Some appropriate ways to Defend your Software Applications

August 17th, 2009

Today Software protection is very important problem for every computer owner. It is known that about 30% revenue is lost due to piracy but these figures fail to explain the fact that piracy also increases legal sales. Director of a software company told me they learn about some companies using their pirated software but they did not took any action. The director was not surprised when he received order from the same company next year. He said in the absence of a workable demo or just to try full features before making a purchase decision many people use pirated versions. This doesn’t mean that software companies should not protect their products but only mean that a legal demonstrable product should be made available to customer for evaluation for a sufficient period of time.

So let us learn how to protect software.
1. Third Party Software
Many developers use third party applications to help protect their software. As a result many software developers use a combination of protection methods in an effort to thwart hackers. Third party applications are often part of a total protection solution. The downside to relying on a third party is that if the algorithm of the third party application is cracked your software can be at risk.
2. Wrappers
Wrappers are applications that go around a software download. The wrapper handles the ecommerce, security access and tracks affiliate referrals.
3. Partial Key Verification
A partial key verification is a protection scheme that only verifies certain digits of the registration key. The verification digits vary in different versions.
4. Hardware Locking (generally Hard Disc)
Hardware locking, locks the software to a specific computer hardware, it could be hard disc, sound card, processor, graphics card etc. Hardware locking is used so that a single license can not be used on multiple computers. This is generally unpopular with users because they will often have difficulties if they upgrade their system to a faster system, change hard drive, face system crash. User will have the additional burden of contacting the software publisher so they can get their software to run again.
5. Online Activation
Online activation services provide software developers access to a centralized license server on the Internet, preventing software piracy by means of online software activation. Software activation is the process of obtaining a license for your software so that it becomes active and ready to use on your computer. Users dislike software activation because it is a form of “Call-back” and it will be additional head-ache if you do not have internet connection on the computer on which you want software to be installed.
6. Separate Trial and Download
Many developers release different trial version and full versions. This requires users to uninstall trial and reinstall full version.
7. Dongle Locking
Dongle locking is another form of hardware locking. The software will require the use of an external piece of hardware (either connected to the parallel port or USB port) to “activate” the software. This is very-popular among developers because it is easy to incorporate and easy to deliver. Users always dislike anything extra.
8. USB Drive Lock
USB drives also has unique manufacturer identification numbers like hard discs. Some companies are using USB pen drives as locks. The benefit is that you can continue to use USB drive for data storage. Additionally entire software can be provided in the pen drive with data in it. Imagine taking account ledgers or custom designs (like interior design projects, land escaping project etc.) with you when meeting a customer and updating details their it self. USB Drive Lock solutions will be very popular with users as will as developers.
Having a proper software delivery system is also a requirement in International Standards like ISO 9001, ISO 27001, BS17799 etc..

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January 6th, 2009

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How to play blackjack online

November 21st, 2008

The first and main tip on playing online blackjack is to learn the rules. If you don’t know the rules of blackjack the game may become boring pretty fast. But if you know what’s behind it, online blackjack will be a great way to spend time and have some fun on the web.

The cards in online blackjack have different suits and faces values. Picture cards such as King, Queen, and Jack have a ten count. Ace can be either one or eleven, depending on the player’s choice. An Ace with the value of 11 is called «soft hand» and the Ace with the value of one - «hard hand». The total sum of card values in a hand is the hand total. The main objective of online blackjack is to have a hand total higher than that of the dealer’s but without exceeding the twenty-one count.

After that the dealer deals two cards to each player and himself. Each player has his cards face up, while the dealer has one face up and the other - face down. The face down card is called a «hole card». At this point a players should decide whether he hits, stands, splits, surrenders or doubles. Hit is when you ask the dealer for an additional card. By standing you remain with the cards you’ve been dealt initially. By splitting you break two cards of the same kind.

The Benefits of Blogging for Scrapbookers

October 20th, 2008

Blogging has become a very popular way of communication within the past few years. People blog for various reasons, being that they have a particular topic they would like to discuss, such as politics, sports, music, hobbies or themselves. There seems to be a blog for just about any subject.

