simply for the betterment >>>>>>>of society. >>>>>>> >>>>>>>Drew >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>-- >>>>>>_______________________________________________ >>>>>>AccessD mailing list >>>>>>AccessD at databaseadvisors.com >>>>>>http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd >>>>>>Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>-- >>>>Marty Connelly >>>>Victoria, B.C. >>>>Canada >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>-- >>>>_______________________________________________ >>>>AccessD mailing list >>>>AccessD at databaseadvisors.com >>>>http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd >>>>Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>-- >>Marty Connelly >>Victoria, B.C. >>Canada >> >> >> >>-- >>_______________________________________________ >>AccessD mailing list >>AccessD at databaseadvisors.com >>http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd >>Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com >> >> > > > -- Marty Connelly Victoria, B.C. Canada