News of development

[Igor]

I'm working now on adding of full undo support in PicturesToExe (anywhere). I'm sorry this obvious feature was not realized earlier.

Also we're working on the new graphical engine now.

[Conflow]

NEW UNDO FEATURE

Hi Igor,

That's good news about the 'New Undo Feature' ~ it was sorely needed ~ and I must admit I had been working on such.

Security

Igor,may I suggest that the 'Undo Feature' be dependent on a 'Security Code Entry Box' this to protect the Photographic Copyrights of many Forum Members and your own interests.

A simple 4 Digit Pin Code would suffice. Enter the 4 digit code **** when you make an Exe and there after, the Exe can only be undone when the user re-enters the 4 digit code ****

Regards,

Brian.Conflow.

[Ken Cox]

AND

what does one do when they misplace the code --- how many times do we hear " i lost my reg code"

or

i rearranged my files now p2e gives me a message it cant find files when i start a show

?????

ken

[Igor]

Ken,

I hope we've found idea how to solve this problem! Please read below.

Brian,

I had in view usual Undo/Redo (Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+Y) functions in the PicturesToExe for (as usually in other programs - Main menu | Edit | Undo).

You said about ability to recover .EXE file. It also will be possible. We plan to use not special security code, but several digits (e.g. 5) from personal registration key to PTE (the program will do it automatically). So there are no special passwords, and *only author* will able to recover his EXE file. No questions, passwords - only one item in main menu - "Recover EXE file".

So only *author* will able to restore *any* EXE file which he've created. Because after you click "Recover EXE file", PTE will verify digits from your registration code and digits written in EXE file and if they equal PTE will restore EXE file.

Also we can add option which will prohibit to recover EXE file even for author.

What you think about it?

[Ken Cox]

well i hope the code thing is user selectable -- i work with other users to try and resolve shows/problems -- we freely interchange all picts, music, pte, exe's when trying to sort out problems ideas etc and if there is an embedded code how are we going to do this

IMHO

the more little things you put in to protect us from ourselves make the program more vulnerable to not working

make registration more user friendly

i asked a year ago to make the program recognize the folder i was working in so i dont have to do a bunch of things to find music -- i put everything in the folder when i start a show -- no action as yet

that is making the program "smart and user friendly"

we discussed making a section for "other" software discussion -- no action

ken

[Maureen]

Hi Igor

I think this is an excellent idea - it has my vote!

PTE is already "smart and user friendly" and I've loved all the new ideas & developments.

Have been so busy no time to sleep or think -

now off for a long holiday to Italy and I hope sunshine !

Can't wait to see Milan and then head for those beautiful Lakes.

Many Thanks for all the new developments.

Will be playing with them & sending comments when I return.

About time you took a holiday too Igor!

BW Maureen

[dadou]

So only *author* will able to restore *any* EXE file which he've created. Because after you click "Recover EXE file", PTE will verify digits from your registration code and digits written in EXE file and if they equal PTE will restore EXE file.

Great idea, Igor !

[Ronniebootwest]

This sounds all very interesting \nd being able to 'recover' an exe file will certainly be a step forward - providing that only the author can do it!

However, does this also include the ability to recover the actual photo's used in the exe file????

Ron West

[Ken Cox]

Maureen

that is making the program "smart and user friendly"

i neglected to add "more" ahead of user friendly

i am not saying it is not user friendly

while in Italy you better pop in and see Guido

ken

[Lin Evans]

Could someone explain to me what "recover exe file" consists of. I would really like a feature to recover the .pte information, i.e., be able to extract the images, sequences, timings, etc., so that changes could be made to the slide show at some later date without having to find a possibly deleted .pte.

Is this what is meant by "recover exe file" ? That is "restore" the components used to create the .exe??

Thanks,

Lin

[Conflow]

Addressed to Igor

Igor,

Your suggestion is excellent - after all, everybody uses a Credit Card or Laser Card or Cash Save Card at their local 'ATM Cash Dispense Machine' - "Tough Nuts" if they are stupid enough to forget their 'Pin Number' - I don't, you don't, most people don't forget their Pin Number.

Igor, keep it simple, 4/5 Digits selectable, is quite enough. Forget about the origional Author access/deny utility- it's really not needed - (excepting protection against Program Piracy)

Sure, there are those who are going to disagree with my opinion - but- they would also disagree with the acceptable use of the simple Worldwide "Bank Pin Number" - it seem's to work for most people.

