Rocky Smolin
rockysmolin at bchacc.com
Sat Apr 25 22:58:50 CDT 2009
I used sentinel many years ago when they first came out. People hated them. So I dropped them. It was a pass-through on a parallel port then. I see it's USB now. Probably they've improved a lot - easier to program. Probably less expensive too - it was pricey then - about $40 per key, IIRC - although here's no pricing on their web page which always raises a flag in my mind. It can't be a $5-10 item - I don't think they could stay in business with a price that low. I wonder if it would be appropriate for a $400 product? We'd have to charge by the seat then since it's a multi-user app. I'll contact them Monday, see what's what. But I think it may be more appropriate for a higher priced product. Rocky -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Jeff B Sent: Saturday, April 25, 2009 7:55 PM To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving' Subject: Re: [AccessD] Copy Protection Needed How about using Sentinel keys or some similar type of hardware key? http://www.safenet-inc.com/products/sentinel/hardware_keys.asp -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Rocky Smolin Sent: Saturday, April 25, 2009 11:00 AM To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving' Subject: [AccessD] Copy Protection Needed Dear List: Susan Harkins and I are working on a project together It is a relatively small application and database for the Toys for Tots organization - tracking parents, children, donors, and volunteers. We were contacted by the head of a Michigan chapter after he had gotten bids from $2500 to $10,000 for a custom database - well out of his budget range. So we decided to put together an application for him, speculating that perhaps other Toys for Tots chapters around the country would find the application valuable. He's up and running and very happy, has provided us with a nice endorsement, and will post a notice to the TFT bulletin board for us when we get a web page up. Which should be in a couple weeks. We have priced the product at $400. We think, given the tight budgets and the fact that they're a charitable, volunteer organization, that there is a risk that copies of the application, which we have named Toy Track, will get passed around to other chapters even at a relatively low cost of $400. So we would like to find a way to implement some copy protection but don't want it to be a burden on either us or the user. Some approaches would be 1. have the app 'phone home' to be activated, sending the hard drive serial or somehow tying it to a machine. Problem here is that the license will be for the chapter - front end would go on each client - so they could legitimately run multiple copies of the app. And we'd have the expense of creating and maintaining the web site. 2. Date bomb - this would require re-registration from time to time. Like #1, it would involve an interactive web site - more effort and expense that we think we want to put into copy protection - or a phone or email response with a 'key' that would extend the license. Or we send each user a fresh copy before their copy expires. Still doesn't stop them from forwarding the new mde to someone else. 3. Run with the CD in the drive. Nah. Too easy to rip a CD. Don't think we'd get any protection there. Plus we'd have the whole product and shipping hassle, and software delivered electronically versus on a hard copy medium is free of sales tax in California. 4???? Any ideas will be welcome. Hopefully the discussion will benefit others on the list who are facing similar problems. MTIA, Rocky Smolin Beach Access Software 858-259-4334 www.e-z-mrp.com <http://www.e-z-mrp.com/> www.bchacc.com <http://www.bchacc.com/> No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.0.238 / Virus Database: 270.12.2/2072 - Release Date: 04/21/09 16:48:00 No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.0.238 / Virus Database: 270.12.2/2072 - Release Date: 04/21/09 16:48:00 -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com