>>The other way to think about it is that a plain compiled VFP app with no "encryption" can be attacked by anyone who can load the exe using Notepad. Lets say this total universe of attackers is X. With a Molebox or Thinstall or Armadillo the universe of attackers has reduced to only those who know how to use tools like debuggers and tracers and understand how software runs at a very low level. This universe of attackers is now perhaps X/1000, for instance. So the protection these products provide is that (a) they require skills and time, and (b) these skills are not that common relatively speaking.
>>
>It only takes one of those X/1000 crackers to produce a crack key or a cracked version, that requires no key at all, and spread that all over the world to the X crackers and to the 1000/X immoral users. A pessimistic's point of view is that the implication is that it's useless to produce trialware, as I've done. What could be the optimistic's point of view?


First answer:

La vita è bella ... iiwii ...


Second answer:

Is your application truly that desirable that crackers are waiting to quickly crack your protection and distribute it to the masses who are eagerly waiting for it? If the answer is yes then ask MS how crappy they feel about the millions lost in piracy :) If the answer is no then see first answer :)