[Mono-list] Re: Mono-list digest, Vol 1 #1730 - 12 msgs

[Black Fox]

Note: Sorry for sending an unfinished version of this mail, i have hit 
the bad key.

> I know that the real solution is for the vm engines to allow the code to
> deployed pre-compiled. But they do not allow that because of safety reasons.
> Besides its a war against closed source, but I personally wouldn't mind my
> company makes everything opensource.

Pre-compiled things is a big regression from VMs. And 
reverse-engeenering is also possible with compiled code, just harder.

> The question, is how would it make money? We would have to develop for free?

Clients don't only need Source Code, they also need support, simple 
install and other details.

But for some software types it's true that it's like impossible to make 
them Open Source and make money with it. Like small and usefull 
utilities who are a good idea but who need a very small amount of 
technical code. Or big softwares that anyone known how to use.

But it's possible, SUN sell Star Office who is just an Open Office with 
little more things.

> How could we compete with companys that download our own code for free?

A company who just downloaded the code can't known your code as you, so 
they will do a worst job than you and if they do anything usefull you 
could use their code.

> Besides that would make us very vulnerable to software pattents.

Why ? If you use patented technics, try to convince politics that 
patents aren't (in software) a good thing, don't hide them.

> I guess that the only real solution is to pre-compile the code, for every
> plataform you plan on deploying, but neither mono or ms allow that. You
> still have to feed the assembly.

As i said, pre-compile the code is to loose most of the avantages of a VM.

> I know assembly code isn't safer too, yes its true, but the cost of
> disassembling it is most of the times more, than the cost of buying or
> redoing it.

If you understand french Contests like this one : 
http://www.challenge-securitech.com/html/accueil/ prove that even 
compiled code could be broken. But it's true that it need knowledge 
(Lots of if code is well protected with tools like Armadillo).