Starforce Petition!

[Joe Forster/STA]

Hi guys,

As a software developer, I believe that adding suspicious or potentially malicious code to a software hurts the user and voids the trustful connection between the developer and the user. While the developers always disclaim all damage and loss, caused by their own software, they shouldn't add questionable code on purpose.

As a hacker, I believe that using undocumented system functions is a very bad idea (unfortunately, M$ operating systems are known to be extremely ill-documented, except when a third party comes to the rescue!) because their functionality may not be exactly as documented and may change any time, without notice. As a result, you may have strange problems if your PC has "non-standard" hardware or software installed. (Meaning: hardware and software that the code hasn't been tested with.)

As a self-conscious user and administrator of the home PC's of my family, I would hate to have any software running on my systems, without my knowledge. This even includes those sh*t little icons in the system tray, which I carefully get rid of; viruses, ad-ware and other malicious code is much worse than that.

The Starforce copy protection has gone too far in the last year or so. It's becoming too similar to trojans and may have severe consequences to the stability of your system. (And the average user doesn't even know the reason as all copy protections are well hidden, for a reason!)

Whether this thread has any chance to call the attention of game publishers, I don't know. Actually, I don't think so... Still, I'm against intrusive software, be it trojans, ad-ware or copy protection!

Joe

[gnozal]

No SF game for me. Never

[Grumpy]

Come on all, place your support post here. If you dont agree with what I am saying then simply do not post here! A post here is a post counted.

Thankyou for your post/vote.

Thanks for you vote Dabhand!

To all others who have posted here already I thank you also. The only reason I am thanking Dabhand personally is because he believes there is nothing wrong with what Starforce does!! But still he posted a vote?

[DABhand]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

Thanks for you vote Dabhand!

To all others who have posted here already I thank you also. The only reason I am thanking Dabhand personally is because he believes there is nothing wrong with what Starforce does!! But still he posted a vote?

Grumpy there is a reason why you live in australia :P

[Grumpy]

@Dabhand
LOL Yes thats because from here I cant poke you in the eye to wake you up!

[Grumpy]

Ok just incase all of you who have started to follow this thread do not read the first post again, there is now a Starforce Protected Games List in the first post of this thread.

[rebelcpu]

Thanks Grumpy for the effort. I do hope this gets out to the unlearned customers in the hope the bloody PC gaming industry doesn't sink any lower than it has. Its beyond pathetic now.

However, how do we, the learned consumer, make a change to the PC industry? I gather this is one small step. The madness MUST end!

I cannot begin to express my absolutely disdain for both Securom7 and StarFarce3! Hidden virtual device drivers are simply wrong!!! YOU DON'T NEED TO SELL A GAME AND THEN TAKE THE CUSTOMER'S RIGHTS AWAY! A game sells on merit and doesn't need over-protection. There are better ways to make money then further alienate your customer base with such assinine measures.

I've already said plenty on this matter in other forums across the web and I do pray this "protection idioicy" ends soon.

Also do wish game devs would release NoCD/DVDs upon their first or second patch as a goodwill gesture for thanking us, the paying public, for buying their games. A gaming industry that still requires the CD/DVD to be inserted before and during gameplay is sooo 90s. Gawd industry WAKE FRICK'N UP ! ! ! !

THe ReB.