Some scrappers enjoy sharing their layouts and projects with other scrappers where a blog can really come in handy. Many blogs offer photo galleries, making it easy for scrapbloggers to get inspiration from other scrappers. To make it look like an actual blog for scrappers, some scrappers have a nice matching theme. Many blogs offer various themes for a variety of subjects. For scrappers, although, the selection is very slim. The good thing about themes is that you don’t have to be a programmer to have your blog looking fabulous!

Scrappers have come to realize what the benefits of blogging are and how to integrate these benefits into their scrapbooking world. One of these benefits is having a daily “log” of their lives documented online. They can use the information they post as a reference for future journaling on their scrapbooking pages.

Another benefit is communication with other family members or friends that live far away. Let’s meet it, this is a fast-paced world we are living in, where time is of the essence. Instead of writing to each and every family member or several friends about what is happening in your life, you can simply suggest that they read your blog. If you would like your blog read only by certain people, that is a possibility.

Since there is a need for themes out there, some designers have begun to realize this and are developing cool scrapbooking themes for blogs. Most recently a special free scrapbooking theme was created for WordPress by SimplyWP. There are also two sidebars and a second sidebar can be used to list all your friends or to add buttons or blinkies.

The above mentioned scrapbooking theme can be previewed at http://www.scrapblogging.net/?theme=scrapbook and downloaded at http://www.photomix.com/news/free-scrapbooking-theme-for-wordpress/ absolutely free. It’s unbelievably easy to implement, so you’ll have no fuss with it at all.

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October 2nd, 2008

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Maybe it is better to gamble online?

September 27th, 2008

When I was much younger than today, so many years ago I can’t remember with a great ease, gambling was so much easier. You either got in your car or on an airplane, and went where people were playing casino games for real money, or you asked around and found out where the floating games were for that night. After that, going to a real casino
I suppose some of the motivation for regulation is the sense that online gaming is not regulated. Go into any real world casino, and you should always be “safe” except from your own gambling habit, of course. There are security cameras everywhere making sure no-one is going to cheat you. Regulators check the slots to make sure they are all working properly. Once you are online, there are no external eyes looking after you. You have to protect yourself. Except you do not know who the company is behind the online casino.

But because the overheads for running an online casino are significantly less than the real world equivalents (paying salaries to all those countless people is not required), the online payout schedules are more generous. Online operators can afford to return more of the stake money to the players and still make a good profit.

So why should anyone want to play online? All you have are a few animated versions of the casino games that lack any sense of physical involvement. Worse, some of the games just are not the same. For example, thanks to the random number generator, counting the cards in online blackjack is a waste of time.
And finally, you can get free money. In the real world, you can get drinks, food and, sometimes, accommodation comped.

So does that mean online gambling is a “good thing”? The only thing wrong with it is that it is easy to play. Nothing similar. Your computer won’t help you in any kind of game. But, so long as you have your gambling under control, you say when, where and how long you play. What can be better than that?

How Atlantic City became top gambling destination

September 19th, 2008

Atlantic City, the first legal East Coast casino in the twentieth century was opened at its beginning. Their four- and six-deck online blackjack games offered a new form of surrender, dubbed by card counters as “easy surrender,” since the casino allowed players to surrender half a bet even when the dealer showed an ace or 10 up, and before the dealer checked for a blackjack. And, ironically, Resorts International was soon the most profitable casino in history, winning an average of $650,000 per day.

A team of professional blackjack players whose founders were from Czechoslovakia that had been playing in Las Vegas flew all of their members to Atlantic City to take advantage of this new surrender rule. This team, which later became known in the casino industry as simply the Czech Team, found the Resorts’ game to their liking and stayed for months. From opening day, card counters had a field day at Resorts’ tables. Ironically, as word spread through the gambling community that card counters found the Resorts’ blackjack game to be the most lucrative game for players in the country, gamblers from all over the world - most of whom knew nothing about basic strategy or card counting - flocked to their tables.

