We Operate a large mortuary business and our crematory software was written using visual foxpro. We are needing to move our software to a new computer however the guy who wrote it for us has passed away and we do not have the activation key to install it on our new machine. Is there any possible way for us to get this activation code? We sincerely appreciate any help and look forward to a response!
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Need Help Finding our Activation Key Our Programmer Passed Away.
- Thread starter dmifsud22
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Mike Lewis
Programmer
Well, Griff, since charity is in the air, I will add that I am willing to help you to help the OP - not that you will probably need it.
Mike
__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Visual FoxPro articles, tips and downloads
Mike
__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Visual FoxPro articles, tips and downloads
Thank you Mike.
Let's see if they get in touch, it should not be too hard to find the footprints in the digital
snow that will tell us if the poster is genuine.
Regards
Griff
Keep [Smile]ing
Let's see if they get in touch, it should not be too hard to find the footprints in the digital
snow that will tell us if the poster is genuine.
Regards
Griff
Keep [Smile]ing
There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
I'm trying to cut down on the use of shrieks (exclamation marks), I'm told they are !good for you.
I'm trying to cut down on the use of shrieks (exclamation marks), I'm told they are !good for you.
Olaf Doschke
Programmer
Sorry for not chiming in. I have been the victim of fraud several times now, and impostors are polite and give good reasons often enough. Last time I lost my old employment through a hostile acqisition - kind of. Don't think I judge this as similar - it can't be even far off, but optimism is not my mindset anymore.
Well, like said: All doubt may be resolved. I'd not act beforehand and many of the recommendations I did are also in your own interest, even if all you say is true. You help yourself better, if you negotiate to get sources and find someone taking charge of the product. That might be a good business opportunity, but for me only, if that stands on solid ground.
In case all this is rooting in a contract job for your company, I don't even blame you yourself, dmifsud22, I don't even know if you're the business owner or just an employee confronted with the situation and not involved way back when this software was introduced.
Good luck anyway.
Bye, Olaf.
Well, like said: All doubt may be resolved. I'd not act beforehand and many of the recommendations I did are also in your own interest, even if all you say is true. You help yourself better, if you negotiate to get sources and find someone taking charge of the product. That might be a good business opportunity, but for me only, if that stands on solid ground.
In case all this is rooting in a contract job for your company, I don't even blame you yourself, dmifsud22, I don't even know if you're the business owner or just an employee confronted with the situation and not involved way back when this software was introduced.
Good luck anyway.
Bye, Olaf.
Another consideration on why you should contact the spouse of the software developer -- she may have sold the rights of the software to another developer or company. So it may not be permissible to just decompile... I hope developers will respect another's work nad not just simply decompile because it might be possible.
Mike Lewis
Programmer
There is no legal or ethical objection to decompiling in itself. What matters is the intent, that is, how you intend to use the information you gain from decompiling.
If you decompile a program in order to steal trade secrets or to get past anti-piracy measures, that would most likely be actionable, and probably even illegal. But if your intent is to be able to carry on using a product that you have every right to use, then it would be hard for anyone to object.
By all means, contact the guy's estate, if only as a courtesy, and on the off-chance they might be able to help (maybe he left some notes or documentation in his files). But that doesn't change the legal or ethical position. (And, by the way, the person to contact is the executor, who is not necessarily the same as the spouse.)
Mike
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Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Visual FoxPro articles, tips and downloads
If you decompile a program in order to steal trade secrets or to get past anti-piracy measures, that would most likely be actionable, and probably even illegal. But if your intent is to be able to carry on using a product that you have every right to use, then it would be hard for anyone to object.
By all means, contact the guy's estate, if only as a courtesy, and on the off-chance they might be able to help (maybe he left some notes or documentation in his files). But that doesn't change the legal or ethical position. (And, by the way, the person to contact is the executor, who is not necessarily the same as the spouse.)
Mike
__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Visual FoxPro articles, tips and downloads
Olaf Doschke
Programmer
Mike,
while the intention matters, you as the developer capable to decompile could be made to think you only help a poor guy saving his business, when he or even hos boss or even higher up the decompiled sources are used to sell the cracked software or do other illegal stuff, eg installing 50 pcs with a single bought license. And when it comes to any investigation you're part of the whole crime.
That's a very pessimistic view, including dmifsud22 might not even be involved in the real intentions, but as said imposters are probably the politest and most thankful people you'll ever meet in your life. And again said, all doubt may be resolved by seeing contract or other paperwork proving the ownership. Since this is old software and the developer was involved personally I assume there is paperwork, otherwise communication, mails. In case the final license was bought only you might only have mails about that purchase, but also some money transfer would proove at least the ownership of the license.
Maybe I'm overreacting and being overcautious here, but that's the way it is.
Bye, Olaf.
while the intention matters, you as the developer capable to decompile could be made to think you only help a poor guy saving his business, when he or even hos boss or even higher up the decompiled sources are used to sell the cracked software or do other illegal stuff, eg installing 50 pcs with a single bought license. And when it comes to any investigation you're part of the whole crime.
That's a very pessimistic view, including dmifsud22 might not even be involved in the real intentions, but as said imposters are probably the politest and most thankful people you'll ever meet in your life. And again said, all doubt may be resolved by seeing contract or other paperwork proving the ownership. Since this is old software and the developer was involved personally I assume there is paperwork, otherwise communication, mails. In case the final license was bought only you might only have mails about that purchase, but also some money transfer would proove at least the ownership of the license.
Maybe I'm overreacting and being overcautious here, but that's the way it is.
Bye, Olaf.
MikeFromMountDennis
Technical User
Have you tried Belarc Advisor on the OLD machine? It has saved me a couple of times.
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