Flawed Registration Systems

In the latest MacUpdate Promo, there are a number of programs I've never heard of and some that are big name products. I purchased the bundle, downloaded the applications, and started registering them. Developers have chosen different methods for registering their products. There are a few types of schemes that are being used:

• Registration code that is just entered.
• Registration code that is entered and then validated against a server.
• Registration code that is entered and then validated against a server and then tied to a certain computer.
• Custom downloaded app that is pre-registered.
• Picture with registration information embedded.
• Registration code that requires you to visit a web site and then your code is sent to you.

When I started ReceiptWallet, I used eSellerate's system and chose option number 2. After I received a very nasty comment on VersionTracker that my company could go under and he'd never be able to re-register the application, I immediately switched to option 1 as the user was absolutely correct. Registration schemes, for the most part, keep the honest people, honest. All of the systems above, except for the first one and fifth one, have one serious flaw. That is, the company must still be in business if I change computers or lose the registration number. In addition, their servers must be working and they can't rearrange anything on the server or the validation may no longer work. I understand that people are trying to protect their software, but protecting the software at the expense of penalizing legitimate customers is, in my opinion, bad business. I'm sure people will disagree with me, but I've had a few successful programs that used method number 1. I sold something like 4000 copies of one of my programs to NASA and I wasn't really worried about piracy.

Developers, please re-consider your registration systems and spend more time writing software and less time on registration schemes.

Uneforcable water restrictions

Starting June 1, the City of San Diego will impose water restrictions that mandate when and how we can water our landscape (we just finished ripping out our lawn and putting in drought tolerant landscaping, see the picture below). While I'm not sure how much of the restrictions apply to us since we have drip irrigation, I set our sprinkler timer to water as required by the restrictions.

The water restrictions still let us fill our pool (but not overfill it). Last time I checked, it takes a lot more water to fill a pool than to water a lawn (of course, a pool should only have to be filled once a week to offset the evaporation of water). The main problem with the restrictions are basically unenforceable. Are the police (the ones the city can't afford) going to stop fighting crime to issue citations for people watering their lawns? Who is going to remember when to water their lawns (odd numbered houses and even numbered houses water on different days).

We definitely have to do something about our water shortage, but these restrictions really aren't going to do a whole lot. Maybe the city and county should have thought about population growth in our desert before approving more housing units like they've done in the last few years. We're all going to pay for the mistakes of our politicians.

New California City

Last week I was reading in the paper that the local water authority released another $450,000 in consumer rebates; this was after the rebates for the entire month of May were allocated in the first 1.5 hours that they were available. (I had called the first day and tried to get a rebate for the new washing machine we need.) I quickly got online, applied for the rebate and presto, my rebate (up to $135) was allocated! I got the paperwork and discovered that I needed to send the paperwork to a new California city, Sacremento. You'd like that the government that administers this rebate could proofread its web pages.

Paperless in MacUpdate Promo!

Another bundle deal, another set of great apps! This time, however, Paperless (formerly ReceiptWallet), is part of the bundle. MacUpdate is offering a bunch of great apps. You've probably heard of most of them. This is the first time that one of my applications has been offered as part of a bundle.

I have a strange hobby of collecting software, so I'll probably bite on this deal despite owning a few in the collection. It's hard to go wrong for the price. If you decide to buy the bundle, click on the link on the right side of the page advertising the bundle to support my blog (running this blog isn't free :-)).