>> Then spend the $$ and purchase Refox. Or, devise your own method to adequately protect your investment. It is not the responsibility of Microsoft to protect you from the proverbial 'bad guys' IMO. That is your job and the jobs of the various legal authorities you live under and under which your software is protected. And, quite candidly, we all must take some responsibility here ourselves as well. I'm sure I'll get whacked some day by this and not be happy about it but it's still not MSFT's responsibility. I just don't see how it could be.
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>I guess it just strikes me as a little silly that folks will whine about the expense of the lock and key and their unsecured home at the same time when they are more than able to purchase said lock and key and effectively resolve their troubles.... Makes no sense. Either purchase or build the protection you need or quit complaining that you have no protection.<<

I have never "lost" source code and I don't know anyone else who has. I think that paying ReFox to protect myself from "them" amounts to extortion; that's what I have a problem with. You were railing earlier on about "thieves"; well, this is what sets me off. Anyway, someone has already pointed out that "branding" is no longer secure.

And there is no such thing as a "thief", only "fair use" (yeah, right).

You keep coming back to people "whining" about the expense of the lock; actually, it was only me and that was only as a feeble attempt at a "pro" argument ... I had failed to realize that for everyone it was only "chump change".

And if we/I knew how to "build" the protection, we'd do it; If I had the "source" to VFP (since I still have to use _their_ "run-time"), I'm sure I could figure it out in no time. The fact is that MS "protects" the run-time by not providing us with the source; but somehow that seems to be "OK".

As for MS's role in all this, I mistakenly (ass)umed that since there was "encryption" in VFP in the first place, MS had some interest in giving us the facilities to protect our code. Apparently not; it only appears to be some gimmick to provide others with a sideline whereby they can use ReFox to recover all that "lost" code we dummies tend to lose. And I don't think that suing the b*****s is the answer to everything either; but then again, someone else may have the time and the resources and think it fun.

Perhaps MS would also think it amusing (as would their customers) if I started publishing all the cracks I'm aware of for Word, Access, Project, etc. ... or requested a small "fee" not to do so.

Perhaps it is also not "my job" to protect MS (or you) from the "bad guys", if it was in my power(ie. let dog eat dog). Fortunately, I subscribe to a different code of ethics.

And I'll keep "complaining" (and whining) until I think someone is actually listening.