Software cracks--how do they do it so quick?

[RayLopez99]

I am on the evaluation period of Visual Studio 2012, just released last month, and I like it and might buy it. The official price if you download it from Microsoft is about $500 or so, but at Newegg they don't have it yet, while eBay has one merchant who is selling it for $350 or so. But his reputation is new--meaning he's only made a couple of dozen sales. So, are his wares pirated? If so, how did they crack Visual Studio 2012 so quickly?

I'll wait a bit and next time I'm in the Third World look to see if I can get a "Thailand" copy. But fear not strong IP advocates--I might actually buy a Microsoft official copy only because I like to set up several virtual machines, with slightly different tweaks to Visual Studio, and run several instantiations of it at the same time (also useful for debugging). So I will throw some money Microsoft's way since I like to support creators of works that I like.

RL

 

[Charlie Hoffpauir]

I am on the evaluation period of Visual Studio 2012, just released last month, and I like it and might buy it. The official price if you download it from Microsoft is about $500 or so, but at Newegg they don't have it yet, while eBay has one merchant who is selling it for $350 or so. But his reputation is new--meaning he's only made a couple of dozen sales. So, are his wares pirated? If so, how did they crack Visual Studio 2012 so quickly?

I'll wait a bit and next time I'm in the Third World look to see if I can get a "Thailand" copy. But fear not strong IP advocates--I might actually buy a Microsoft official copy only because I like to set up several virtual machines, with slightly different tweaks to Visual Studio, and run several instantiations of it at the same time (also useful for debugging). So I will throw some money Microsoft's way since I like to support creators of works that I like.

RL

I can't help with your question about quickly cracking, but maybe you
could tell me what advantages Visual Studio has over Visual Studio
Express, which is free. I bought a copy of Visual Studio for students
years ago, but since then have used Visual Studio Express for what
little I use it.

 

[Flasherly]

I am on the evaluation period of Visual Studio 2012, just released last month, and I like it and might buy it. The official price if you download it from Microsoft is about $500 or so, but at Newegg they don't have it yet,while eBay has one merchant who is selling it for $350 or so. But his reputation is new--meaning he's only made a couple of dozen sales. So, are his wares pirated? If so, how did they crack Visual Studio 2012 so quickly?

Maybe send a message through Ebay to Russia to ask him. I'll buy
vacuum tubes direct from Russia, or China, although that's not as
complicated as serial numbers. If it's direct pirating and heavy duty
it's usually done in shady places underground from people who know
other people. I've seen *of it* in chips for decoding satellite
streams, IRS fraud for false income tax reporting. I knew people in
the television business and I'm in a hotspot for IRS fraud and know
victims. Qualifications: a) Need to know a little, have an aptitude
for computers and broadcasting if hijacking signals, b) there's a
cottage industry being conducted directly out of the prisons for
training inmates in identity theft. So, what's it take to make funny
software that looks almost like other software...someone with a solid
programming background and skills for reverse engineering code;- the
pirate may actually be lazy or unqualified, skipping the middle and
going for the gusto. Then there's the matter of a point where privacy
and corporate rights intersect. When you buy software -- which only
will run with an included, coded USB stick whose sole purpose is to
unlock it, an encrypted optical or magnetic disk, something similar
for plugging into a serial or parallel port, mandatory phone calls or
an internet connection -- that company perhaps has to ask itself
whether it's the kiss of death they're putting on the product if
potential customers feel intruded upon when alternatives can be found
elsewhere. Last, what does 'it's the law' mean to a political
climate. Ever heard the story about black cars showing up front,
black suits knocking on the door, with an extra suit to escort - stand
beside and over someone caught with illegal wares - seated in a chair
in the middle of the front yard, while the others ransack his home?
Rumor control and propaganda and just another side always shadiest
roundabout edges adjoining the same coin.

--
Tawny-finn'd fishes; my bended hook shall pierce
Their slimy jaws; and, as I draw them up,
I'll think them every one an Antony,
And say 'Ah, ha! you're caught.'"
-Cleopatra [ William Shakespeare ]

 

[RayLopez99]

On Monday, September 24, 2012 1:42:24 PM UTC-4, Charlie Hoffpauir wrote:
L

I can't help with your question about quickly cracking, but maybe you

could tell me what advantages Visual Studio has over Visual Studio

Express, which is free. I bought a copy of Visual Studio for students

years ago, but since then have used Visual Studio Express for what

little I use it.

I can't help with your question about VS 2012 Express since I was not awareit was even available until yesterday. But if VS 2008 and 2010 are any guide, the Professional version has a few extra bells and whistles such as 'profiling', 'obfuscator' and such things built in that the Express version does not. There's a comparison feature chart that compares the paid versions but Microsoft does not do a good job telling you which version does what--I've not seen anything for VS 12 yet.

However, looking at the website for VS Express here: http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/eng/products/visual-studio-express-products I notice they have four flavors, Web, Windows, Desktop and Foundation Server. Since I run SQL Server 2008, I am not sure the Express version will run this version of SQL Server (let me know what you think). Also I guess the "Web" flavor is what is known as ASP.NET in VS 12 Pro, and the Desktop is WPF. Where isSilverlight? Is it a separate add on? It's all very confusing.

