New Keycode System?

Ricci · 12-14-2001, 04:48 PM

Could you give more information on the new keycode system?

I am hoping it is not one that is generated using details from my PC. I format/rebuild my PC every couple of weeks and have to keep requesting new keys for some software :-(

feldon34 · 12-14-2001, 04:52 PM

No. It's not like that. It's just a longer keycode that is encrypted and stored that way in your Registry. It does not take any cues from your system configuration.

Jim Sachs · 12-15-2001, 12:22 AM

The new Key Code system is a Microsoft-style registration number, which will make it much harder for hackers to steal the Aquarium. There is a great deal of information encoded into it, but rebuilding your machine shouldn't affect it.

One interesting feature of the new system is the hacked-key timer. If the program senses a hacked Key Code, it allows the program to run for a random amount of time between 1 second and about a month. That way, hackers never really know if they've broken the code, or if the program just happens to be waiting a really long time before shutting down.

pipeta · 12-15-2001, 11:01 AM

And how will we recieve our new key code?

feldon34 · 12-15-2001, 11:13 AM

It will be an automated system on SereneScreen.com.

They've been working on it since August. (That's when I first got involved redesigning SereneScreen.com and they already had the database built)

Jim Sachs · 12-15-2001, 12:25 PM

Yes, the database is built, but the software which searches the database is taking longer than expected to write. We may have to implement the Key Code switchover in two stages.

What we must avoid are people writing to Customer Service, and having poor Steve look up 50,000 Key Codes, generate new ones, and email them back.

It's fairly easy to develop a system that would match a person's name with their Key Code, so this might be implemented first. The user would simply press a button on the website, type in their name and Key Code, and automatically receive a new-style Key (along with the link to v1.0). This would be fine for those who remember their original Key Code, and the EXACT name they used for the purchase.

The software to verify a partial match with the database is much more difficult to write, and may take a while to implement.

12-14-2001, 04:48 PM	#1
Ricci Registered Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: England Posts: 25	New Keycode System? Could you give more information on the new keycode system? I am hoping it is not one that is generated using details from my PC. I format/rebuild my PC every couple of weeks and have to keep requesting new keys for some software :-(

12-14-2001, 04:52 PM	#2
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	No. It's not like that. It's just a longer keycode that is encrypted and stored that way in your Registry. It does not take any cues from your system configuration. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

12-15-2001, 12:22 AM	#3
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,771	The new Key Code system is a Microsoft-style registration number, which will make it much harder for hackers to steal the Aquarium. There is a great deal of information encoded into it, but rebuilding your machine shouldn't affect it. One interesting feature of the new system is the hacked-key timer. If the program senses a hacked Key Code, it allows the program to run for a random amount of time between 1 second and about a month. That way, hackers never really know if they've broken the code, or if the program just happens to be waiting a really long time before shutting down. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

12-15-2001, 11:13 AM	#5
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	It will be an automated system on SereneScreen.com. They've been working on it since August. (That's when I first got involved redesigning SereneScreen.com and they already had the database built) "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

12-15-2001, 12:25 PM	#6
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,771	Yes, the database is built, but the software which searches the database is taking longer than expected to write. We may have to implement the Key Code switchover in two stages. What we must avoid are people writing to Customer Service, and having poor Steve look up 50,000 Key Codes, generate new ones, and email them back. It's fairly easy to develop a system that would match a person's name with their Key Code, so this might be implemented first. The user would simply press a button on the website, type in their name and Key Code, and automatically receive a new-style Key (along with the link to v1.0). This would be fine for those who remember their original Key Code, and the EXACT name they used for the purchase. The software to verify a partial match with the database is much more difficult to write, and may take a while to implement. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

12-15-2001, 11:01 AM	#4
pipeta Royal Gramma Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Israel Posts: 146	And how will we recieve our new key code?