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Ask HN: How to best release “Windows desktop software” in wild?

• GnarfGnarf 10y ago
  Zendesk is great for managing customer support.
  • tejpratap 10y ago
    Yes, I have used it for my previous project. One thing to keep in mind is that they have very steep pricing model.
• dogma1138 10y ago
  Rule of thumb do not put anything in the client that you do not want a user to see, any "protection" can and will be broken. Obfuscation doesn't stop attacker nor does it even really slow them down it can hinder client side debugging and cause it's own set of issues (anti viruses for example tend to dislike obfuscated binaries even if they are signed). Same thing with protecting the DB, what for? I'll assume you want to hide some business logic well either move it server side or have it exposed a password won't stop anyone, even if you super obfuscate it an attacker can just steal the connection string from memory ;) Same goes for licensing, any scheme will be broken and unlike a game your software isn't time sensitive a copy protection mechanism that delays a crack even by a few days did its work as it's designed to give a window for the impulse buyers/easily frustrated that will buy the game if it's not cracked on release. For commercial software a week or month won't matter so if it will be popular it will be craked.
  • tejpratap 10y ago
    Your points are valid, but I still want to make it as hard as possible for my software to be broken. First this will reduce number of counterfeit copies. Second this will give me peace of mind that I have done my part well.
    • dogma1138 10y ago
      Why? some basic licensing scheme might be required for some liability insurance and distribution channel deals. Look at it this way, all software gets hacked within hours, if you delay the hacker by 30min is that worth investing your resources in? If anything going the way of "begware" might be better since it takes little to no effort and provides just as much real world protection as virtually any other protection scheme. If your customers are primarily businesses it doesn't matter, the liability of using counterfeit software is too large, if it's individuals then it's all about pricing and support. It seems that you are aiming your product at a niche market which is good, but heck Siemens physical simulation software that doesn't have a large install base worldwide gets cracked, primarily because there are individuals and institutions in emerging markets that want to use it but cannot afford the 6 figures or so price tag. But in all honesty a niche software aimed at a locked (racquet sports) western market with probably sufficiently high income isn't too much at risk of being pirated that much as long as the pricing isn't prohibitive. Your efforts are better spent on pricing it right, marketing it well and having easy distribution channels to get the software distributed. You can sell digital software on Amazon these days (they email you the license key), you have the Windows App store, worry less about pirates and more about getting an easy way for people to get your software. In all honesty a larger threat to your sales will be open source projects (if they exist) and existing software (again if it exists) and inaccessibility. While I don't like to generalize too much I'm not sure how much overlap there is between racquet sports coaches, pros and semi-pros and TorrentLeech's user base. Rule of thumb if the first thing someone googles after hearing about your software is "yoursoftware + crack" its going to be because you do not offer a proper evaluation version, or getting a legitimate copy is too difficult or price prohibitive for your targeted market.
• techjuice 10y ago
  Do not do ping backs without notifying and getting consent from the user. As most run a firewall or use a network with one which will more then likely block the request and data should not be sent to you without the user manual opt-in. In terms of maintaining control over your software, it is not possible once you release it to the world. Most companies use a license key they generate on their server that works with the compiled version of the software the user downloads. As you will also need to support offline activations, just like Microsoft and other big companies do. You may also want to use a license file that the user can download. I would also recommend against having software stop working unless you insure the user knows up front that it is subscription based and has an explicit expiration date when they launch the program. In terms of tracking registrations, I normally will allow the user to register the software on launch and if they do not want to, I have the option in a help menu but do not make it a requirement as some people need to work offline, and requiring an internet connection would cause some serious issues. Obfuscation only deters the regular joe, the top of their game types can get what they are looking for very quickly so do not waste too much time and effort into code obfuscation. If you do want to many companies use Themida to handle their licensing and IP protection needs. I normally use my own servers to host and distribute update code behind Akamai services so there is no direct connections back to my systems from non Akamai systems. This insure the servers are always available and I can scale easier and cheaper. In terms of updates I will ask the end user if they would like to automatically check for updates along with a preferred time interval. If they agree I will check for updates in the background matching their preference. If they select no, then I do not check for updates and will normally have a nice message appear 30 days later informing them there has not been a check for updates in 30 days with the option to never show the message again or check for updates. I would stay away from cheapest way to get a certificate as those can be aligned with companies that do not follow the proper procedures at all times for being a certificate authority. Go with the trusted brand that shows up on most of the software you use and have a backup plan in case the CA gets revoked. For errors, when one occurs I ask the user if they want to send the error message and logs to the developer. If they do not then I do not collect them, if they do then I will normally upload it the system and have them authenticate to validate the error/crash report. This allows them to see all of their reports and view the status of them. I do not protect the sqlite databases in any way as if it is on their machine they should be able to read it. It really helps if there was an application issue and they are required to make manual updates in rare occasions. For minimizing the support efforts I make highly detailed downloadable PDFs, CHM kits videos and customer FAQ pages. If they submit even the smallest how do I do ABC, I write a tutorial on how to do it, as if they asked someone else will do the same eventually. I also spend an extremely large amount of time on UI/UX to insure that it is dead simple to use. This also includes heavy automated GUI and CLI testing of the application, including how it acts on high/low end high/low bandwidth systems and different operating systems. My biggest tip would be to make it dead easy for the end user to use your app, do not overly nag them, ask for permission before making any system changes or sending out or receiving any data. Also never send them promotional emails or mail unless they opt-in to receive them. One last thing, treat the user like someone you are trying to befriend face to face and treat them with respect and you will gain their loyalty and they will normally help you dramatically with word of mouth advertising without you having to ask them to do it.
• yodon 10y ago
  This isn't what you want to hear, but protecting desktop software from piracy isn't something you can bolt on at the end of a project. If everything lives on the user's machine, there is no technology that can stop it from being pirated. That's why SaaS software exists and why just about every software company of any significance founded since 1995 (the dawn of the web and the dawn of ubiquitous piracy) is either a SaaS model, advertising model, or open-source-plus-support-or-hosting model.
  • tejpratap 10y ago
    I started with SaaS and btw it's still supported. Specific section of users have requested some functionality to be available offline. Hence the need for desktop software.
• nohorse 10y ago
  Using the Windows store would be your best answer to most of these questions.
• marczellm 10y ago
  Did you consider distributing it through the Windows Store? It can, AFAIK, - accommodate desktop software (Win32) with the Desktop App Converter - deliver updates - take care of license stuff
  • tejpratap 10y ago
    Is app store available on Windows 8/7? Not all of my clients are on Windows 10.