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Remote dongle update |
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With Dinkey 2 and Dinkey Net you have the facility to change any of the protection parameters at any
time and as many times as you like, just by issuing your customer with a short code. This code can be
used only once and is unique to the customer that you send it to. As you can imagine this is an
extremely powerful tool. Here are some of the possible strategies available to you with Dinkey 2
and Dinkey Net.
Evaluation Package
You can send out your full system as an evaluation package that will either run a certain number of times
or will stop after a certain date. Should the customer decide to purchase your software, you can convert the
evaluation package to operate without restriction just by issuing a password over the telephone. Dealers could
hold evaluation copies of your software to demonstrate to customers without risk to you.
Credit Control
A variation on this technique allows you to ensure payment for the goods. You could send all your software
out with a limited execution date so that it stops working should the customer not pay for the goods
within a certain time. A similar scheme means you can supply your software to dealers on a sale-or-return
basis without danger.
Renting Software
The ease of copying software has made it impractical to rent software. However, with Dinkey Dongle the use of
expiry dates or 'runable days' make it perfectly feasible
Feature Switching
Software developers often sell different versions of their products with different modules/options. For example,
you may sell a cut-down version at a low price to whet users' appetite for the full system. With these
dongles, you can include all the options in the first place but only activate those you want them to be
able to use. If you wish to add or remove options at a later date, you can do so over the telephone.