RL

 

[RayLopez99]

On Monday, September 24, 2012 5:22:00 PM UTC-4, Flasherly wrote:

[cryptic concise Flasherly prose deleted]

I went through your prose a few times and think I got 80% of it, but what is "IRS fraud"? Is it somebody who will file a fake income tax return claiming a modest income so that you don't have to pay taxes? That will generate all the paperwork from a fictitious employer? If so, that's ingenious but I've never heard that before.

RL

 

[SC Tom]

On Monday, September 24, 2012 5:22:00 PM UTC-4, Flasherly wrote:

[cryptic concise Flasherly prose deleted]

I went through your prose a few times and think I got 80% of it, but what
is "IRS fraud"? Is it somebody who will file a fake income tax return
claiming a modest income so that you don't have to pay taxes? That will
generate all the paperwork from a fictitious employer? If so, that's
ingenious but I've never heard that before.

Quite often, "IRS fraud" is pretty much the same as identity theft. The
crook will file a return under different real names and SSNs in order to get
those peoples' returns. Thankfully, it hasn't happened to me, but I know two
people over the last 15 years or so that had it happen to them. Talk about a
true IRS nightmare; they were both audited back to the day they were born
(almost). One of them had it all straightened out within a year, but the
other, after three years, is still going through all kinds of bad news. She
has even had her social security benefits suspended until it's straightened
out. Luckily for her, it may be over soon.

 

[Flasherly]

On Monday, September 24, 2012 5:22:00 PM UTC-4, Flasherly wrote:

[cryptic concise Flasherly prose deleted]

I went through your prose a few times and think I got 80% of it, but whatis "IRS fraud"? Is it somebody who will file a fake income tax return claiming a modest income so that you don't have to pay taxes? That will generate all the paperwork from a fictitious employer? If so, that's ingenious but I've never heard that before.

RL

Within a spirit of the democratic entity -- Of 15-30% taxes any one
person pays from yearly wages to live within a social contract, some
else, not living within a spirit of that same contract, multiplies, as
a percentage taken over from any number of individuals, hence
defrauded by dint of false identity claims upon due monetary asset
returns permitted, from the initial sum, and due lawful individuals to
claim by dint of return(s) for lawful employment, once a year, by the
number of false identity filings assumed as an omnibus of illegal
intent to force upon such agency as the social contract entrusts to
collect from wage-earners.

-
Falsehood has an infinity of combinations, but truth has only one mode
of being.
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau

 

[Flasherly]

[cryptic concise Flasherly prose deleted]

I went through your prose a few times and think I got 80% of it, but what
is "IRS fraud"? Is it somebody who will file a fake income tax return
claiming a modest income so that you don't have to pay taxes? That will
generate all the paperwork from a fictitious employer? If so, that's
ingenious but I've never heard that before.

Quite often, "IRS fraud" is pretty much the same as identity theft. The
crook will file a return under different real names and SSNs in order to get
those peoples' returns. Thankfully, it hasn't happened to me, but I know two
people over the last 15 years or so that had it happen to them. Talk about a
true IRS nightmare; they were both audited back to the day they were born
(almost). One of them had it all straightened out within a year, but the
other, after three years, is still going through all kinds of bad news. She
has even had her social security benefits suspended until it's straightened
out. Luckily for her, it may be over soon.

I only know one, although according to local law enforcement, this is
the hotspot, nationally, for a sheer number of false identities
filed. Very interesting, but I wouldn't dare mention your
experiences, especially if at all widely indicative, to him. Nope.
He has tendencies to be real sore-spot over issues, (the type that
likes to sit around listening to talk-radio, even trained for a career
in it, raking the muck), and, as such, and when he goes off, it's
nothing at all about being mildly pissed.

 

[Charlie Hoffpauir]

On Monday, September 24, 2012 1:42:24 PM UTC-4, Charlie Hoffpauir wrote:
L

I can't help with your question about VS 2012 Express since I was not aware it was even available until yesterday. But if VS 2008 and 2010 are any guide, the Professional version has a few extra bells and whistles such as 'profiling', 'obfuscator' and such things built in that the Express version does not. There's a comparison feature chart that compares the paid versions but Microsoft does not do a good job telling you which version does what--I've not seen anything for VS 12 yet.

However, looking at the website for VS Express here: http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/eng/products/visual-studio-express-products I notice they have four flavors, Web, Windows, Desktop and Foundation Server. Since I run SQL Server 2008, I am not sure the Express version will run this version of SQL Server (let me know what you think). Also I guess the "Web" flavor is what is known as ASP.NET in VS 12 Pro, and the Desktop is WPF. Where is Silverlight? Is it a separate add on? It's all very confusing.

RL

I "almost" bought a copy of Visual Studio (retail) a couple of years
ago just to get a copy of Visual Basic... which is all I had used from
the student copy I had from earlier. Then I stumbled on Visual Studio
Express, downloaded it, and found it met my modest need completely. I
probably wouldn't know how to use the extra features in Visual Studio
(retail), so I guess I shouldn't wonder about it.