Hey folks!
Can anyone give me some insights how to sell a custom class regarding the protection/ license stuff ?
What options do I have ?
About the only way to protect your source code is to encrypt it and then have some sort of license code that’s validated.
I would vote for raising price and sell with source code and support.
PS: And encrypted items have been hacked or worked around in the past.
I sell both encrypted and unencrypted versions. I find both versions sell about equally well. Yes, it’s true the encryption can be broken, this is a risk that must be taken. Without a plugin, there is no secure way to distribute code. Xojo class encryption will put up a barrier that is certainly more protection than plain, but don’t expect it to be bullet proof.
In the future when we can build plugins with Xojo, that may change. Then breaking the code requires decompiling, which isn’t practical.
FWIW, I sell only unencrypted versions of source now. The hassles of support just isn’t worth the cost (for me).
I probably wouldn’t do the encrypted versions if I didn’t wasn’t using some “magic.”
Thanks for your replies.
I actually meant the way I can distribute the classes with a license. How can I integrate a validation ?
#if notRegistered and not DebugBuild
msgbox "You have to buy my code for xxx bucks!"
#end if
or something similar.
Yeah, I use a constant. If false, I simply don’t render the control in the built product.
[quote=193303:@Rob Egal]Thanks for your replies.
I actually meant the way I can distribute the classes with a license. How can I integrate a validation ?[/quote]
That will be necessary only for encrypted versions. I use a hash of the license holder that creates the license number, and check if it is right.
All depends the nature of your classes, but if it is mainly of interest for professionals, you may consider releasing only the full source code.