Renzatic on 3/1/2009 at 22:12
Quote Posted by catbarf
While I now understand your preference of dongles as a medium, I think that as far as security they wouldn't help much. One way or another, the pirates would break them. It's pretty much inevitable.
Dongles have long since been broken, or at least older ones have. I used to pirate Lightwave back in the day before I grew a conscience. One of the many cracks packaged along the program was used specifically for bypassing the dongle.
So yeah, it's just as easy to bypass it as any software based DRM.
Also Pavolvscat, I've got me a labelmaker. Much neater than a sharpie, and less likely to give me a headache from the smell
Papy on 3/1/2009 at 22:53
Quote Posted by catbarf
One way or another, the pirates would break them. It's pretty much inevitable.
Of course they could, but unless you use the device only to check its presence, which would be completely pointless, it would take them a lot more work to extract the data on the dongle. They couldn't just read what's on it. Basically, breaking a dongle protection could be the same as breaking a credit card system or other kind of smart card devices. It is certainly doable, but it's not something you can two in two days.
Quote Posted by Renzatic
Dongles have long since been broken
Do you know what a smart card is?
doctorfrog on 3/1/2009 at 23:07
Online activation and confirmation before playing is basically an evolved software dongle. It's an externally-made, publisher-controlled, patented thing that is unnecessary for the game itself to run.
Matthew on 4/1/2009 at 00:17
Quote Posted by Papy
Do you know what a smart card is?
I would suggest that the card would not be the problem; rather it would be the reader that would necessarily be a part of / attached to the user's computer and the software drivers for it that would be the weak point in that case.
Papy on 4/1/2009 at 09:50
Quote Posted by Matthew
it would be the reader that would necessarily be a part of / attached to the user's computer and the software drivers for it that would be the weak point in that case.
That's why you don't use the dongle only as an verification tool but you also put several chunks of the data and code from the game into it. That means you have to "break" the dongle to obtain that data and to make the game run without it. Of course you can trace into the program and get each chunk of data one after another as they are read, but this is no small task, particularly if you put a lot of "decoys".
Shakey-Lo on 4/1/2009 at 10:09
I had an idea for a sort of wireless dongle. That way you wouldn't have to hunt around for lost discs (or dongles) or even worry about changing games, just so long as you had your game collection on a shelf somewhere near your PC you could swap in and out of games as you please. All you'd need is a single reader plugged into a USB port or something like that (assuming all games used a standardised system).
EvaUnit02 on 4/1/2009 at 10:20
Discussing dongle ideas is fruitless. Physical media is on its way out the door. It's only a matter of time before global broadband infrastructures get to point where they can support the distribution of colossal amounts rapidly, with efficient compression that doesn't compromise the content's quality. It might take a decade or so though.
Quote Posted by Papy
That's why you don't use the dongle only as an verification tool but you also put several chunks of the data and code from the game into it. That means you have to "break" the dongle to obtain that data and to make the game run without it. Of course you can trace into the program and get each chunk of data one after another as they are read, but this is no small task, particularly if you put a lot of "decoys".
That idea is obviously so extremely anti-consumer to the point that no one will be dumb enough to implement it on a mass scale.
Zerker on 4/1/2009 at 14:24
Quote Posted by pavlovscat
My solution to this is to write the CD Key on the disc with a sharpie.
Good luck reading the key when the disc is in the drive :D
Matthew on 4/1/2009 at 15:39
Quote Posted by Papy
That's why you don't use the dongle only as an verification tool but you also put several chunks of the data and code from the game into it. That means you have to "break" the dongle to obtain that data and to make the game run without it. Of course you can trace into the program and get each chunk of data one after another as they are read, but this is no small task, particularly if you put a lot of "decoys".
It still only needs to be one person or group's task, then the dongle is essentially worthless.
pavlovscat on 5/1/2009 at 03:02
Quote Posted by Renzatic
Also Pavolvscat, I've got me a labelmaker. Much neater than a sharpie, and less likely to give me a headache from the smell
But I've got great handwriting! :cheeky: Honestly, I've considered a label maker, but I'm too cheap. Plus, I like the smell of sharpies. ;)
Quote Posted by Zerker
Good luck reading the key when the disc is in the drive :D
Yep, that's why I also keep a handy dandy spreadsheet with a list of the keys. :cheeky:
