Why can't piracy easily be prevented?

[Joe]

With all the billions of dollars at microsofts disposal why can't piracy be
prevented? Why can't the codes be somehow "encrypted", I am not a programmer
but I just wondered why it is not possible with all the mechanisms, I have
heard of some programs that "phone home" or some things that if you are
having pirated copies they send some signal back to base and it demolishes
or messes up your system or does some other sabotage activity.

 

[David Candy]

Because MS also wants to sell OSs and noone would want to buy them. WPA was designed to be unobtrusive. Most users will never see anything at all about activation (though they still get hassled to register). It is designed to prevent users sharing XP not criminal rings.

 

[Richard Urban]

Because Microsoft can't control the fact that you are stupid and open/run
every attachment you get in e-mail. You also go to every web site that you
are told to - blindly (such as www.thisshitwillhurtyou.com). You can not be
forced to run a firewall or a good antivirus protection. You can not be
forced to use either good judgment or common sense. In short, you are your
own worst enemy!

Now - place anyone's name in place of you and your!

--
Regards,

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard

If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[ByTor]

With all the billions of dollars at microsofts disposal why can't piracy be
prevented? Why can't the codes be somehow "encrypted", I am not a programmer
but I just wondered why it is not possible with all the mechanisms, I have
heard of some programs that "phone home" or some things that if you are
having pirated copies they send some signal back to base and it demolishes
or messes up your system or does some other sabotage activity.

It's called "Bill Gates's Guilty Conscious"....How can one thief judge
others...................

 

[David Candy]

Seeing Richard Urban insisted. But the grammar looks a bit off following Richard Urban instructions.

Because Microsoft can't control the fact that Richard Urban are stupid and open/run
every attachment Richard Urban get in e-mail. Richard Urban also go to every web site that Richard Urban
are told to - blindly (such as www.thisshitwillhurtyou.com). Richard Urban can not be
forced to run a firewall or a good antivirus protection. Richard Urban can not be
forced to use either good judgment or common sense. In short, Richard Urban are Richard Urban
own worst enemy!

Now - place anyone's name in place of Richard Urban and Richard Urban!

--
Regards,

You Your

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard

 

[Joe]

Because Microsoft can't control the fact that you are stupid and open/run
every attachment you get in e-mail. You also go to every web site that you
are told to - blindly (such as www.thisshitwillhurtyou.com). You can not
be forced to run a firewall or a good antivirus protection. You can not be
forced to use either good judgment or common sense. In short, you are your
own worst enemy!

Now - place anyone's name in place of you and your!

I do see your point, but what has that got to do with Microsofts or anybodys
ability to make software impossible to pirate/copy software?

Cheers

 

[R. McCarty]

Since Windows was first created, Microsoft opted to make it
easy for users, in deference to safety. That was OK several years
ago when we didn't have Social Engineering based Phishing and
Spyware. Back then PCs weren't in many homes and most users
were technically inclined.

Did Microsoft wait too long to adopt their new found Security
focus,You bet. But there's only so much an operating system can
employ to protect the user.

Why do we have Spam, because if a single Spam goes to 100,000
people at least 2 of those will buy whatever is being pitched.
Besides "Dark Matter" the most abundant elements in the Universe
are laziness and stupidity.

 

[Richard Urban]

Off on a rant about piracy - in general -after cleaning a neighbors computer
Friday and seeing it totally infected again, TODAY! The kid even stole his
mom's credit card and used it for internet purchases. No thanks to the kid,
his mom has been cleaned out! All since Friday!

So yeah! I have a thing about piracy - all types. Maybe even the type Mr.
Candy doesn't think is too bad!

--
Regards,

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard

If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Paul Smith]

With all the billions of dollars at microsofts disposal why can't piracy
be prevented? Why can't the codes be somehow "encrypted", I am not a
programmer but I just wondered why it is not possible with all the
mechanisms, I have heard of some programs that "phone home" or some things
that if you are having pirated copies they send some signal back to base
and it demolishes or messes up your system or does some other sabotage
activity.

Piracy can never be prevented totally. Things can always be reverse
engineered and modified even if it takes a super computer a decade to break
the encryption used, it can be done. The bottom line it's just 0 and 1
going over wires in a box, you can tap those and get the data out that way
if you're hardcore enough.

