[AccessD] Hacking MDE (was Creating a demo Access app?)

Shamil Salakhetdinov shamil at users.mns.ru
Fri Feb 24 14:31:19 CST 2006


All,

Here is a Friday puzzle on subject I suppose:

Have a look at this screenshot

http://www.code-vb.com/help/dlg_frmProcedure.htm

and now on this one:

http://www.smartvba.com/methods_builder.htm

The first (http://www.code-vb.com/help/dlg_frmProcedure.htm) - was first
time released in the beginning of the last year and the latter - in the end.

These are not related companies.

I know the history of the first and how it was created.

Question: How it comes that the design of the latter company's software is
sometimes literally the same? (and many other forms are like that).

My guess: The designs of the first were replicated  manually or
decompiled (there is good VB6 decompiler - the info about it was
published here) then adjusted and published by the second company.

Anybody believes that designs can be so similar if the second company didn't
know anything about the software products of the first?
Am I getting paranoid?

If not, then one who publishes MDE apps may expect to see their GUI
designs (and good GUI designs is a lot of work) be published within other
companies' software...

Shamil

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charlotte Foust" <cfoust at infostatsystems.com>
To: "Access Developers discussion and problem solving"
<accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
Sent: Friday, February 24, 2006 7:08 PM
Subject: Re: [AccessD] Hacking MDE (was Creating a demo Access app?)


>I think the threat is the same as any other knockoff, from Vuitton bags
> to Rolex watches to custom software, the customer gets something cheap
> and the original manufacturer gets ripped off.
>
> Charlotte Foust
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Rocky Smolin
> - Beach Access Software
> Sent: Friday, February 24, 2006 6:51 AM
> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> Subject: Re: [AccessD] Hacking MDE (was Creating a demo Access app?)
>
>
> I've got two products which I send out as mdes.  And I worry about the
> product being knocked off, especially in China where we are beginning to
>
> make some sales with the manufacturing system.
>
> For both of them the primary intellectual value is in the code - The
> Sleep Advisor's diagnostic engine is about 7000 lines and the decision
> tree on the input side, which guides which questions to ask is about
> half that.
>
> The manufacturing system like any system could be knocked off pretty
> much by copying the design and features of the forms and reports.  No
> magic there.  The MRP calculation and cost-roll up program have some
> tricks in them.
>
> Nevertheless, it's not rocket science, and I suppose someone could
> duplicate the whole thing.
>
> But if a product can be duplicated pretty much by looking at the
> outside, I wonder what the real threat is here?  I'm probably missing
> something.
>
> Rocky
>
>
> Bryan Carbonnell wrote:
>> On 2/24/06, Rocky Smolin - Beach Access Software <bchacc at san.rr.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> But does it decompile the code?
>>>
>>
>> Not acording to the page.
>>
>> "*You cannot alter or gain access to the original VBA code - you must
>> use Macros instead."
>>
>> --
>> Bryan Carbonnell - carbonnb at gmail.com
>> Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well
>> preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out,
>> shouting "What a great ride!"
>>
>
> -- 
> Rocky Smolin
> Beach Access Software
> 858-259-4334
> www.e-z-mrp.com
>
> -- 
> AccessD mailing list
> AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
> -- 
> AccessD mailing list
> AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com




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