patches and Armadillo/SoftwarePassport

[markwa]

This is surely a dumb question: Is there a way to use SetupBuilder's patch feature along with Amadillo/SoftwarePassport protection?

I can't imagine how that would be possible.

Cheers
-- Mark

[linder]

Mark,

I don't have experiences with Armadillo/SoftwarePassport, but I think Charles can help. I'll point him to this message.

From the technical point of view, there is no difference between a "standard" upgrade or a "patch" upgrade.

Friedrich

[markwa]

Hello Friedrich,

From the technical point of view, there is no difference between a "standard" upgrade or a "patch" upgrade.

Really? Doesn't a standard upgrade replace an entire file, but a patch just some of the bits in the file?

I think the problem with a binary software product tool like SoftwarePassport (previously Armadillo before Digital River purchased it) is that the bits of a the protected file are different on each end-user's machine. The bits are encyrpted with the user's specific license key and perhaps his machine's hardware ID.

If there is a way to patch SoftwarePassport files, it seems to me that this would be logically possible only if SoftwarePassport itself supported patching.

I'm just now taking a look at SoftwarePassport. So far I don't see evidence that it supports file bit patching. But even if it did, I highly suspect that this would be SoftwarePassports own "game", in which SetupBuilder would not participate except as maybe an outside observer.

Cheers
-- Mark

[linder]

What I mean is that the "end-result" is the same. A "standard" update just replaces the file, a "patch" update modifies an existing file and brings it to a specific binary state. In both cases, the binary output is completely the same (including time stamp, version stamp, etc.).

But if I understand it correctly, Armadillo/SoftwarePassport modifies a file on the target machine to "unlock" it (after installation). So you have a modified "source file". In other words, the previous file is invalid and the patch cannot be applied.

So if Armadillo/SoftwarePassport modifies the file after installation (I think this is the case), then you are right and you cannot use patches.

Friedrich