We're not suggesting that you copy that floppy.
Ok, it is common sense that you know that your stuff inside your computer is protected in some way from being copied. Your software and games have some system of protection from pirates. No, not from the Caribbean but from some basement trying to distribute software to people who do not want to give a penny to the creators.
Copy protection, or DRM (as it is known nowadays) is the systems that play a part in how software can be distributed and payed for, as well as the security that protects it from people who want to steal and freely distribute it.
Copy protection wasn't always there though, and today we'll walk you through the history of it. Let's start from:
The start of the idea for Copy Protection.
Back in the 70s, there was this computer called the Altair 8800. Many people describe it as one of the first microcomputers, together with the Apple II and the Commodore PET.
It had no monitor or keyboard, it just was a box with switches and small red lights. It had really basic functions, do not think that it was some sort of wonder. A new company in the name of Microsoft had developed an operating system for the 8800 called Altair Basic.
What was the catch?
While Altair made a lot of money for the machine they had made, Microsoft made nothing in return because the Altair Basic was pirated through Homebrew Computer Clubs. Basically, that happened because the Operating System was made in paper tape punch cards with little holes in them. If someone had a paper-punching machine, they could easily copy the code and distribute it to others.
Bill Gates had written a letter back then, saying that while most people bought their hardware, they were stealing their software. He also quoted that "Software is something to share, who cares if the people get paid?"
Yeah, let's say that all of the Microsoft workers cared. Microsoft wasn't the billion dollar company it is today, they were just this small group of people making punch-cards for the Altair 8800. Let's say that it would take them another few years until they hit perfection with MSDOS.
Software back then wasn't well copy protected. Cassettes and Paper-Punch-Cards were easy to copy. Floppy disks was when Copy Protection took place.
On-Disk Copy Protection
The first forms of Copy Protection in Floppies was the On-Disk Copy Protection methods. As the name suggests, this method applies the copy protection inside the disk's code. This kind of code prevents the disk from being copied but as well as made hard disk saves.
What is the downside? If the disk got damaged, you had to buy a new one since there was no copy in the hard disk. Floppies were fragile, and this was an issue to a lot of people, not only pirates.
Off-Disk Copy Protection
Off-Disk Copy Protection methods are certain ways that instead of the disk having the protection, having the protection from somewhere outside, that if that is lost, you cannot use the software. This was more common in games, where the manual would have some exact specification that if written when the game asks you, you can continue playing the game.
If you had lost the manual, you could not play the game.
Methods varied, but that was how Off-Disk Copy Protection worked.
Feelies, objects needed to play the game or use the app.
Feelies are Copy Protection items that vary in sizes and types but have one goal. Decoding a code, letting you open the program, or writing down info. Maybe even helping you finish a really hard game.
Few examples:
Dongles:
Dongles are devices meant to be plugged into a certain computer port. It could be parallel, serial, USB, any port of the computer. If the Dongle wasn't plugged in, you could not use the program. Most Dongles were used in higher end software, rarely in games.
Copy Protection Sheets:
A more common method of Copy Protection was a Copy Protection Sheet. This would be a Dark Red Sheet with numbers that the human eye could see but a copier of the time could not. It wasn't used that much in games but it became obsolete once copiers started to see past it.
Code Wheels:
Some games liked to have fun when it came to Copy Protection and they used Code Wheels. For example, in the Secret of Monkey Island (by Lucasarts Games. Same company that made Star Wars, Lucasfilm) you had a Code Wheel where you had to match Pirates with their Description, something that could only happen if you had the Code Wheel on your hands. The downside is that it was easy to copy if you took the wheel apart.
There would be a similar picture in the game, and you would have to enter the code.
Lenslok (More common in British games):
Lenslok was a type of Feelie that was hated. It was mostly found in games from the UK and it included a small object with prisms. The game would display some code that had been scrambled into random shapes. Using the Lenslok, you could find out what the code was.
Expecting that it is hated, guess why it is?
The Lenslok had to be used in specific display sizes and there was always the chance of the wrong Lenslok being the wrong game. Ugh.
Early Copy Protection in CDs
In the beginning of the age of CDROMs, Copy Protection for them did not exist yet. CDs were expensive at the time as a format itself, so were the burners. No pirate afforded to copy a CD. The first CDs had no Copy Protection or just some Cd-checks that were very easy to bypass with a pirated CD.
Dummy Files and Oversized CDs
One early form of Copy Protection in CDROMs was the Dummy Files and Oversized CDs. Basically, that worked when a pirate tried to copy a CD, the CD burner would refuse to do it, claiming that the CD was too large, or some of its files at least.
That became obsolete when CD burners became more advanced, Dummy Files and Oversized CD Copy Protection methods stopped being useful.
Serial Codes
Serial Codes inside CDROMs were codes that during the installation they asked you to input a code from the back of the box which was unique to your CD. If a CD was copied, you would have to distribute its code as well. Serial Codes can still be found but they are bundled with other kinds of DRM as well. Talking about DRM, let's see what that is.
DRM (Digital Rights Management)
DRM is what is now thought as Copy Protection in software. DRM applies a specific pattern on disks that a copied disk does not have, and is unusable in that effect.
The 3 main Third-Party DRM methods are SafeDisc, SecuROM, and StarForce. SafeDisc is the easiest one to bypass and it is mostly harmless. SecuROM is the most common one and it is known for causing some hard disk issues...nice. Meanwhile, StarForce is the most dangerous one. StarForce can cause some severe damage to a PC in some known cases.
Software Activation
This has been a common way of Copy Protection in recent years where you have to activate your software only a few times in its life. If those times are done, you have to re-purchase your software. Sometimes, it is not a few times but it is a every-few weeks kind of method where it requires to re-activate it every once in a while. This is not hated but in some cases, Software Activation can get in the way of using apps and become annoying.
Lastly, Online Activation
This is not always a very liked method but it has a simple format. Your software with Online Activation has no copy of itself in your hard drive. It only exists in some database. In order to use it, you have to be on an internet connection and tons of patience.
Let's say that in any case, you lose the internet connection. That means that A)you cannot use the app, B)whatever has not been saved, cannot be saved unless you get back online, and C)if the app gets locked up by the database and is taken down, you can't use it anymore, for the rest of your lifetime, and thus, your money goes to waste.
Yes, that good earned money.
For those apps to work properly, you must have an outstanding router and internet connection and/or patience. As well as have patience if the company's server gets too busy to get you in.
Haha, you get now why it is hated.
Conclusion
Copy Protection and DRM have been around for a long time now in the computer world, and there is not a chance of them leaving any time soon. There are some good ones, some bad ones, and some that you have to live with. Be smart with your choices, because you may be left with a shelf of unusable apps.
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