Re: Has anyone tried the usb devices?
bucky wrote:
That's more along the line of my thinking. The application would only
run if the dongle with a license key was present. [...]
By "dongle," I assume you mean "the 100% reliable dongle
that cannot possibly fail when your customer needs it most,
not even by being left in the pocket of his other trousers
back at the hotel on the other side of town. Satisfaction
guaranteed."
> Any thoughts?
One: The fundamental message of any enforcement scheme
is "I don't trust you." How eager are you to put your
every relationship with a customer (or potential customer)
on an adversarial footing?
The answer "I want to be my customers' mortal enemy" is,
of course, acceptable -- provided you've thought it through
and are comfortable with the consequences. Does the forced
installation of "Windows Genuine Advantage" make you feel
friendlier to Redmond, or does it make you more inclined to
screw them if you can find a way? And WGA is a whole lot
less coercive than any go/no-go dongle would be.
Here's a point to ponder: The provider/purchaser
relationship is not one-sided. If the customer offered to
place his payment in escrow pending his acceptance of your
product as suitable to his needs, would you be willing to
send him your dongle? If not, why not? Why are your rights
in this two-sided TRANSaction superior to your customer's?
Do you think your customer agrees with your reasoning?
But, hell: It's your product, and I'm not going to say
you're wrong or foolhardy or pro-global-warming or any such
thing; after all, I don't know your circumstances. Make your
own choice -- but make it an informed, not a reflexive, choice.
--
Eric Sosman
esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid