At 10:46 PM 5/1/01 -0600, Mark Gregory wrote:
>Why oh why is it that software that uses dongles for copy protection never,
>ever, includes the dongle in thrift or used software stores? Is there a
>classiccmp approved solution to keeping older software running, even if the
>dongle is long gone? For example, through buying old systems I've now
>acquired three original versions of an Amiga DB package called Superbase
>(two Superbase Personals, one Superbase Professional). I have original
>disks, manuals, etc., but no dongles. Short of finding "broken" copies of
>the software, is there any way to defeat the hardware check that's looking
>for the dongle? What are the ethics of finding a way to defeat copy
>protection on old software? Any suggestions much appreciated.
I'm in the opposite situation. I have boxes of dongles, and if
it weren't for Sharpie markers and bits of label, I wouldn't
know what they're for. I've bought old software with dongles,
and I've even found dongles still stuck inside or outside
old machines I found at the curb.
The hard line answer is without the dongles, you can't run the
software. But that means you must be a believer in shrinkwrap
licenses, which often include such fanciful stories such as
"there might not be anything in this box at all, and it wouldn't
be our fault" and "we might even ask for this back, and you'd
be out the money" and "this may work, or it may not".
You may not possess anything resembling an actual old licensed
copy. After all, what you have is indistinguishable from
what remained after someone upgraded - in theory, someone out
there could own "your" copy with newer manuals and software
and the old dongle.
Cracks are illegal in any flavor of shrinkwrap. Without a
company willing to enforce it, it's much like you're dishonoring
the wishes of the dead. But Superbase the company isn't dead.
See
http://www.superbase.com/sbdocu/maintain/Maintai8.htm .
Ask them about the Amiga version and see what happens.
In an odd connection, near the end of the Amiga market, I was
consulting at Software Publishing Corporation at the time they
acquired Superbase from Precision.
- John
Received on Wed May 02 2001 - 09:20:49 BST