To reduce piracy on the PC would be fairly easy (assuming hardware
manufactures would do it), the technology is already used in things like
Xbox. Don't run any non-signed code (signed as in by Microsoft or some high
power), don't run copied discs. The only way to get around that would be
modifying the hardware in the machine, if you embed this kind of thing on
the CPU level then it becomes insanely difficult to get around.

However this would destroy the best things about the PC, anyone if they know
what they're doing can write software for the PC, in 5 minutes you can have
a simple application put together to I dunno, grab the weather forecasts and
display them on your wallpaper. But if you limit the machine to signed
code, you'd have to go off to the "higher power" no doubt pay just to run
it. I don't want that. Then what happens over time? Development costs go
up because for each little application they have to get it "signed" this
puts developers out and out of business until only the very largest software
companies can actually produce software. Let alone the damage it would do
to freeware and similar software.

--
Paul Smith,
Yeovil, UK.
http://www.dasmirnov.net/
http://windows.dasmirnov.net/ Windows XP Resource Site.

*Replace nospam with smirnov to reply by e-mail*

 

[Paul Smith]

<snip>

I forgot to explain a bit.

By using signed code you can detect software for modification - like cutting
out a CD check for example, a bit like digital signatures on PCs today, if
you go and modify it it'll break the signature.

--
Paul Smith,
Yeovil, UK.
http://www.dasmirnov.net/
http://windows.dasmirnov.net/ Windows XP Resource Site.

*Replace nospam with smirnov to reply by e-mail*

 

[Vagabond Software]

With all the billions of dollars at microsofts disposal why can't piracy be
prevented? Why can't the codes be somehow "encrypted", I am not a programmer
but I just wondered why it is not possible with all the mechanisms, I have
heard of some programs that "phone home" or some things that if you are
having pirated copies they send some signal back to base and it demolishes
or messes up your system or does some other sabotage activity.

It could be greatly reduced, but at a high cost. The reason Microsoft is so popular is because its copy-protection is not overly cumbersome.

Sure, they could make us all pay a monthly lease, as IBM used to do. They could force us to buy expensive hardware dongles, as Apple and Sun Microsystems do. They could tie our software applications to the system ID as Sun (and most other UNIX hardware vendors) did and still do.

However, they could also know that such schemes make a product less flexible, less economical, and most importantly, less desirable.

carl

 

[Joe]

Off on a rant about piracy - in general -after cleaning a neighbors
computer Friday and seeing it totally infected again, TODAY! The kid even
stole his mom's credit card and used it for internet purchases. No thanks
to the kid, his mom has been cleaned out! All since Friday!

So yeah! I have a thing about piracy - all types. Maybe even the type Mr.
Candy doesn't think is too bad!

That kid will have big problems if he continues to steal.

 

[Leythos]

The reason Microsoft is so popular is because its copy-protection is not overly cumbersome.

Wrong, the reason it's popular is marketing and that it's simple to use
and already has an installed base. The reason it's pirated is because
people want it and it's not free.

 

[Richard Urban]

He has big problems now. Bought a bunch of Xbox stuff. Apparently
lost/gave/had stolen (from him) his mom's credit card number while doing the
purchases. His mom says he is in police custody. She's not too anxious to
have him home!

--
Regards,

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard

If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[David Candy]

Where have I said I condone piracy. I merely pointed out this concept of "IP Rights" is state sactioned extortion. Just like farm subsidies.

IP Rights give a monopoly to encourage innovation. But the purpose isn't to give rents to and protect from competition private interests. It is to encourage innovation. The social bad of monopoly is outweighed by the social good of innovation, at least in theory. But it is intended to be a short term monopoly so the social bad doesn't last too long.

One of the big issues in recent US-Australia Free Trade Agreement was evergreening by drug companies. This is where their patent runs out so they reapply. This prevents other drug companies from suppling the drug at non rent prices. If you yanks knew what your government does to you we'd be talking about the second american revolution (as I imagine people are dying as the US government doesn't guarantue access to drugs like the Australian govt - all drugs are $2.60 for low income people and $26 for others with a $400 cap on what you need to spend in any year - need 2000 prescription at $26 = $400 max).

Anyway back to the topic. Patents were not designed to work this way and the patents will probably not be upheld. But drug companies have also captured congress (all rent seekers do - it's how they impose their rents) and the US governments now actively supports the subverting of US patent law (evergreening was made illegal here last year).

