Someday there will be revenge against crackers 

i would have to ask. It took this long? usually these things are done within a day of release. This suggests that PMDG have managed to make it at least difficult for them to crack, and within a couple of releases and improved methods it will become impossible to all but the most stubborn of hacker.

It's probably the same hacker that has been taunting Just Flight ..... I guess they only managed to shut him down for a few weeks.

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Actually no. Most of the hacks "like the PMDG one" Provide a "server" where you run this program along side the install, so when it goes to contact the company, it infact gets diverted to this "customer service server" that validates the install, and it goes along as if you had actually paid for the product.

However I do agree that payware tradeing is kind of sad, unless your traiding the install keys (you know how eaglesoft has the e-reciepts). Mabe if I were trading you my Citation II e-reciept for your Hawker 400 e-reciept, I could see how that would be fair, but just handing someone the installer to say the Real Air spitfire is almost as bad as just taking it strate off the shelf.

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Agreed.

Well ladies and gents I just made two very important purchases today with money that was being saved for a new car stereo. The PMDG 747-400 and Eaglesoft Cirrus SR20 G2 are now proudly sitting in my hanger, and my car is sitting in the garage, due to lack of funds for gas.

Im off to go help a neighbor with some landscaping, so as soon as I get back I'll poast some screens.

indeed, that sucks guys.
cracking is a very bad habit you know
Mees

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What are you on about?? These guys spend hours to make high quality add-ons. They make us fly things that are worth millions of dollars. The PMDG 747 is about $55 which is nothing as you can get the first hand experience in the sim. Imagine you making something like a masterpiece painting worth millions of dollars. Someone breaks into your house and steals it, wouldn't you feel sad? I know I would if the same happened to me. And geez, would you like any one else saying "I really don't have any sympathy for the guy who had his painting stolen"...the same goes for Payware add-ons 

Same goes for people who download and copy movies, and music. Those guys probably spend more on that than anyone ever spent designing an aircraft for a game....And people just STEAL their work when they download and/or copy music cd's and movies...Shameful

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Uhh... not quite.  Software piracy is still illegal, with hefty fines for convictions.  The ruling was that downloading copyrighted music appeared legal, but not necessarlily uploading.  It had nothing to do with software.

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Its actually been up there for nearly a month now, i often go round and see a friend and he pointed it out to me and he also pointed out that you can dl fs2002 pro and fs9/2004 aswell.

The Only type of aircraft and scenery that has been downloaded by me are off here, avsim or surclaro (or what google turns up).

i wish there was some sort of programs that company's would come up with to stop this from happening.

Nemo

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Some designers like the Level-D Simulations have IP tracking built into them. It's something like a "Home Call Feature". It's really cool as they track which IP's they have sold the product to. Pretty good way of keeping hackers at their bay. Other companies include IGFLY with their spectacular Walk and Follow Utility and the TU-154M....
Cheers,
Ashar

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I downloaded the Dreamfleet A36 Bonanza on dial-up, before I got broadband. Seems like it was 50-60MB.
Took me 3 1/2 hours though 

First of all I'm not admitting to stealing payware, I am merely playing "Devil's advocate." Secondly, I feel their is a difference between stealing from a large company, where they can recoup their losses, and stealing from normal citizens where it is far more difficult to gain what has been lost...that's my personal opinion but oh well

I thought this thread was locked

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Would that fall under politics or religion? 

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So...... let me see if I get this right....... you are saying here that the artists and company's that produce just the intellectual property that we call "music" do not deserve to be paid for their efforts in creating it in the first place or then making that sound available for sale so that people can listen to it?

Or are you saying that because you have the tools to easily and pretty anonymously steal the music, that it is OK to do that?

Or do you mean that music has no value and hence the people who create it should not make anything for it?

Or are you saying that musicans and record companies are OK people to steal from?


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SO.... again here.... let me see if I understand this...... you are saying that it is perfectly OK to steal stuff...... as long as you chose carefully WHO you steal from?  So how do you judge who is OK?  Net worth?  Annual gross income?  I get it... steal from the rich and give to the poor.


I'm sorry, but stealing is stealing..... and is morally wrong.  Rationalization on the matter is just that

best,

................john  

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John - but remember, you can do things just because you can, whether it's right or wrong, and still escape the consequences, so why not steal music, or anything that's on the EEEnternet?  It's there, I can grab it, therefore I will.

I exist, therefore the guvammint owes it to me to make me happy.

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Okay....as if they'll actually beleive us

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Abacus has the "fly before you buy" on SOME of their models - that 's one way.  However, ...


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Where there is a will, there is a way.  At best, we, as individuals, can police ourselves, and take whatever legal action to prevent piracy/stealing of our own products.  The sad part is that if piracy becomes widespread, there is no incentive for payware companies (or freeware developers) to participate in the market.

that's strange.....
Mees

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Hmmm, why do i think that's strange??
Mees

Nemo, just because you CAN do a thing does not mean you MUST do a thing.  Just because you can get it illegally does not require you do so.  That's called 'morals' and whether or not you exercise your morality is what defines you as a person...

