HELP needed: Tricks for licensing Python software

[Ray Smith]

Hi Pekka,

I agree with what others have said, one point that maybe hasn't been spelled out
fully are the problems that these security *features* cause your honest 
customers.  
What happens if the user doesn't have a network card?
What if their network card breaks or is replaced for some reason?
What happens if they change PC's?
What happens if you don't respond to emails to update their keys?
What if you go out of business? Does that mean your clients can never change
any part on their PC?

Eventually your honest customers will get sick of the *restrictions* your 
putting on them and find an alternative package. (Not all of them but a 
certain percenatge will - a large percentage)

Two companies that I deal with that bought in these features and then removed 
them within 12 months:
* AcuCorp (AcuCOBOL),
* Sheridan (now Infragistics)

Python is a *child* of the Open Source movement and these types of restrictions 
are the reason why so many people develop and use open source software.
This reason is probably why the free giving Python community (don't you just 
love 'em!) probably won't put to much effort into helping you restrict users.

Regards,

Ray Smith
ray at rays-web.com
 


Pekka Niiranen <pekka.niiranen at wlanmail.com> wrote in message news:<ba3bp3$m9$1 at news1.songnet.fi>...
> Has anybody tried to implement license key
> for Python script in Windows ?
> 
> For example, distributed Python program
> could be tied to the MAC address of the PC:
> Before program could be used, the user must
> give the MAC address of his PC that is used
> as seed for generating license key for the software.
> Thus, the program could not be run on any other
> machine without installing the same
> network card to it.
> 
> I would hate to learn writing C extensions
> just for this. Any ideas ?
> 
> -pekka-