>>>>>I've heard rumors last year that some guy hacked out a single registry entry that has to be edited to convert a NTWS into a real server, meaning that the software being installed for both is mostly the same. Now this may be just a rumor or a legend, but it does have some logic. I'm not really interested, just curious - if anyone else has heard of this.
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>>>It's NOT a rumor. I've seen the hack required - replace a couple of HEX bytes. An article in Dr Dobbs Journal a few years ago laid it all out. If I remember correctly there was a hack to change the number of users to unlimited, also. But, since you probably don't shoplift either, this info isn't of any real value, is it?
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>>The value of it is just moral, and kind of justifies the it-has-it-all architecture. Proves (to myself) that I was right when I've thought of doing the same thing with some of my apps - a single user version and a multiuser version should be the same, with just a bit of difference stuffed somewhere in the configs. And the price would be different as well. Kind of lowers the maintenance costs - I have only one version, really.
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>When I was in the consulting business that is how I wrote all of my apps. Also, when clients were on a pay as you go plan I added a password feature that kicked in after the software was supposed to be paid for. If they hadn't paid by the due date then I didn't phone them the password and as soon as the "in arrears" message popped up and dropped them back to the OS I got the call, and the check.

Had the same thing happen to me personally with a Siemens CNC control. We were upgrading a user's 5 year old machine and needed more memory. Called Siemens and $600 later they told me to change a bit value in the code. I said that was an expensive piece of information. They replied I wouldn't need to pay for it again in future machines since I now had it and I probably wouldn't give it out to anyone else since I had already paid for it.
Pete