Setting up the Application so that only an Executable of a Specific Version Number is Allowed 5

[carolx]

Hi Forum

I want to set up the application so that only an executable with a specific version number is allowed. If another executable is copied into the application folder but the version number differs from the legitimate executable the execution is aborted with an explanatory message if it is run.

(x = AGETFILEVERSION(arrVersion, "vpay202410.exe"))
Note: Also take into consideration that the older executable may have the same name as the current one but overwrites the current (legitimate) one.

Carolx

 

[GriffMG]

I have had one app where the owner licensed it to people in the Gulf of Mexico, and that had a time limited approach.

Annually the user would get a run down, 90 days, 60 days etc. then, if they paid, I would issue an activation in response
to a serial number - which included, secretly, an indication of the date/time on the machine being activated.

In the seven or eight years this ran I did not once identify anyone cheating... although there was one incidence of a
user cloning his hard drive as he left the licensee's employ and tried to get support going forward!

That was when the licensing stopped altogether, trust gone.

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.

There is no place like G28 X0 Y0 Z0
​

 

[Chris Miller]

That's right, Mike. And once you've established an update mechanism that checks at every start and updates, if a new version exists, an outdated version is replaced automatically, no matter if it's put there intentionally or not.

The situation I think of is with private end users, not within a company or organization. For them I'd not use such xcopy or robocopy start batch process, as the next version for them would also not be on a company server file share, but in the internet. Well, you can apply the same mechanism looking and getting the next version from the internet instead, but then you'd perhaps want to claim an upgrade price at least for major updates and only provide service or bug fix updates free.

In any case, it is unusual an older version is of interest to users.

The need for running the latest version also differs slightly from the need to run a specific version only. That's why I asked Carol. To ensure that, a signature is the best mean I can think of, because it also covers the detection of version number manipulation. No matter if that's unlikely. You can learn you need a resource editor for that and that can be found and used. So if you have explicitly that need, simpler methods cover the normal case, but if she asks because the version is put there intentionally for some advantage, as strangely as that seems, users doing that could also go the next step, if it helps them.

In the scenario I think of, the user would only have an older version, if he also has bought that, maybe he tried an update and didn't like it. Then it wouldn't matter to me, if he wanted to downgrade, so the requirement is a bit puzzling to me, still. But whatever reason Carol has, to verify and ensure only a specific version can run, the airtight way is with cryptography.

Chriss

 

[Mike Lewis]

Although I don't normally get involved in licensing issues, or issues with trial versions, I did once have a client who planned to distribute a time-limited trail version of his app. I advised him instead to remove the time restriction, and instead to restrict the number of records in could process.

He took my advice, and it worked well. He found that the product gained a foothold among very small companies, who were able to use it for free indefinitely. But as a result the product became very well known within the industry, and was eventually very much a de facto standard. Employees sometimes recommended it to their employers when they moved to larger firms, and there was even a third-party market in add-ons and accessories.

I know this is not directly related to the main subject of this thread, but I thought it might be of interest.

And I'm intrigued by Griff's licensees in the Gulf of Mexico. Were they running the app on water-resistant computers?

Mike


__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Visual FoxPro articles, tips and downloads

 

[GriffMG]

No Mike,
On those oily things sticking up out of the gulf, crappy little platforms (I think) certifying lifting equipment
like shackles, ropes, cranes, lifts, winches stuff like that...

The tech was developed for UK Offshore - to comply with our regulations - and used by techs the world over, still is,
but one customer just wanted to lease it - the owner would not sell copies - so for a not so modest fee they
rented it out, until a tech cloned the HDD and then asked for support... then the plug was pulled completely.

Was a NLE for a while, not so much fun answering calls in the middle of the night from a, probably drunk, technician
who had dropped his lappie onto a steel floor and wondered if I could fix it...

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.

There is no place like G28 X0 Y0 Z0
​

 

[Mike Lewis]

Ah, the joys of tech support.

Mike

__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Visual FoxPro articles, tips and downloads

 

[GriffMG]

Indeed Mike, indeed...

'I'm sorry..bzzz zbbzb... you did what?'

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.

There is no place like G28 X0 Y0 Z0
​