Encoded add-ons at a discounted price?

[Liam W]

I'm just looking for some feedback on an idea that I had.

Just a show of voters, if you were offered the choice of purchasing an encoded version of an add-on (Ioncube, for example), for a reduced price of the original (say 30%-70%), would you be more likely to purchase the add-on?

For a few people, having access to the source would not be a big worry, and the lower price may swing them in favour of purchasing.

Would you never purchase an encoded add-on? Would it make no difference as to whether you would purchase the add-on? Is price not a factor at all?

Just wondering
Liam

 

[melbo]

I shop addons by usefulness and necessity to my needs first, cost is a lower priority.

 

[Slavik]

I would *never* install an addon that I couldn't inspect the source.

 

[whynot]

Would you never purchase an encoded add-on?

With a few nice callbacks in it?
No, I would not.

 

[EQnoble]

I would imagine that anyone that can use a loader would not want to load something that they can not see the source and many of the people who would benefit from it (many free/cheap hosting customers) wont be able to use it.

 

[whynot]

I'm just looking for some feedback on an idea that I had.

So far it's not very encouraging:
Yes: 0
No: 8

Think about IPB's addon, Nexus: They are not encoding it anymore.

 

[Daniel Hood]

With a few nice callbacks in it?
No, I would not.

You can hide the source without having malicious callbacks.

So far it's not very encouraging:
Yes: 0
No: 8

What he's suggesting isn't very uncommon in other software. I'm not surprised the vote is going unfavorably but it's an interesting concept and I like to see devs brainstorming new pricing models.

 

[Digital Doctor]

So most hosted accounts can't use ioncube requiring addons ?

 

[Ernest L. Defoe]

So most hosted accounts can't use ioncube requiring addons ?

Most budget hosts probably don't have the loaders installed which means that ioncube encoded addons won't work. So that would require either said budget hosts to install the loaders which most probably won't or the person buying said addons would need to find a better host. Which might keep the person from buying the addons to start with.

 

[wang]

I would *never* install an addon that I couldn't inspect the source.

The same goes for me too.

 

[XFA]

Most budget hosts probably don't have the loaders installed which means that ioncube encoded addons won't work. So that would require either said budget hosts to install the loaders which most probably won't or the person buying said addons would need to find a better host. Which might keep the person from buying the addons to start with.

Most of the host do have ioncube.

When I was developping for vBulletin at some point I had encoded add-ons to avoid piracy and had no issue with any of the customers.

I think Liam intention here is to see if he can protects his products to avoid piracy of his products.

 

[wang]

Most of the host do have ioncube.

When I was developping for vBulletin at some point I had encoded add-ons to avoid piracy and had no issue with any of the customers.

I think Liam intention here is to see if he can protects his products to avoid piracy of his products.

From a coder 's point of view I can see that. But seeing it from a customer 's perspective, I do not think that the majority of users will install and use soemthing, whose code they can not see. I code for another software too, and add on encoding was a no go for most of the customers base there.

 

[Daniel Hood]

But seeing it from a customer 's perspective, I do not think that the majority of users will install and use soemthing, whose code they can not see.

I install phone apps, use computer programs, etc.. all the time which source code I cannot see. I've never attempted to decompile navicat or phpstorm. People use tapatalk which they cannot see the source of. People are lining up to use @Slavik's app which they won't see the source code to (if I recall correctly). I think there's some sort of weird thought process going on that people just should be able to see the php files even if they have no need to.

 

[wang]

I install phone apps, use computer programs, etc.. all the time which source code I cannot see. I've never attempted to decompile navicat or phpstorm.

I do think that it is a different situation between the forum add ons and the programs that you mentioned above.

I think there's some sort of weird thought process going on that people just should be able to see the php files even if they have no need to.

I would not call it weird that thought process myself. People might have forums of a sensitive nature, and they have, or better said, should have the need to see what they are installing by way of third party add ons. It is like that saying goes, better to be safe then sorry.

 

[Daniel Hood]

I would not call it weird that thought process myself. People might have forums of sensitive natures, and they have the need to see what they are installing by way of third party add ons. It is like that saying goes, better to be safe then sorry.

It's honestly not that different. I run my entire business on my computer and handle a lot of it from my phone. Having something insecure or a keylogger or anything would be pretty catastrophic. It comes down to doing due diligence. Also, there's people that should see the source and it makes sense for them to want to. Then there's the average forum owner that doesn't really know what they're looking for when auditing the add-on before uploading anyways so what's the point? It's not like there's going to be

$hacker->stealPasswords();

sitting in the source lol.

 

[Ozzy47]

Then why not encode the base software as well?

If you are worried about piracy, there is a very simple way to not have your work pirated...........

 

[wang]

Then why not encode the base software as well?

If you are worried about piracy, there is a very simple way to not have your work pirated...........

..... is to not develop any add ons at all

 

[Ozzy47]

Which is to not develop any add ons at all

Exactly.

 

[melbo]

Is encoding through ioncube bulletproof as a way of avoiding piracy? I'm pretty sure that you can run pirated versions of MS Windows. If MS can't stop piracy of their OS, I doubt that an addon is safe from a determined pirate.

 

[Jake B.]

Is encoding through ioncube bulletproof as a way of avoiding piracy?

Absolutely not, a bulletproof way to avoide piracy doesn't, and likely never will exist short of not releasing what you make