Software Deletes Files to Defend Against Piracy

teamhasnoi writes "Back in 2004, we discussed a program that deleted your home directory on entry of a pirated serial number. Now, a new developer is using the same method to protect his software, aptly named Display Eater. In the developers's own words, 'There exist several illegal cd-keys that you can use to unlock the demo program. If Display Eater detects that you are using these, it will erase something. I don't know if this is going to become Display Eater policy. If this level of piracy continues, development will stop.'"

Comments

Wow....just wow.

[NDPTAL85]

I'm already an adult.

In any case Congress has already decreed that creators have rights above and beyond those who are merely users, and that of course is the right to profit from their creations. And seeing as how Congress writes the laws.....I don't know what your argument here is. While you managed to avoid mentioning you know what, you picked someone just as bad proving once again that Slashdotters, open source/free software propoenents and the like simply have absolutely no capabilities in concerns to perspective when discussing technical issues. To compare anything we're talking about right now (friggin software) to Stalin is really depressing. Why? Because on one hand technically geeks are obviously brilliant, while on the other hand this childish worldview demonstrates that when someone excells in one capacity they are usually deficient in the other, this being the social graces.

Re:Aren't there laws against this?

[rainman_bc]

would be interesting to see how ID resolved that one.
FWIW I never bothered. I bought the game for $20 way after it was released and it wasn't worth the effort to get it all dealt with.

Honestly Q3A probably already sucked at that point anyway - with all the spawn killers and cheaters it became almost stupid anyway...

I think I speak for all of Slashdot when I say...

[TheVelvetFlamebait]

You complete, utter, pirate scumbag!