Ioncube loaders - What are people's experience with them ?

[Digital Doctor]

I've never used Ioncube loaders before.
I know some addons require them.
What are people's experience with them ?

 

[Shamil]

I can't really imagine many people here have done performance test with scripts which are protected vs unprotected.

 

[Digital Doctor]

Looks really nice, hate the IonCube and whatnot though. I, like others mentioned, don't need the higher mulit-domain option, but I also don't like not being able to customize myself and otherwise being "tethered" to someone else's uptime/site. ... it's still an issue, no one likes being forced into marriage.

So if the addon was stable ... you wouldn't be too worried ?

 

[Trekkan]

So if the addon was stable ... you wouldn't be too worried ?

Well, there are a few issues I have with it.

#1: Once I pay money for a mod, there are times when I want to change something. Something only I personally want changed. The authors generally don't want to make the change, because it's specific to what I want to do. With IonCube, I'm just SOL in situations like this.

#2: When software phones home (this isn't specifically IonCube related though), then it puts a dependency on someone else's uptime, general availability if something does go wrong, their ethics (taking your money and running), their company stability, their hosting, etc... All of the things you have to worry about for your own site, you now have to worry about for someone else's site.

#3: Speed. While generally not a serious factor that I've noticed, it's still a factor (there's no way it can't be a factor).

#4: Not all hosts have IonCube. It's not a big deal usually to get added, but it's get another mod that has to be added to the PHP installation.

#5: if the company decides to drop support for the mod and not release the source, any upgrades say to your primary software (xF in this case), could break functionality. Now, you're stuck. Do you not upgrade your entire forum software, or do you upgrade and lose the ability the mod that is IonCube'd offered you? I don't want to have to make this choice, ever.

Now, I know some people will say things like "You don't have the source to Windows!" and they're right. However, in this case, I do have the source to xF and if their entire application is open, why wouldn't a mod that is built to run specifically on that same platform?

In the end, it's the software authors choice of course and I'll respect that. But that doesn't mean I'll like it or support it. I might in the end purchase the software if I feel I need it, etc. But I'm not going to pay 60.00 just to get a sourced version of what I paid 15.00 for. I'd pay another 10.00 for it though.

 

[Digital Doctor]

It must reduce piracy of the addon though .. right ?
That's the whole point of it from the developer's point of view ... right ?

 

[Trekkan]

It must reduce piracy of the addon though .. right ?
That's the whole point of it from the developer's point of view ... right ?

I've never seen anyone actually be able to quote anything other than assumptions when it comes to that. Personally, it might help reduce piracy, but I feel it also reduces sales. And reducing sales is something I can personally validate as true, because I generally (Although not always), won't buy something that's IonCubed.

My personal view on it reducing piracy (without any shred of proof at all), is that it doesn't help for crap. Why? Well that's easy to answer.

You have software out there today that the source isn't available to, say Windows. Yet, it's pirated all the time and there is no source. However, if you're offering your software for sale without the IonCubed version (meaning, source is available), THAT is the version that is going to get pirated and then it's out there anyway. All it takes is one person to buy it and give it to a friend, one pirate with a lot of cash to spend, etc.. just one time, it's over.

So, yeah, I think it just hurts your legitimate customers more than anything.

 

[DSF]

I know some addons require them.

Of course they can do that.
I use it NEVER, NEVER again for security reason.

 

[high1976]

I've never used Ioncube loaders before. What are people's experience with them ?

my2c: avoid it wherever possible. Especially for security reasons cause you have no idea what crap/bugs/leaks/incompetence may exist in the decoded code. And you wont be able to fix them anyway.

That 'pirate'-argument is nonsense as those who use a nulled software on a public webserver will never pay for it. As said before, as long as an open version is available its worthless to encode the other ones.

 

[Digital Doctor]

However, if you're offering your software for sale without the IonCubed version (meaning, source is available), THAT is the version that is going to get pirated and then it's out there anyway. All it takes is one person to buy it and give it to a friend, one pirate with a lot of cash to spend, etc.. just one time, it's over.

Definitely agree with that.

So, yeah, I think it just hurts your legitimate customers more than anything.

yea .. but for $15 ! who really cares !

I'm trying to keep this topic about ioncube but the "recent developer" that is using IonCube seems quite reputible to me

So ................. maybe a bit of IonCube for a addon with good value from a trustworthy developer is OK.

And if you want tweaks that are reasonable ... just flood their customer forum with requests

 

[Digital Doctor]

high1976 - why would a developer use Ioncube then ?

 

[Trekkan]

yea .. but for $15 ! who really cares !

I'm trying to keep this topic about ioncube but the "recent developer" that is using IonCube seems quite reputible to me

Well, the 15.00 isn't what matters, it's that if it doesn't work later and there's no way to edit the code that matters. So if you build something into your site that a mod is the integral to your site, it's not the 15.00, it's the pain of trying to find something else. Because, really, if the only argument for IonCube is to prevent piracy, then well... charging extra for it, again is only making your paying customers... pay.

Also, nothing meant towards the guys with the forms mod, I've seen 'em around and they seem like ok people. I didn't mean to imply they would do anything wrong, etc. Just that IonCube itself leaves you open to such things.

 

[Digital Doctor]

Well, the 15.00 isn't what matters, it's that if it doesn't work later and there's no way to edit the code that matters. So if you build something into your site that a mod is the integral to your site, it's not the 15.00, it's the pain of trying to find something else.

In this case if the developer went AWOL or was screwing people (WHICH SEEMS VERY UNLIKELY) couldn't you just move your existing Forms to the nulled version ? (Until a longer term solution coudl be found ?)

 

[Trekkan]

In this case if the developer went AWOL or was screwing people (WHICH SEEMS VERY UNLIKELY) couldn't you just move your existing Forms to the warez version ? (Until a longer term solution coudl be found ?)

Sure, if you want to #1, find it, #2, trust it. =) Not all people are going to have the ability to recognize a back door, etc. Plus, most people WANT to support software authors, I know I do and have no problem paying for mods.

Also, not to mention, using a nulled version or otherwise, is still illegal as you did not pay for it (even if you paid for the other version, you didn't pay for this one, in this example), so... yeah, still not a good thing.