Shareware vs. Time Machine

Question

Problem: Client X (considers) migrates one of its previously “Windows only” shareware applications on Mac OS X. One of its problems is how to enforce a 30-day trial period and make it immune to system rollback, e.g. Time Machine.

Question: What is the best industry practice for preventing the use of rollback software to extend or otherwise change a 30-day trial period on shareware?

DISCLAIMER: I do not consider Customer X's strategy as viable, and I do not see how people will have an incentive to roll back the entire system to use their software for a few more days. However, for the sake of due diligence, I ask here so that I can investigate his question. Please think about it if you want to vote simply because you (and I) may not agree or find it impractical.

Answer 1

Typically, OS X developers use a hidden file in one of the supporting folders somewhere with a trial date. For the most part, this is a good enough strategy for what he wants, I doubt that someone will do a full system recovery just to piracy his application, and if they use Time Machine to restore the application package itself from an earlier date, t generally does not matter to the date of the test.

Now, if he worries that users are performing a full recovery or tracking of a hidden file, he can try some kind of online verification service for his trial software. In fact, these people are just going to find a cracked copy in any case that you cannot fight, even if you want to insert time into it.

Answer 2

How much money will he spend on finding and implementing a solution? How much money will he lose by extending the probationary period? What is return on investment?

Oh wait, that’s not a question. He wants to do something, even if he costs more than he earns.

Answer 3

One way that can be viable would be to capture several unique system variables. I'm not sure what is available on OSX, but there may be two examples: the primary HD serial number, the MAC address of the main network adapter.

Combine the factors into a playable home hash phone (make sure you expose it in EULA or something similar). You can measure how many times the user has used it and “reply” so that the application can find out if it is loading or not.

This is not perfect ... But, without cracking it (which is an inevitable problem), the end user would have to learn in sufficient detail how the system works.

It will cost more (since you need to support activation servers and start up), and it will annoy users who want to use it without an Internet connection. Measure this, add development costs, and consider whether piracy is really a problem to justify the costs.

Remind your customer that if they measure illegal downloads, not every download is lost.

Answer 4

This is shareware, so there are some things we know.

There are people who want to use your software and are willing to pay for it. All you have to do for them is get them to try out your software and not make it difficult to pay. (For me, Paypal is quick and easy, but sending out a check becomes a hassle.)

There are people who simply do not pay for your software, and what they do does not affect you. Perhaps you are a little better if they are cheating; That way, they might be of interest to someone who could pay you. Try stopping them from using your software if you want, but don't force yourself to think that it will give you more.

There are people who are willing to pay you, but prefer to use it for free. These people are the ones you want to worry about. You want to do it less to just pay you than to cheat. If the cost is reasonable, they are not going to invest unreasonable amounts in its use, so you do not need to take excessively restrictive measures. (Remember that only people who will work are hard to fool those who will not pay you anyway.)

Remember also that protection from excessive irritation will cause people to “pay” for “not pay.” Many modern examples, by contrast, I really don't think that annoying your legitimate customers is an important part of a business plan.

Here you can’t do anything without waiting at home to cause many other problems, to prevent everyone from cracking your protection scheme, so if it’s worth it to sell in the first place, someone will crack it and probably put on a pirate bay. Do not worry about it, as you can do nothing about it. Save your efforts for things that will bring you more profit. EDIT: Be very careful in protecting your application. You do not want the Pirate Bay version clearly superior to the legal version. You also want legitimate customers to say, “It's great, and not a problem to install,” not “He turned off my DVD drive and soaked my gerbil, but after that it was great to have.”

Finally, I do not see the difference between Windows and MacOSX here. If I download some shareware files for Windows, I save the ZIP file and I can delete and reinstall, or reset the system date. For MacOS, I can remove and reinstall, or reset the system date, and Time Machine can automate some of them. What is the problem here? (Remember that if you leave unused bits where they can cause problems later, you are potentially annoying cash customers.)

My recommendation would be to not worry too much about it.

Answer 5

As Oli wrote , the software could call home with hardware serial numbers, etc. There are even DRM schemes that can use TPM equipment on the machine itself. Calling home is simple enough, but it has several disadvantages:

• There are privacy implications. Many users do not like it when phones with software are at home, and everyone who uses dialup will notice the listing.
• You need to support the phone app.
• People without an Internet connection will be blocked if you do not have a backup DRM scheme, such as a hidden file in the system folder, as Mark wrote .
• If there is a problem with the home phone server, your clients may have difficulty using a trial application.

However, a good use of the phone’s home server is to collect indicators on how the application is used, and possibly to download updates. Of course, metrics have more privacy restrictions.

In the end, any application can be hacked. Video game providers have anti-fraud software to prevent modified customers from cheating online; perhaps this technology can also be used here. However, there is still a pernicious requirement for connecting to the Internet.

Answer 6

System Restore software exists for Windows and most other operating systems. It is even easier to use VMware or something else to install a trial version on a virtual machine, which allows you to instantly return to the previous snapshot. I always install tests on a virtual machine, not because I want to extend the trial period, but because I want to fully test the trial version before I risk it in my main system.

If someone wants to solve the problem of repeatedly rolling back their PC or virtual machine just to continue using your trial version, they probably won’t buy your software. If you block them, they will hack your competitor's product.