What you said about me indicates one of the following
a/ You didn't understand what I said (likely)
b/ You believe that rents should be imposed on consumers and/or taxpapers and that these rents should be increased for private benefit and public bad. And the only critera on how much benefit is the want of the private interest. (unlikely)

Lets look at agriculture (I wanted to be an agriculture scientist at school and have some qualification in Wool Technology).

Subsidies to farmers are voted on by congress who are bribed and/or threatened (ie we'll campaign against you during elections) by farmers. Farmers can now grow their crops and get paid by the government. Australian farmers do not get subsidised. Australian farmers compete with US and EU subsidised farmers. They are efficient (they have to be to compete) and produce food at a cost that matches US and EU farmers cost minus the subsidy. If a tonne of wheat cost $100 in australia to grow and we assume a $40 subsidy in US/EU, then US/EU farmers costs will be $140. This is because the subsidy means they don't need to be as efficient. This reduces economic growth and means that most people in the US/EU are poorer than what they would otherwise be.

Software is no different. Windows is horridly expensive because MS is a monopoly, and patent/copyright law allows them to maintain their monopoly. But software is a product and should only have patent law applying to it (7 year monopoly) which balances the public good of innovation vs the public bad of monopoly. But software companies used copyright law which allows 50/70 years of monopoly and used their capture of congress to get a completely free extension of 20 years. Microsoft also reduces economic growth as investment monies gets spent on Windows/Office rather than a new press or employing more staff for all the other companies in the world.

You need to remember that rent seekers pretend to be capitalists, they talk the same lingo but their goals are the opposite of capitalism. They are adept at coopting others to their support. Australia is going through micro economic reform of electronic funds transfer and and credit/debit cards (and visa and mastercard now live in the high court trying to stop it). The supermarkets have their own EFT networks and their concern at not being able to extort 100s of millions from banks is, so they say, motivated by concern for lower prices for their customers.

One thing about micro economic reform is it seeks to unwind cross subsidies so more economicly efficient decisions are made. With microsoft (and I only use MS as an example because we are familar with them) they use the office inflows to subsidise other business, like MSN or XBox. This reduces competition as others can't afford to operate at a loss. So the least efficient operator forces out more efficient operators.

Another principal is there should be a relationship with the cost of the good/service. If an office type product costs $1 to make and is selling at $100 lots of firms will start making and selling it so the price will come down, via competition, to just above $1. Patents prevent this happening.

So please show me where I advocate stealing.

 

[Al Smith]

With all the billions of dollars at microsofts disposal why can't piracy be

prevented? Why can't the codes be somehow "encrypted", I am not a programmer
but I just wondered why it is not possible with all the mechanisms, I have
heard of some programs that "phone home" or some things that if you are
having pirated copies they send some signal back to base and it demolishes
or messes up your system or does some other sabotage activity.

Maybe they could package little paper disks with each CD, disks
that generated a unique encryption code just for that CD that the
buyer could produce by dialing around the disks and entering
before Windows would work.

That's what one software maker did back in the old DOS days. The
security system was so cumbersome, and so hated by everyone who
used it, that it drove the software maker out of business.

Gates is not stupid -- greedy yes, stupid, no -- he won't make it
too hard to defeat Windows security because he knows that the more
people who use Windows, the larger his market share and the
greater his overall sales.

 

[David Candy]

And Bill has said "that all hardware should be free".

That GNU guy said to bill one day "All software should be free" at a conference. And Bill replied "so should all hardware".

 

[Al Smith]

And Bill has said "that all hardware should be free".

That GNU guy said to bill one day "All software should be free" at a conference. And Bill replied "so should all hardware".

Good one, Bill. But really I think he can afford to buy the deluxe
motherboard.

 

[Li'l Roberto]

Richard
can you not give this lady a password thus preventing the "little
terror/s" accessing the machine [I am assuming its a Win XP box ]

rgds
Li'l Roberto

 

[Joe]

He has big problems now. Bought a bunch of Xbox stuff. Apparently
lost/gave/had stolen (from him) his mom's credit card number while doing
the purchases. His mom says he is in police custody. She's not too anxious
to have him home!

Oh Crumbs!! It is more serious than you first let on. Its not just a kid who
has been over zealous with his mums credit card buying ring tones over the
net then, sounds like it is more serious. I hope the kid gets straightened
out before he gets older, while he is at this age he has got a chance to
mend his ways. Lets keep fingers crossed.