Brian.Conflow.

[Ronniebootwest]

Cornflow wrote:

"Igor, keep it simple, 4/5 Digits selectable, is quite enough. Forget about the origional Author access/deny utility- it's really not needed - (excepting protection against Program Piracy"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't know why you consider that this is not required. Most of us would like some kind of protection - even against our 'stupidity' of forgetting sometimes.

Ron West

[Alan Lyons]

Hi All,

Been away from the forum for a bit but this seems like a great system to rescue work. As we all know we only need that bit of paper or phone number directly after we have thrown it out or deleted it! The most importent word in computing is BACKUP, but it is closely followed by RESCUE

As always good work in advance Igor, we are all in awe of your tireless efforts on our behalf

Ron, when you talk about your stupidity in forgetting pin nos. ect. I think you and me both now qualify to use the term "Senior Moment". We never forget things any more

Regards,

Alan

[Steve S]

Having a recovery facility would be great and I wholeheartedly endorse Igor’s intention to make it available only to the originator via their registration key. This will ensure that anyone who has purchased a business licence and uses P2E for business purposes can be confident that their work isn’t going to be ripped off easily.

Steve.

[alrobin]

So only *author* will able to restore *any* EXE file which he've created. Because after you click "Recover EXE file", PTE will verify digits from your registration code and digits written in EXE file and if they equal PTE will restore EXE file.

Igor,

I agree that both "undo" and "file-recovery" would be valuable features.

As for the latter, I agree with your suggestion to use the registration code as verification for enabling the "recovery" process, as that way there are no separate pin numbers or passwords to remember.

Every system has its drawbacks, but IMO, I feel that your suggested approach would be the best.

As for providing for potential recovery by the user, as alluded to by Ken, perhaps an "either/or" approach could be implemented so that if the maker wished to have the images more easily recoverable, provision could also be made for adding a password if desired, which the program would recognize if the registration code did not match. This feature would only be activated, of course, in those shows for which the maker specifically wished to allow a friend or client the capability to access the original images and/or music files. The default would be to be able to open the files only when the registration code matched.

I also like your suggestion to give the user the option to disallow recovery under all circumstances, even by the author himself or herself.

[LumenLux]

And I think I agree with Al's agreement.

[Conflow]

To: Al Robinson

Hi Al,

Yes I agree with you - its also the reason that I mooted the idea of a '4 Digit Pin Number' which is known exclusively to the Author of the Show and all those members whom by commercial necessity need to protect their 'Copyright' - this quite apart from ones Purchase Receipt No.

That '4 Digit Pin Number' could be made to prevent 'CD-Copy Piracy' in that the recipient of the CD would find it impossible to 'Copy the CD' - this feature is now commonplace in purchased Music CD's and would certainly answer the threads followed by Ron West and others on this page.

Brian.Conflow.

[Ken Cox]

i guess Brian never read all the cons on this url

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=copy+p...ect+cds&spell=1

ken

[Conflow]

Hi Ken,

Yep, I have read the Pro's and Con's about CD-Copy Protection ~ not only on Google but on Soundforge and Snapfiles and CN-Net and others and to be honest it's a major bone of contention here in Ireland and U.K.

It may come as a surprise that many Radio Stations such as the 'BBC and all it's World Services' and 'Virgin Radio' and our 'Radio Eireann' and the vast majority of EC.Stations not only 'Live-Stream' their Programs but also provide 'Replay-Archives' for the vast majority of their programs much to the annoyance of the 'Copyright Music Industry Associations'

In our Country we pay an expensive 'Radio Licence' for Public Radio & TV and the TV-Radio Stations pay punitive Copyright fee's on the publics' behalf. The accepted norm has been that the "pre-paid materials" can be used for personal usage but not for commercial reproduction.

It now transpires that the 'American Music Industry Moguls' would like to put a stop to that and charge an 'additional fee' on pre-paid materials under the thin guise of Anti-Piracy measures ~the real truth is their attempt to control the "iPOD Revolution" over which they have no control.

And why does Piracy exist

In Ireland any decent Music CD costs between 20-30 Euro thats $30 - $40 Dollars your money, and god know what extra they extract from the European Stations in Copyrights which we 'Joe Public' have pre-paid for in our Licences and the exorbitant costs of CD's.

