Re: Hiding source code (in a country with no laws)

As I read through the many interesting answers, especially the ones debating the ethics of using a logic bomb, it occurred to me that there may be an ethical way to do this. How about simply telling the company that the software is time-limited, much as is done with trialware? That would at least eliminate the problem of using shady tactics - they'd know beforehand that the software would need to be renewed at the end of the contract term. You could set it up to respond to more than one activation key, perhaps, or just make the new working version available once they've paid. Just a thought.

I'm thinking that if they have a problem with that, they probably have no intention of paying you anyway.

Comment on Re: Hiding source code (in a country with no laws)

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Re^2: Hiding source code (in a country with no laws) by polettix (Vicar) on Feb 14, 2006 at 10:43 UTC
I do agree, forcing clearness from the beginning always pays. If the business model does not allow for a full sell of the software (as suggested by someone, but it implies higher up-front costs for the buyer company) and doesn't fall in the Open Source "support" model, one can sell it on a time based license, making it clear in the contract and including also clear schedules for: expected renewal of the license; end of service if a new licence is not agreed in time (which should be a fair amount of time after the expiration of the first bullet). In this case, I'd encapsulate some central functionality inside a XS module, together with the limiting code. The OP should also consider how long all this should go on before they acquire the right to use the software without limitations. There are softwares (like a popular GSM planning tool I once used) that are basically "rented" for limited times, but this timed scheme could just be used to divide the price that makes the OP happy in chunks that make the customer happy. Flavio perl -ple'$_=reverse' <<<ti.xittelop@oivalf Don't fool yourself.	[reply]

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Re^2: Hiding source code (in a country with no laws)
by polettix (Vicar) on Feb 14, 2006 at 10:43 UTC

If the business model does not allow for a full sell of the software (as suggested by someone, but it implies higher up-front costs for the buyer company) and doesn't fall in the Open Source "support" model, one can sell it on a time based license, making it clear in the contract and including also clear schedules for:

expected renewal of the license;
end of service if a new licence is not agreed in time (which should be a fair amount of time after the expiration of the first bullet).

In this case, I'd encapsulate some central functionality inside a XS module, together with the limiting code.

The OP should also consider how long all this should go on before they acquire the right to use the software without limitations. There are softwares (like a popular GSM planning tool I once used) that are basically "rented" for limited times, but this timed scheme could just be used to divide the price that makes *the OP* happy in chunks that make *the customer* happy.

Flavio
perl -ple'$_=reverse' <<<ti.xittelop@oivalf

Don't fool yourself.

[reply]