Topic awaiting preservation: Source Guardian Pro 1.7 (Page 1 of 1)

Any feedback on Source Guardian Pro 1.7?

Thomas Chase Gullett
tgullett@elinkdesign.com

Never heard of it sorry. (I just didnt' want there to be no responses on this one )



.:[ Never resist a perfect moment ]:.

Source Guardian is for encrypting and converting software.

I am using it to make sure our PHP code for a content management system that we created would be safe from prying eyes.



Thomas Chase Gullett
tgullett@elinkdesign.com

links? maybe? perhaps?

http://www.phpguardian.com/ , I'd guess.

As with all those tools, there's a trade off.
They prevent the casual viewing of your php code,
but they're bound to make your server slower/handle less traffic.

In addition, the decryption key's gotta be somewhere on the server.
So if one really wanted to, it could still be reversed into php code.

My personal take on this:
If you can't trust your customer, and for some reason a legal contract isn't going to cut it (say, you're doing buisness somewhere IP isn't as strong as the US and Europe),
this might be a good idea.

For everthing else, if you're paranoid?
Add a tiny 'bug' to your script that calls home every couple of days, which will tell you if it's put to run on another server.
Then, if you have a properly phrased contract and feel that there's no more buisness to do with that client, sue them.
Much more effictive than any 'encryption' (=obfuscation if the key's on the server. and it's got to be).

So if I read your reply correctly, you use an open-source, free-to-use product, probably running on another open-source, free-to-use product, but you want to keep your source closed ? .... and you're asking for free advice on a possible product to help you do that ...

... and for a CMS system, which most of your customers could go out and find for free too ... what startling innovation have you included which makes it different from any of the free ones on the market (apart from a price tag that is) ...

Why not open your source?? put it on Sourceforge and bring the world's PHP community into the development process instead of excluding them, and charge a reasonable fee for support and setup consultancy instead. You'd get the best of both worlds then ... free development, and an income too.

Not much point in "stealing" code anyway, since most code isn't easily adapted to new situations. Anyone with skill can just write his own, people of moderate skill can download one of the dozens of free scripts, and people without skill wouldn't be able to make heads or tails of your code to begin with.

Cell 1250 :: alanmacdougall.com :: Illustrator tips

I am in agreement with everything. I am a full fledge open-source code developer.

We have a scenario where we have developed a site for this company that has there own web people there. There skills are very limited and the CO wanted a full blown cms to cut back on time for the people publishing news, along with them placing banners etc etc. I was afraid of them going in and tamper ring with the live version which would in turn make the software not work.

/TCG

Thomas Chase Gullett
tgullett@elinkdesign.com

well, if the server's in your range of responsibility,
I just wouldn't give them ftp access... they hardly need it for the cms.

Plus, I'd make sure I got the ftp logs of that server forwarded,
so that you can *show* their boss if it's them screwing up.

The System Manager is our friend ... Just get the ownership and rights set up so the proggies can't change the webbies scripts ... i.e. make it all your ownership, and set everything 644 or 640. The only files to make 664 will then be be the config and parameter files. Saves you mioney, and puts the onus on the company to make sure it secures its assets.

Sorry I was a bit hard on you before


Bug-free software only exisits in two places
A programmer's mind and a salesman's lips

It's all good Trib. Thanks I will do that as well... Since I already spent the money.

Although it is a cool program, it might not be worth what I paid for it though.

/TCG

Thomas Chase Gullett
tgullett@elinkdesign.com

why not have your beautiful source in a read-only directory and have the app rewritten every midnight via cronjob?


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