New License Key

[admin]

New License Key

I did not change the LK algo for years, and quite expectedly the crack scum piled up miles high all over the web and XY serials can be found on every other Chinese flea market. I thought, before I add highly popular features like CKS and DP (yep, dual pane, I will comment on that decision later and elsewhere), I put some effort into developing a new and massively smarter key that will make a lot of cracker-sweat run all over the place.

The nice thing about the new key is that cracking is still possible to some degree. Thus your average hopeless global teenager can show that he has at least a minimal amount of brain; that might not be enough to attract the girls but enough to impress his peer group and fill his heart with hope and pride. Fine. But note that I said "to some degree"! In order to reward those honest users that show their thankfulness through paying instead of stealing I designed a key system whose crackability is limited by the laws of mother nature. Limited as in NO, YOU CAN'T. Here's the message to whom it may concern: In future, the joy of betraying a hard-working developer by using a cracked key will last only a couple of days before the key will slowly "decay" and throw you back to trial version mode. So sorry!

For registered users there will be a web-based transition interface, where you enter your name and old key and instantly receive the new key. Crack users will receive nothing and soon find themselves in trial mode hell.

[surrender]

Wow!! Sounds cool. .

[j_c_hallgren]

I thought, before I add highly popular features like CKS and DP (yep, dual pane, I will comment on that decision later and elsewhere)

Two thoughts:
1) Re new key method: Hope you've created something that will keep those folks at bay for some time! As Don knows, even though I was given a special price for my help here, I've since via donations made up the difference, I think, and hopefully maybe just a touch more...and likely will continue those small donations in future...so I, for one, feel he should be rewarded for his efforts...so go get em, Don...give em hell!!

2) So...maybe persistence and some logical financial comments have had an impact..
That DP comment caught my eye immediately!

[CitizenD]

The first thought that comes to mind is - what about users who don't have an internet connection or plan to use XYP on a PC without a connection or behind a very restrictive firewall?

Cheers,

D

[Nighted]

I have to agree with the above poster. This is really bad news for offline users. How is this going to affect the portability of XYplorer?

I went offline for over a year once...it would suck to know that I couldn't use any of my software if I had to format my machine.

[j_c_hallgren]

It's my understanding that the web interface is just for existing users to convert old key to new one...and that "new style" key for new owners will continue to be sent via email..I don't think XY will be using a 'phone home' style of key checking...so offline users should be ok, once they get initial key value...

Don, please correct me if I'm incorrect on any of this stuff, ok?

Feedback on converting key process:
1) Need to have a link to that key convert page! On Web via Support and maybe via menu, at least for a while...had to dig it out from forum post.
2) Wasn't totally clear that I had to enter the "XYdentity-" part of that into web page...I just entered the unique part and figured the use of "Other" would be enough...so you may want to clarify that...
3) If there is a way to cause the new key to be 'selected' and ready to Cntl-C on the web page, that would make it just a bit cleaner and friendlier...I know it's a one time usage thing, so just a suggestion.

[admin]

The first thought that comes to mind is - what about users who don't have an internet connection or plan to use XYP on a PC without a connection or behind a very restrictive firewall?

This is just a transition interface for old users that want to upgrade to the new version. To get the new version you need to download it, so you need to have an internet connection. If you keep your old version, you can keep your old key.

PS: XY does not phone home!

[admin]

I have to agree with the above poster. This is really bad news for offline users. How is this going to affect the portability of XYplorer?

I went offline for over a year once...it would suck to know that I couldn't use any of my software if I had to format my machine.

This is just a transition interface for old users that want to upgrade to the new version. To get the new version you need to download it, so you need to have an internet connection. If you keep your old version, you can keep your old key.

[admin]

Feedback on converting key process:
1) Need to have a link to that key convert page! On Web via Support and maybe via menu, at least for a while...had to dig it out from forum post.
2) Wasn't totally clear that I had to enter the "XYdentity-" part of that into web page...I just entered the unique part and figured the use of "Other" would be enough...so you may want to clarify that...
3) If there is a way to cause the new key to be 'selected' and ready to Cntl-C on the web page, that would make it just a bit cleaner and friendlier...I know it's a one time usage thing, so just a suggestion.

Thanks for the feedback!
There's no link yet, because it is still BETA...

[CitizenD]

So how does a cracked key "decay" and a valid key not?

As an example, if I have a PC that is not internet accessible, but I buy an XYP license for it using another PC that does have email/web access, am I going to be able to install it on the standalone PC and register it and have it work?

I feel for you with the up hill battle against cracks and illegal hacks. It's a fight I've seen many developers go through with little success. You come up with a key/serial algo and it gets reverse engineered and cracked, you have some sort of check being done and someone patches a way round it, you simply have two different executables (shareware crippled and full) and the full gets leaked. Good luck with it.

Cheers,

D

[admin]

As an example, if I have a PC that is not internet accessible, but I buy an XYP license for it using another PC that does have email/web access, am I going to be able to install it on the standalone PC and register it and have it work?

Of course. XY needs no internet connection to run.

And thanks for the encouragement For me, the interesting part of the battle is not the crack-makers but the crack-users. The kick to legally own must be better than the kick to steal. We'll see...

[admin]

key.php is online again.

LATE NOTE: I made a mistake in the "Example" on key.php. For Date:, enter just the date part (e.g. 2006-04-14_11-09-48), not "2006-04-14_11-09-48_PayPal"!

[admin]

http://www.xyplorer.com/key.php is online again.

LATE NOTE: I made a mistake in the "Example" on key.php. For Date:, enter just the date part (e.g. 2006-04-14_11-09-48), not "2006-04-14_11-09-48_PayPal"!

(Where I am right now, I cannot fix it...)

[RalphM]

And whoever switched to the new key on Jan 20. (5.50.0020) has to do it again?
Just checked, whether I'll get the same "new" key with the new conversion including the purchase date - and no, slightly different.

So, which one should I use now? (Well, most probably the newer one, but will it change again?)

[admin]

And whoever switched to the new key on Jan 20. (5.50.0020) has to do it again?
Just checked, whether I'll get the same "new" key with the new conversion including the purchase date - and no, slightly different.

So, which one should I use now? (Well, most probably the newer one, but will it change again?)

Well, there have been some bugs. Actually everybody who has done it before NOW should do it once more. Not because of the key but I had to change the xydentity part, and to have the correct xydentity will be interesting in the future...