Pocket PC Registration

[mikelove]

So we've gone back and forth on this, but I think with the Pocket PC version we are going to implement some sort of a hardware-locked registration system (one which is tied to your Pocket PC's hardware serial number, in other words). Using the HotSync Username on Palm is not a perfect system, but it does at least take a little bit of effort to change it, while on Pocket PC you can change the owner name in a few seconds without installing any third-party software. (and a lot of people don't even bother setting it, which is not really an option on Palm)

However, we certainly don't want people to have to e-mail us every time they get a new Pocket PC, so we're trying to decide on the best way to handle hardware changes. The current thinking is this: we would provide a form in "My Orders" which allowed you to change the Device ID for a particular registration, but we would limit changes to once every three months. (of course if your PDA broke or whatever you could e-mail to ask us for an immediate change)

Does this seem like a reasonable delay? Can any Pocket PC owners out there comment on the likelihood of having to replace their handheld more than once in a three-month period?

 

[Jim]

This seems quite reasonable especially when it is possible to email you with a reasonable explanation why you should make an exception.

Another possibility to consider. Would it be possible to write a small utility that would allow a user to change the ID so that they could move it to another unit whenever they want. However, this utility would have to be run to uninstall from the first unit before it would reset itself and allow input of a different number. Basically, they could run Plecodict on any number of units but only on one at a time. This would help people who have a unit for a short time for testing or a replacement while their original is in for repair.

 

[haraldalbrecht]

Would it be possible to write a small utility that would allow a user to change the ID so that they could move it to another unit whenever they want.

From what I see the utility should run on PCs and on different operating system platforms (such as Linux, MacOS, Windows). Running the application on a WinCE device is surely not desirable since in case of a system breakdown one would not be able to transfer the license. Thus, a Java version, if possible, would be preferrable and would run on different platforms.

 

[Jim]

Would it be possible to write a small utility that would allow a user to change the ID so that they could move it to another unit whenever they want.

From what I see the utility should run on PCs and on different operating system platforms (such as Linux, MacOS, Windows). Running the application on a WinCE device is surely not desirable since in case of a system breakdown one would not be able to transfer the license. Thus, a Java version, if possible, would be preferrable and would run on different platforms.

The system failure would have to be a hardware failure as a software failure would only necessitate reinstalling the software and the unit ID would still be the same. In the event of a hardware failure an email to Mike would get around that. The most a cheat could get would be one extra copy as I am sure Mike would become suspicious if someone claimed a second hardware failure. The protection results from Plecodict having to be removed from one unit before it can be installed on another. If the utility is not actually run on the unit then how can it determine that Plecodict has in fact been removed?

At any rate, I am not sure how practical this is from a programming standpoint so Mike will know best and make the final decision as to what works best for him.

 

[mikelove]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm afraid a system like this to migrate the registration from one Pocket PC to another really isn't practical - there are any number of ways to get around it, and only in Windows CE 5.0 (and whichever release of Pocket PC comes out that uses it) are they adding in the level of copy-protection capability that we would need to make it work.

So I think that a basic hardware-locking system would work best.

 

[Smoodo]

I say the Mike's first suggestion is fine.

Mike's first suggestion should be fine and is certainly easier to track on his website etc. I understand the need for copy protections, while also keeping in mind that most of the people that will bump up against it are the people playing honest with the system. If a software cracker/hacker/pirate has it out to get a version of the software working generically out there, it'll happen.

I vote for Mike's easy win/win compromise. It's not too much of a pain to everyone and discourages the people who would be most tempted.

 

[Anonymous]

This may or not be relevant with the hardware protection you have in mind but you should consider that a lot of PPC users have to reinstall softwares more than once every 3 months after hard-resetting their devices for ROM upgrades. Since I aquired my QTEK S100 5 months ago, there were 4 major ROM updates which require reinstalling all softs on the handheld. This is mostly true for recently marketed devices but you may have to take this into consideration.

 

[Anonymous]

Hard resets are a fact of life for PPC users. Savvy users carefully and regularly back up their systems because they expect a hard reset at any moment, whether spontaneously or manually to remove corrupted files. It would be a definite pain to have to get a new reg key every time I had a hard reset (when you're already in a foul mood).

Sandra

 

[mikelove]

That's part of the advantage of the hardware ID system; neither a ROM update nor a hard reset would change your handheld's serial number. So the only time you would need a new keyfile is if you got a new Pocket PC. (or if you installed a faulty beta ROM upgrade which screwed up your serial number, but if you're desperate enough to do that then you're presumably willing to endure a lot of other nuisances)

 

[vrixon]

Device Srl No Proposal

I vote strongly for Mikes suggested Hardware ID locking system - no serious, honest user would mind the protection system suggested, particularly if it was possible to change the registration online.

 

[mikelove]

Well that's what we're going with now - all of the other options on Pocket PC look to be either too easy to crack (owner name, device ID) or too likely to change. And we might still consider doing this in a future Palm release if it goes smoothly on Pocket PC - given the number of e-mails we receive from people who've changed their HotSync Username I have a hard time believing it would be a significantly greater hassle than the current system.