Why not to pirate on MAC

w1z4rd

w1z4rd

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Mac Display Eater kills home files

PR disaster waiting to happen

By Nick Farrell: Friday 23 February 2007, 16:15
Click here to find out more!
A MAKER of Mac software has uncovered a “scary” anti-piracy measure in a bit of code called Display Eater.

Display Eater records motion video on your screen which you can then convert to a quicktime movie.

However writing in his bog here, Karsten Kusche, who works for another Apple software maker Briksoftware, says that if you try to use a pirated serial number with Display Eater, the software will delete your home file, which in Mac land is the same as killing your computer.

Kusche said that while it is not right to pirate software it is a bit drastic to kill a mac user's home file.

He said that the would be pirates might even buy a licence one day if they like the software or at least talk kindly about it. However if it is the same software that killed their computer they are less likely to say nice things about it. We would have thought they would have sued.
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http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37824

Mac just got worse. Imagine this scenario:

You buy the software from someone thinking its legal, install.. then loose everything. Eina.
 
What?? That doesn't make a Mac worse. The same software could easily be written for a PC
 
JStrike said:
What?? That doesn't make a Mac worse. The same software could easily be written for a PC
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Yes, but most PC software writers have a brain, and know they would get sued to heaven's hell for this.
 
Okay okay, change the word "most" to "some", but most would not be stupid enough to release public accepted commercial software with this type of programming. :)
 
I cant believe you need an answer to that question.

So there it is. Display Eater recursively deletes the contents of its own Application Support folder(but not the folder itself), and nothing else. If the user was silly enough to put anything in that folder, it would have been nuked. But in that case, one might argue that they deserved it.

Note that the "piratekiller" file, whose contents seem to indicate a perverted TCL function call(kilo transform ar reza) is never used for anything.

Ultimately, the worst thing about this app is the sloppy Obj-C code. Reza, I would be happy to optimize your code a bit, if you're so inclined.
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Thanks for the updated information though. Nice to keep on top of the information.
 
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w1z4rd said:
I cant believe you need an answer to that question.
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Because he would have been the only malicious programmer out there?

I'd never even heard of the app before now but it looks pretty cool - my mac experience just got better, not worse. ;)
 
bwana said:
Because he would have been the only malicious programmer out there?

I'd never even heard of the app before now but it looks pretty cool - my mac experience just got better, not worse. ;)
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I think you totally missed the point. Tell you what, how about we both fire up skype and discuss it over a webcam skype call. Oh wait. You cant ;) I think I am going to play some battlefield2 online... something you are unable to do with a mac either :) *pulls your leg*
 
w1z4rd said:
I think you totally missed the point. Tell you what, how about we both fire up skype and discuss it over a webcam skype call. Oh wait. You cant ;) I think I am going to play some battlefield2 online... something you are unable to do with a mac either :) *pulls your leg*
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I'm confused - Skype for mac has had video for a while now - doesnt hold a candle to iChat wrt video but I wouldn't expect you to understand ;)

I'm also pretty sure if I booted XP I'd be able to load up battlefield2. On the other hand how well does Final Cut Pro or Aperture run on your hardware? :)
 
bwana said:
I'm confused - Skype for mac has had video for a while now - doesnt hold a candle to iChat wrt video but I wouldn't expect you to understand ;)

I'm also pretty sure if I booted XP I'd be able to load up battlefield2. On the other hand how well does Final Cut Pro or Aperture run on your hardware? :)
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Im such a slut for both of those programs. Please hold me back! All the people who are not graphic artists are queuing for those programs.

I was wrong about skype, thanks for updating me. It appears apple skype video now works with 1 of a whole 4 types of webcam.

I duel boot into ubuntu/xp. Ubuntu for functionality, XP for gaming. Mac is based on the BSD kernel which I don't like because of its lack of support. Something I don't expect you to understand :)

</end pointless posts between myself and mod>
 
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I'm not following the jibe about the suggested video camera support - my laptop has a built in camera - all the portables and imacs do. All macs have firewire so I can use just about any dv camcorder.

How about we both fire up skype and have a video chat? I'll wait if you need to boot into XP or is that finally part of the ubuntu "functionality" you were referring to?

You might not like final cut or aperture or any osx app but the point remains the same - OsX, XP, or Ubuntu - all in one sweet bit of packaging :)

Works for me. :D
 
bwana said:
I'm not following the jibe about the suggested video camera support - my laptop has a built in camera - all the portables and imacs do. All macs have firewire so I can use just about any dv camcorder.

How about we both fire up skype and have a video chat? I'll wait if you need to boot into XP or is that finally part of the ubuntu "functionality" you were referring to?

You might not like final cut or aperture or any osx app but the point remains the same - OsX, XP, or Ubuntu - all in one sweet bit of packaging :)

Works for me. :D
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triboot. Hehe. Insane :) well done on choosing ubuntu as your linux distro of choice.
 
Wow, one insane and seemingly sloppy dev for an app that nobody has ever heard of before goes off the deep end and somehow there is something bad about all macs.

Talk about a classic case of transference.

I suppose I shouldn't bring up the many stories of windoze users having to routinely re-install their entire machine because of bad sofware installers killing their system stability. Or that a big chunk of the Serialz cracked codes are for mac software?

I particularly love the re-appearance of the "only graphic designers use macs" myth.

Is it just me or does this dev use the longest software key in existence?
 
The whole graphic designer myth as you put it, was brought up because the apps that bwana mentioned where .... wait for it... graphic design apps :)

Also, I accept defeat mmmkay? Macs are cool, and its true, its users are fantatics :)
 
w1z4rd said:
The whole graphic designer myth as you put it, was brought up because the apps that bwana mentioned where .... wait for it... graphic design apps :)

Also, I accept defeat mmmkay? Macs are cool, and its true, its users are fantatics :)
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We are not. :p We're pragmatic. :D

It used to be clear cut - pc meant windows and mac meant osx but the new intel chips mean that macs, IOW the hardware, can now run just about anything either from boot or in a virtual environment. A person cant just say well your mac wont run <insert app here> because it can. I just picked two industry leading apps off the top of my head that I regularly hear PC users say they wish they could run. :)
 
I thought that Final Cut was for video editing/compositing and Aperture was for Photo management? Still no graphic designers in sight.

Calling you on your bogus arguments is nowhere close to being fanatical.;) Just educational for you.:D
 
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