Intellectual property protection suddenly stops. What do software developers do?

[loinburger]

Originally posted by Sandman
There's an easy way to get around this: create a state-owned software company funded by taxation. Probably not ideal, but it is a possible course of action if intellectual property somehow ceases to exist.

I work for a state-owned software company funded by taxation. Our single greatest contribution to the industry was Ada. 'Nuff said.

[loinburger]

Originally posted by VetLegion
Maybe more hardware-coupling, "black boxes" which take input and give output. Completely standalone, or some that you plug into monitor or something (hardware is getting cheaper).

Dongles will typically either create an unacceptable bottleneck, or else they'll be easy to bypass, or else they'll be too expensive to manufacture. Even operating on the assumption that everybody's got an IEEE 1394 port on their computer, you'll still be introducing a lot of latency into your application unless you're able to pipeline the hell out of it. Probably the only way that hardware protection would be feasible is if software manufacturers could issue authenticity certificates on a smartcard (operating on the assumption that everybody's got a smartcard reader on their computer) -- it's still fairly easy to reverse-engineer a smartcard with the proper equipment, but the proper equipment is still expensive enough that your average hacker won't have access to it.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger

Originally posted by JohnT

Any assumption of fewer revenues kills the volunteer concept. Selling the software will result in more revenues than hoping that people will recognize your genius.

You apparently have not heard of shareware.

Non responsive. Draw up a financial plan that shows me a distro method that allows for vountary payment of software, but is still revenue-neutral from the current method of just selling the stuff.

You know, like we sell food as opposed to just allowing people to voluntarily pay for it. Why aren't there threads whining about that?

[Sandman]

I hope the free-marketeers steer clear of the state-funded and state-produced game:

Spoiler:

America's Army

Here's an old thread I started, advocating a state-owned games company. Rio as a game setting.

[OzzyKP]

Wow, I spent way too much time designing that damn screen shot for it to be totally ignored by everyone here.

[Garth Vader]

That was a cool screen shot man

[Imran Siddiqui]

Some of you are forgetting that a lot of pirates are downloading software simply because they can't afford to buy it

Bull****! If they can play all the high tech games that come out on their spiffy computers (more advanced than mine, I'm certain), they can afford games.

[SpencerH]

THE reason I buy and play civ and smac is because I originally played a pirate version of civ (on a mac). After playing it for a year or so I went and bought the game (in order to support the company) and have bought every version I played ever since.

I'd like to point out that the current disaster with ATI cards and CIV4 is a strong reason why people do pirate the games.

[JohnT]

Yes, and all those games you played and didn't pay for don't get a mention, because... ?

And hardware problems is a justification for stealing from Sid Meier, Firaxis, et al?

[SpencerH]

Originally posted by OzzyKP
Wow, I spent way too much time designing that damn screen shot for it to be totally ignored by everyone here.

I didnt even notice what it was about. I was just annoyed that it has thrown off the page size thingie (I love to throw in those tech terms).

It is good though.

I'd be happy to try versions of games that were paid for by advertising (so long as I could buy a version sans advertising if I wanted (kinda like polyplus).

[JohnT]

I mean... ... we're on a site that exists purely because of commercial software and yet people claim that...

Hell, I don't know what it is you're claiming. Some bull**** about software being better if people didn't pay for it, or some such idiocy.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Sandman
I hope the free-marketeers steer clear of the state-funded and state-produced game:

Spoiler:

America's Army

Here's an old thread I started, advocating a state-owned games company. Rio as a game setting.

The vast majority of work behind America's Army and the code for it was licensed from Epic, a private company.

[OzzyKP]

Oh snape.

[Sandman]

Originally posted by Asher

The vast majority of work behind America's Army and the code for it was licensed from Epic, a private company.

The Unreal Engine is used for dozens of games, is it not?

[Asher]

Yes, but I'm not sure what point it serves to serve as an example of public software development if 95% of the code was developed by a private software company.