Re: New method to load user bundles

[Nicolas Roard]

On 2003-06-02 16:28:37 +0000 Jeff Teunissen <deek@d2dc.net> wrote:

> This takes that decision away from authors. With GSAppKitUserBundles, you
> have no choice. You have no way to "secure" any application from
> modification, because the user can rewrite your application. No copy
> protection, because it can be bypassed with bundles. It effectively
> eliminates the possibility for closed-source GNUstep desktop software to
> exist.

Well yes, but it will be the same thing, GSAppKitUserBundles or not ... you
can't prevents the user to do anything he wants, particularly if the libs have
their sources available !
GSAppKitUserBundles is a matter of 10 lines of code, do you really think
that if some "commercial software" wants to use GNUstep, and use a
copy-protection scheme, the average cracker won't add theses 10 lines of
code ??
The problems is rooted with the objective-c capacity of handling categories.
I don't see how you could prevents that...

Anyway this is only important if commercial softwares comes with copy-protection
schemes. On MacOSX, Apple's softwares aren't copy-protected (for what I had
seen). In fact, for a company, it's a pain to implement, whatever environment,
and moreover, it's a pain for the *legal* user, and *not* for the illegal user !
Personnally, protection schemes aren't something I see very efficace, nor so
useful for the company and its users. Honnestly, if the software becomes 
popular, you will see many cracked versions. Copy-protection is really a waste
of time for the company, and an annoying thing for the legal user.

So objective-c (and not only this GSAppKitUserBundles thing) potentially ease 
the use of copy-protection schemes... well I don't see it as so important. Only
solution would be to source-close NSApplication.m :-)

--
Nicolas Roard