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I am not sure what you are actually trying to say there. 

The way you have said the above........ it APPEARS that you are saying that you don't condone theft.... BUT that you don't consider that downloading and "filesharing" of copyrighted material is theft.

Is that what you meant?  ???


best,

..................john

Nemo,

Thanks... that clears that up.  And take care of yourself.

best,

..................john

I would be confused myself if I was looking at Roller-girl while trying to type!   

Dave

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Untrue... LDS was out on torrents the same day it was released (I know as I help run a legal-only torrent site...where home artists can post their stuff. We police it so anything that is posted that is NOT made by that person, is removed)

Anyway, my take on it is, I only download to evaluate.  I am sorry but my thinking is why the hell am I going to pay someone $60 (I paid $20 for FS9!) based on just the pretty pictures the post on their site?

Let me have a trial/demo to try...let me kick the tires and see if it's something I want to buy.  Some add-on companys do this, and I will use the demos.

Some (like LDS) don't so I download their product and test it out.  If I like it, I buy it LEGALLY and delete the download...(and I send them a nice email letting them know they need demos of their craft).  If I DON'T like it, I delete the aircraft all together.

Only reason I download the craft is to try them out to see if I want them in my hanger.  Companies allow you to listen before you buy at most music stores; Movie makers give you previews of their movies to tease you into watch the full thing; Car lots let you test drive the vehical you want before buying; hell even grocery stores have taste test stands set up to let you test of the food before buying it; Microsoft allows you to demo their Office and windows products...

Certain add-on companies (and I use that term loosely) don't like the idea of people demoing their products...too bad.  Just because we won't blindly give you our money based on a few nice words and pretty pictures on your website, doesn't me that we are out to rob you.  It just means we are smart consumers...

Or at least that is just me.

BTW: I legally own all of my payware craft and only have a few freeware craft left in my hanger (they just seem so bare and.....childish..... after playing with the payware stuff)  As for the tracking software, well I run a very paranoid network where I have hardware firewalls, and a proxy server before anything hits the net...or access my machines.  I hard locked that reporting software from ever getting on the net.

bschott,

I'm with Kevin on this one.... what you describe is stealing ... and you are just rationalizing the behavior.  And with your "lockdowns" and such... you obviously are approaching it "professionally".

When a company offers demos and taste tests and test drives they CHOOSE to do that.  They authorize you to try the product.  What you are describing is the equivalent of going onto the car lot and stealing the car... joyriding it... and then returning it to the lot. 

It is perfectly fine to not want to buy something that you can't test.  That is YOUR choice to make... and the company in question might lose out on you as a customer.  But they decided to take that risk.  That's why they don't offer a "try it" option.  You might not like it... but it is THEIR property and they can do whatever they want with it.

Don't like it... vote with your feet (and your money).  But you want your cake and eat it too.

Simply deciding that YOU don't like or agree with their policy so you will then do whatever you want to with their product is pretty selfish, inconsiderate, and self-centered.  Not to mention illegal.

Sorry... but it doesn't wash.

best,

..................john

I think we will never be able to stop those cracker.
No matter how hard the copyright protection is,
they will crack it.
I think there is one way how
you can at least really shock the people that are
downloading payware or any other copyright protected software. Make something like hidden traps. For example..
I work with the render software vray for 3dsmax.
Of course shortly after the release it could be found cracked
on the internet. But what the cracker did not know... just
removing the copyright protection wasn´t enough. They build in a little feature that would render each frame in an animation in a slightly different color. Not noticable when
looking at a picture.. but strongly visible if you play the animation. Now every week at least 2 people pop up at their forum and ask "I have a strange flickering in my animation.. what can I do"  Like this you can give
those people at least a verbal slap in their face.
Payware designer should release buggy versions
and spread them over the net.
I could think of little inbuild features like... format c:
and so on

Posted by: bschott
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I guess the above is his disclaimer  


No matter what bschott, you steal it, if you like it you buy it, if you don't like it you stick it in your “hanger” and fly it here and there when you want.
Basically that is what I do with all the payware that I have paid for!
I buy the aircraft, fly it, and stick it in a hanger.
I buy another and stick it in a hanger.
A few months go by and I stumble on that not-so-great payware aircraft and you know what I do……. Fly it,…… LEGALLY!


Dave

And anyway, is it a new day for when a new crack comes out for a payware product?

No, it isn't, so although there is some sort of deal associated with it, it's not a big one as we KNEW beforehand that a full product download would be landing in P2P programs. That dpesn't mean I support these downloads but instead it means I'm not surprised or angry or whatever.