4 ms·

You could always do the Windows 10 Activation model. If you don't activate Windows 10, you have no ability to personalize your PC (change wallpaper, colors, Lo

You could always do the Windows 10 Activation model. If you don't activate Windows 10, you have no ability to personalize your PC (change wallpaper, colors, Lock Screen image, etc.) But you can still use it - which makes it annoying, but still functional. After a few weeks without activating, it also adds an always-visible watermark warning to "Activate your PC." But it still lets you use it. Perhaps the OP could do similar. Where... he has his standard system of copy protection, but then adds additional checks that stamp watermarks on printed documents, or show a watermark about illegal copy, doesn't allow adding business information to documents, so forth... Maybe that's even the trial version. Always free, forever - but certain features disabled and lots of watermarks.

nominatronic 4y ago
The cracked versions will simply disable all these anti-features. All you will do is annoy legitimate users.
luckylion 4y ago
The risk in any of those measures is mis-identifying a copy as "cracked" and refusing to function fully for a paying customer. Sometimes that customer will be understanding, but sometimes they'll just plain angry that you're selling them a license for thousands of dollars and then mess with their ability to get things done. And they usually won't be silent about it either. You can totally do that when you're Microsoft because pretty much everybody hates you already but you have essentially a monopoly so what can they do? But it's very different when you're in a market where alternatives exist.
- dmurray 4y ago
  I think the idea is to put out a company-approved nagware "trial" version. It makes piracy less likely (because the benefit of a full cracked version is smaller) and gives you a sales channel to those who would have pirated it. The downside is, people who would have paid might discover they're quite happy with the trial version.

nominatronic 4y ago

The cracked versions will simply disable all these anti-features. All you will do is annoy legitimate users.

luckylion 4y ago

The risk in any of those measures is mis-identifying a copy as "cracked" and refusing to function fully for a paying customer. Sometimes that customer will be understanding, but sometimes they'll just plain angry that you're selling them a license for thousands of dollars and then mess with their ability to get things done. And they usually won't be silent about it either. You can totally do that when you're Microsoft because pretty much everybody hates you already but you have essentially a monopoly so what can they do? But it's very different when you're in a market where alternatives exist.

dmurray 4y ago
I think the idea is to put out a company-approved nagware "trial" version. It makes piracy less likely (because the benefit of a full cracked version is smaller) and gives you a sales channel to those who would have pirated it. The downside is, people who would have paid might discover they're quite happy with the trial version.