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Groups > comp.lang.java.programmer > #20074

Arranging free trials for online services.

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I was disturbed when a grammar checking online service wanted my
credit card before they would even let me see the product.  I
declined.

Then I started to wonder what such a service could to prevent people
from getting endless free trials.  Software you install can hide
something in the registry, but what can online software do?

They have used a credit card number, which presumably they can check
for validity, and prevent reuse, then issue a login/password for the
trial period.

It would be nice if people had unique ids.  Perhaps someday everyone
will get a code-signing cert to use as online ID.

You could track IP, but a student at a university plugging in anywhere
to a campus net would get a different IP and many students would get
the same IP.

You could run some JWS signed code to snoop on the CPU ID, but that
can be turned off and AMD chips don't have one.

Ideas?
-- 
Roedy Green Canadian Mind Products http://mindprod.com
Students who hire or con others to do their homework are as foolish 
as couch potatoes who hire others to go to the gym for them. 

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Thread

Arranging free trials for online services. Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2012-12-03 10:45 -0800
  Re: Arranging free trials for online services. Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2012-12-03 10:53 -0800
  Re: Arranging free trials for online services. Leif Roar Moldskred <leifm@dimnakorr.com> - 2012-12-03 14:06 -0600
  Re: Arranging free trials for online services. Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2012-12-03 22:22 -0500
  Re: Arranging free trials for online services. Daniele Futtorovic <da.futt.news@laposte-dot-net.invalid> - 2012-12-04 16:02 +0100
    Re: Arranging free trials for online services. Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2012-12-04 18:06 -0800
      Re: Arranging free trials for online services. Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2012-12-05 10:39 -0800
        Re: Arranging free trials for online services. Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2012-12-05 14:27 -0800
      Re: Arranging free trials for online services. Daniele Futtorovic <da.futt.news@laposte-dot-net.invalid> - 2012-12-06 00:18 +0100
  Re: Arranging free trials for online services. "Chris Uppal" <chris.uppal@metagnostic.REMOVE-THIS.org> - 2012-12-04 18:31 +0000
    Re: Arranging free trials for online services. Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2012-12-04 12:59 -0800
    Re: Arranging free trials for online services. Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2012-12-04 18:02 -0800
      Re: Arranging free trials for online services. "Chris Uppal" <chris.uppal@metagnostic.REMOVE-THIS.org> - 2012-12-15 12:24 +0000
    Re: Arranging free trials for online services. Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> - 2012-12-13 09:01 -0800
  Re: Arranging free trials for online services. Joshua Cranmer <Pidgeot18@verizon.invalid> - 2012-12-06 11:01 -0600
    Re: Arranging free trials for online services. Leif Roar Moldskred <leifm@dimnakorr.com> - 2012-12-06 11:50 -0600
      Re: Arranging free trials for online services. Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2012-12-06 10:49 -0800

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