Not before time have the European Authorities started to 'regulate' such mamon and a lot more about this will hit the Headlines as they start to impose controls on these Corporation Associations.

Getting back to the subject in hand ~ Disassembling the PTE Exe. and Copyright Protection !

There is a vast difference between the simple needs of some Forum Members to protect their 'Photo Images' ~versus~ the greed of the Movie-Music Industry whose bottom line is profit under the guise of the Legal Rights of Artists to whom they pay a pittance. Having said that any Pro-Photographer will tell you that it's nigh impossible to prosecute a copyright action against Photo-Piracy and lord knows there is some wonderful materials on this Forum.

Thankfully Igor is making moves in the right direction - so lets all be positive in helping him.

Brian.

[Ronniebootwest]

Hello Brian (and all others interested in this topic)

Emotions are being really stirred up over the issue of 'copy protection' and I can understand why. If The suggestion to include a 4 digit pin number can help to prevent copies being made of a CD, then we all ought to be encouraging Igor to adopt the idea.

Well done Brian, for your excellent explanations on this topic.

Ron West

[elIvarz]

Humm, ... You now, each blank CDR/CDRW have a unique (for EACH CD) sector, called ATIP, containing information about manufacturer, disc etc. ATIP info can't be copied to other disc, this new disc will have own ATIP. Maybe is possible, before burning final exe, read this ATIP and put this info in some way into compiled pte show. Before running pte executable need to read this ATIP and check, if this is the same. If not, exe will not run. This is not industrial method, but this can be a way to protect some individually distributed discs. What you say, Igor, about this? I don't know, if all cd drives can read ATIP - target pc need to have some correct drivers installed (most all have WNASPI32.dll). Maybe this can't be done, but maybe Igor?

elIvarz

[Conflow]

Re:- ASPI Sectoring

It's a good idea, but it's not a 'Universal Standard across the spectrum of Win Operating Systems nor CD-Disc Manufacturers. For example, WNASPI32.dll is not generic on Win 2000.Pro Systems. However this Dll. is supplied with 'Nero Burning Software' as a 152kB Application Extension, (note the word extension).

Usually, all todays' CD Burning Software complies to with ISO-9600 relative to File Name,Lenght,and Type of File to be burnt ~ Thats the only universal standard. Now if one surveys a few CD-Manufacturers you will find that the 'Root Data' (on the blank disc) indicating CD-Media Type, Capacity, Burn Speed, etc; is of different formats consequently the 'Burning Software' has an embedded 'Library of Types' of the most common formats available, this is then used to set up the Burner parameters.

The only reason why a CD burnt on one Win.PC. can actually play on another Win.PC is because the generic Microsoft CD-Drivers are truly "universal" across all Win.PCs. If you use a rather 'Special Burner' you get a Driver Disc with it,which when loaded is added to the MS.Library. So if the Drivers are Universal and the Burner Set-Up is Media Compliant, only then will the whole 'thingamagig' work.

Another problem is how the PC. sets up the 'Burner CD-Drive Hardware' - is it an SCSI or IDE Buss Drive System ? ~ does the PC. allow auto-disc detect ? or is manual detect in use ? again the Microsoft Universal Drivers come to our assistance.

Its not as easy to make the physical CD - Copyproof, as one would first imagine, it simply won't work on other PCs' . The only way out of this dilema is to try and protect the Media content.

Brian.Conflow.

[HaroldB]

Igor,

I haven't had much free time lately, so I haven't been following the forum lately. But I did get to quickly scan it tonight, and I just wanted to comment that I do NOT like the idea of using any part of the registration code to unlock PTE contents. My principal objection is that if I give the code to somebody to unlock a particular EXE, he can unlock ALL my EXE's forever!

I would rather have a field in the PTE UI that specifies a code and a checkbox to indicate "no unlock". If "no unlock" is not checked and the code field is blank, then use the registration code fragment.

Harold

[Igor]

Ok, I'll think about other variants and we'll discuss a little later here, how to realize it better. Thanks.

[DaveG]

Come on guys - you either want protection or you don't!!

If you do, then Igor's method makes sense - you should be the only one to unlock it. If you are going to send it to someone who might want to unlock it with your permission - don't password it in the first place.

Isn't all this going to take up Igor's valuable time which could be better spent on providing us mere mortals with the features we really want. In my case that means pan and zoom and more bells and whistles in the Object Editor.

DaveG