In fact, it was a combination of that easy-to-beat early surrender game and Ken Uston’s The Big Player that had just been published in 1977 that worked together to create an environment where new teams of smart young kids could make millions playing blackjack.

It was also in 1978 that the first MIT blackjack team was started. This team actually consisted of students from MIT, Harvard, and other East Coast colleges. Johnny C.j now a legendary player who joined the team in 1981, plays high-stakes blackjack to this day and continues organizing teams of professional players. The Czechs, the Hyland teams, and the MIT teams would be the scourge of the casino industry for decades to come. Many believe these teams owe their existence to the Resorts’ game with its early surrender rule that made the game so easy to beat. College kids found that they could pool their money, play blackjack with a modicum of intelligence, and get rich quick.

Robbers smash-and-grab their way to two jackpots

September 19th, 2008

Over in the state of Louisiana, there’s a small and unremarkable town called Ventress. It sits in Pointe Coupee Parish. Pass down Main Street to False River Drive and you’ve missed it. Except there’s been a dareful crime. Nothing was too heavy. No gore. Nothing, exceeded humanity. Just two jolly fellows who stole two poker machines.
There’s never been a crimes of this level in this small town but there were surveillance cameras saw every little thing. The bad guys pulled up outside the Waterloo Exxon and Daiquiris Shop in their Chevy truck. For those of you who don’t know Ventress, that’s right next to the levee on the corner. Now these two climb out wearing masks - shows foresight and planning. The smaller had some physical defect in his legs. The big guy smashes through the glass frontage like it was a movie set fake. They pick up the two machines. Now that’s impressive. Each video poker machine comes in at a slimline 300 pounds but these two heroes exit their truck and drive away with the two machines in the back in 33 seconds. We’d like to be able to say these robbers peeled the machines open with their bare hands, but they used sledgehammers. Some cheating there, but they made a few thousand dollars for their efforts. So if you meet a small guy with biceps to die for and a limp in a bar down in Louisiana.

Lawyers fail to recognize a vessel

September 11th, 2008

In the days before the local horseman of the apocalypse named Hurricane Katrina came along the coast, there was a riverboat casino called Bally’s tied up the the dock at the South Shore Harbor marina on Lake Pontchartrain in eastern New Orleans. But once you get lawyers involved, claims rocket upwards. By the time they’d finished, the claim for rent was $20.6m, there were “fees” of $1.6m, and a repair bill of $1.5m - the riverboat knocked into the marina dock and did some damage. The combination of storm surge and wind knocked the old girl around and sent her off to dry dock for repairs. Now here’s the funny thing. While repair were under way, the Orleans Levee District sent in the bailiffs to seize her for non-payment of rent. So the owners sold the riverboat (always sell your assets when sued). It’s renamed the Amanda Belle and up at Bayou Boeuf in St. Mary Parish. But on July U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the case. The judges offered the insight that a riverboat is a “vessel” (it floats and has a paddle to make it move) but the lease was for buildings. Without a maritime lease, there was no cause of action. Attention all lawyers. If you see anything that floats - it is a ship!

There’s No Cheating in Casino Online Slots!

September 6th, 2008

I’m absolutely sure that there is no cheating in online casinos. The only way to win is to play. And the only way to win big is to play like a pro. How does one become a pro? It takes time to become a professional anything, so don’t think for a moment that you can just pick up a game of black jack with friends and suddenly have an innate gift of counting cards and reading expressions. There are no sure fire ways to bet “right” and completely demolish the competition. There are ways to become a better player than the one you once were when you started. Online casinos are all waiting for you! Or can you make a reckon and win? The theories are all over the place on what makes a genius a genius. However, the ability to increase your playing ability all depends on how often you visit the craps online, slots online , and poker online games you find on the internet. Looking for a free handout? Forget it. The games are competitive and fun so you have to find your way into the world and just go for it! Understand, though, that you are starting the way all new players start. Slow and steady and with enough patience you will be able to play like the pros do, winning money and mastering the games you love the most.