maemo.org - Talk - [Fremantle Maemo5] Commercial Apps on Maemo

maemo.org - Talk (https://talk.maemo.org/index.php)

- Development (https://talk.maemo.org/forumdisplay.php?f=13)

- - [M5] Commercial Apps on Maemo (https://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=94453)

Re: Commercial Apps on Maemo

Quote:

Originally Posted by sulu (Post 1456700)

... but it seems to me there are enough free sources for weather data out there.

Not a big deal, but I want to point out that free and quality of forecasts are two, possibly mutually exclusive, criteria.

That's why I love yr.no - it satisfies both, for where I live.

Re: Commercial Apps on Maemo

Quote:

Originally Posted by Copernicus (Post 1456687)

So, I can see both having a sample database for people to first play with the app, and an activation code to enable the whole database; or simply an activation code for the whole app. (Or, if nothing else, just the standard request for donations...) In any case, I don't see how I could stop folks from just tinkering with the app to bypass the payment system, so asking folks to act honorably would probably be the best deal...

Quote:

Originally Posted by pichlo (Post 1456696)

That sounds like a straightworward case. Free open program, paid closed database.
Presumably the database is not GPL so you should not run into any upstream licensing issues.

One way to do this is, do not include the database in the device, instead host it on a server and have the application fetch data from there on demand. If the queries and authentication schemes are well thought out the transferred data can be kept fairy small.
This way you can have access control based on registration for the users :D

Re: Commercial Apps on Maemo

Quote:

Originally Posted by juiceme (Post 1456714)

One way to do this is, do not include the database in the device, instead host it on a server and have the application fetch data from there on demand.

A nice idea but - unless the "fetch on demand" is a one-off thing - that would be an immediate no-no for me as a customer. I would not want Yet Another Cloud Application™.

Re: Commercial Apps on Maemo

Quote:

Originally Posted by Copernicus (Post 1456687)

One suggestion would be:
provide the open-source program in the usual way (maemo extras, etc.) and then, on request per e-mail plus payment you reply with an encrypted database that the user must place in a given directory.

You send the password used to encrypt/decrypt[*] to the user per e-mail (to the same e-mail as the one from which the request originated).
[*] Note: the database stays encrypted and is only decrypted in-memory. This prevents casual users from copying the database (but technically adept users will -- if so inclined -- dump the unencrypted database from memory to disk).

If the password is uniquely linked to the e-mail (e.g. password = hash(master password concatenated with e-mail), then at least there is a possibility of tracing a user who distributes the database with the associated password (because you can "reverse" the password by "cracking" it easily: your dictionary will be your list of registered e-mails, which, I hate to break it to you: won't be huge :).

This would at least act as a deterrent for those who might consider "casually" giving a copy of the database to other users.

Re: Commercial Apps on Maemo

Quote:

Originally Posted by pichlo (Post 1456685)

If you make your code convoluted enough, you might even say that those who crack it deserve to get the extra features for free :)

There is always the one who deserved it. But normally he distributes and all other just sneak in ...

Re: Commercial Apps on Maemo

I agree with pichlo on this one. I really would like to have everything integrated into the app itself. In fact, this was the original reason I wanted to create Pierogi; I could see no reason why a remote control app should need to download data from the net...

I'm also not sure I've got a good way to distribute data from my own server. :) (If I'm going to give 30% to an app store anyway, I want to go ahead and use them for as much as I can. :) )

Hmm. I do like the idea of somehow providing a method to update the internal database, though. Heck, some sort of "subscription" to receive regular database updates would make sense; my brother has an app with a monthly subscription fee... But they do have a fairly fancy website set up for it. Hmm. I'll have to think some more. :)

Re: Commercial Apps on Maemo

Quote:

Originally Posted by pichlo (Post 1456717)

A nice idea but - unless the "fetch on demand" is a one-off thing - that would be an immediate no-no for me as a customer. I would not want Yet Another Cloud Application™.

This of course depends on the application; if the database contains something that changes rapidly over time then you naturally need to be connected to the network to use it.
Examples; a weather display application, facebook, real-time multiuser game, etc.

If the application is selfcontained but can make use of networked resources for additional experience, you'd need to download/upload small amounts of data now and then.
Examples; a game having online highscore table

Re: Commercial Apps on Maemo

Quote:

Originally Posted by peterleinchen (Post 1456747)

There is always the one who deserved it. But normally he distributes and all other just sneak in ...

You know, in a previous life (like 20 years ago) I used to crack every (DOS or Windows 16-bit) shareware or dongled-commercial-software that crossed my path. It sort of kept me intellectually awake, so to speak. I never distributed a copy of what I cracked.

Re: Commercial Apps on Maemo

Quote:

Originally Posted by reinob (Post 1456848)

... It sort of kept me intellectually awake, so to speak. I never distributed a copy of what I cracked.

Quote:

Originally Posted by reinob (Post 1456848)

I never distributed a copy of what I cracked.

So you are the ONE who deserves AND doing it the right way!

Re: Commercial Apps on Maemo

Quote:

Originally Posted by Copernicus (Post 1456601)

So, next question -- are there any restrictions on entering open-source apps into the Maemo Extras repository that are explicitly "commercial" in nature? I would imagine that an activation-code on an open source program isn't all that different from a request for donations, but I want to make sure I don't overstep any bounds here...

I'm not aware of any restrictions on open-sourced programs that are commercial in nature (neither such limitations be logical). Also, there is no problem with uploading CLOSED source programs to repos, in the non-free section.

As for the dillema of how to distribute - I would still say that "encrypting" database or merging closed-source modules with open-source base would be quite pointless, as dishonest people will be able to bypass it (with more or less effort). Having everything open sourced makes it less work for you, with - probably - same results - honest people will pay for it as you request.

/Estel