you simply cant prevent it. period.
if you know what you are doing, you can cut rightaway the "call home" feature that is implemented now (and in future releases) in vB.

I had the Xp activation thingy in mind myself, but I get a foul taste in my mouth everytime I say that M-word... :P

What you have to ask yourself, Drk, is this. Do you want the developers to spend a sh|tload of time on implementing security that is going to be broken at once, or do you want them to spend that time on delivering a feature complete and stable product to the end users?

Developing features of coruse :)
and making it stable, and the best software out there.

I was really actually suggesting it, I didn't WANT THEM TO DO IT, I DIDN'T POUT, AND CRY LIKE A BABY...lol...and I was actually looking at it a different way then you guys were, though we don't want to get into the whole takes to long, useles discussion.

I suggested this, because i see this script being sent around the anime community alot, and from what I have observed a very big hand ful of them, no nothing about coding, so how do you think they will pull of cracking this? Now, ive seen the mose pirated boards in the anime community, atleast targetting and stoping that would be good right?

Im not saying put it in, and drive customers away, and the thread title was "how would yuou propse vb3 will try to stop piracy of its software", its not called "Drk thinks tehre should be a callback system, and he thinks it should be done now, so it can stop people from pirating"

im really fed up with the whole illegal vbulletin scene, I being only 14 had to save for literally months to afford this, and as i was browsing the internet, nearly every Vbulletin i visit is illegal :| Oh well they dont get the members area.

I dont think people realise what damage they are doing when they download that new song they love, or that new game they cant afford yet. Its crushing the game and music industries, and the internet industry is no different, The Nets becomming more of a bad omen than a gift.

I couldn't care less about the big greedy coorprations (music labels, software companies, etc).

If they make 3 billion or 5 billion, it's still a ++++load of money.
But I always take care to support the 'small fish'. Stuff like WinRAR, vB, Opera, Ritlabs, to name but a few...

People that come out whining about 'OMG, due to piracy, I only made 100millions this year. I think I'll starve...' can go fsck themselves... There is way to much greed in this world...

Tomorrow, when I am sober, I'll prolly regret this post - ++++ happens, right? :)

lol...yess, your drunkie!

Drk

I generaly don't post in threads, and prefer just to read.

The only way to semi-prevent piracy is to encode the files and add the callback feature. That would only slow the *crackers* (crackers is the correct term for what you have been calling hackers. Hackers, at least the real ones, don't break into computers. They just play with your own and create, not destroy) down a day or two at the most.

Alot of the people that crack software are brilliant minds, but have decided to destroy rather then create. I bet if they all decided to make their own software and release it for free, the market would be much more competitive.

But they won't. Piracy is a problem will take a long while to stop.

Even new technology, like policeware, won't stop it, and if (policeware) it passes, alot of innocent people not involved with warez will also be hurt.

Piracy is definately a problem, but I don't see it being wiped out anytime soon.

There really is no way to pirate proof vB.