Please excuse my ignorance, but can we rewrite the executable

[Guest jase439]

There's a no_cd patch available for FS9 which circumvents the CD check.

[hightower 8]

Would you care to tell us where that might be found?

[Guest daveg4otu]

Or you can make a virtual CD/Drive with "Virtual CD".Tho' this is copying the CD- I don't believe it contravenes copyright because - 1- it's for your own use and to protect CD4, and - 2- you still can't actually copy the image to a CDR.( in other words - the image remains only on your PC - you can't copy it and sell it even if you wanted to)Dave

[Guest Ken_Salter]

The EULA says you cannot copy a disk that has copy protection, period.http://saltydogfly2.avsim.net/images/avsim_sig.jpg"I am the keeper of the cheese; you are the lemon merchant"

[Guest lawyerpilot]

From a legal perspective, should you ever find yourself in trouble with the Justice Department, moving data to another storage unit, (for example, let's say CD4 became scratched beyond use) but you could still copy it over to your harddrive, could easily be argued as a valid purpose, as the copyright infringement clause in the EULA is there to protect revenue for Microsoft...not to make your life hell.....period.P4 2.81024 DDRAM800 Bus36 gig SATA hardrive80 gig harddriveATI Radeon 9700 ProCH yoke/pedalsElite Multi quadrant19" inch monitor-Soundblaster PCI 512Win XPInstrument rated ASEL -270 hoursAOPALawyerPilots Bar Association"Men without dreams are never free, twas thus this way and thus will ever be."

[Guest lawyerpilot]

Where is the workaround patch? And I assume that this requires the contents to be loaded over onto the drive with the patch to the executable that is looking for the data in the first place.>>>>P4 2.8>1024 DDRAM>800 Bus>36 gig SATA hardrive>80 gig harddrive>ATI Radeon 9700 Pro>CH yoke/pedals>Elite Multi quadrant>19" inch monitor->Soundblaster PCI 512>Win XP>>Instrument rated ASEL -270 hours>AOPA>LawyerPilots Bar Association>>>"Men without dreams are never free, twas thus this way and>thus will ever be."P4 2.81024 DDRAM800 Bus36 gig SATA hardrive80 gig harddriveATI Radeon 9700 ProCH yoke/pedalsElite Multi quadrant19" inch monitor-Soundblaster PCI 512Win XPInstrument rated ASEL -270 hoursAOPALawyerPilots Bar Association"Men without dreams are never free, twas thus this way and thus will ever be."

[Guest lawyerpilot]

so that we can put the disk 4 contents on the harddrive and access it on our computers? Is there a workaround like there was for 2k2?P4 2.81024 DDRAM800 Bus36 gig SATA hardrive80 gig harddriveATI Radeon 9700 ProCH yoke/pedalsElite Multi quadrant19" inch monitor-Soundblaster PCI 512Win XPInstrument rated ASEL -270 hoursAOPALawyerPilots Bar Association"Men without dreams are never free, twas thus this way and thus will ever be."

[Guest lawyerpilot]

You deleted Peter's post too. As a legal professional, I am just curious what Avsim has to gain or lose by preventing a no-cd patch from being disseminated. It is legal. It is helpful. And it does not break the EULA or any other copyright laws. But, as you are not the end-user, why are you preventing others from utilizing this legal shortcut that saves time and increases performance of FS9?P4 2.81024 DDRAM800 Bus36 gig SATA hardrive80 gig harddriveATI Radeon 9700 ProCH yoke/pedalsElite Multi quadrant19" inch monitor-Soundblaster PCI 512Win XPInstrument rated ASEL -270 hoursAOPALawyerPilots Bar Association"Men without dreams are never free, twas thus this way and thus will ever be."

[Guest oyvindhansen]

Just search google with some fitting searchwords to locate the no cd patch. The only thing Microsoft acheives by their strategy is to annoy the average legitimate user, pirates always find a workaround anyway.

[Guest lawyerpilot]

That's how I found it on the Greenland Flightsim site, but I have to reiterate that a no-cd patch is not pirating. Pirating is illegal use for profit, or giving something away for free to another user without just compensation (more or less). We are simply achieving a better delivery system for our own use that affects no other users or MS. Some people overclock cards, some people choose to have data on harddrive. Another example would be the downloading of payware aircraft. Some like downloading, some like CD. Some like to put their panels on two different monitors, on two different systems, with WideFS (which prevents having to use two different copies of FS) Is that pirating, because it is not on the original system? No. And AVSIM SUPPORTS WIDEFS HEAVILY!P4 2.81024 DDRAM800 Bus36 gig SATA hardrive80 gig harddriveATI Radeon 9700 ProCH yoke/pedalsElite Multi quadrant19" inch monitor-Soundblaster PCI 512Win XPInstrument rated ASEL -270 hoursAOPALawyerPilots Bar Association"Men without dreams are never free, twas thus this way and thus will ever be."

[John_Cillis 2,406]

"It is legal. It is helpful. And it does not break the EULA or any other copyright laws...."No offense, but that's a legal interpretation that would put me out of business. One of the reasons our legal budget is so dang high--because there's always a lawyer willing to haul us into court trying to tell us what rights we don't have--thinking we'll balk at the expense of taking the issue to court. Wrong....A hack of Microsoft's code is a violation of copyright, and a criminal act. Allowing the passing of information about that hack on a website could be construed as aiding and abetting. I won't even argue the point beyond that, but if you want to challenge Microsoft or my company, feel free to have at it... Otherwise, this isn't a courtroom, and I suspect I'm as highly trained in the legalities of my profession as you are yours... I bristle when I see posts like this, and believe it or not, I'm "containing" myself....:-8 :-8 :-8 And a short edit--I am by no means slamming those who use the hack--just those that say it is "legal", as such fallacy hits me in my pocketbook...

[Guest lawyerpilot]

John, I respect your post, and as I have before and will continue to do so, I will admit when I am wrong. And I was just about to say that you were in fact right. Until I thought of one point. About 30% of the files in Avsim's libraries, are modifications to files that MS originated. For example, a Lear Cockpit VC color correction. That isa modification of a FS9 file (code) that was created by MS, but is now being offered to the community, and endorsed by Avsim who carries it on the site, for others to use. The same thing goes with texture corrections, scenery enhancements, lighting corrections, clouds (FSW), etc. The difference between right and wrong however, many times is found in the fact that no one is profiting from them. FSW lighting and cloud corrections are based on MS code. Yes, some companies use the authorized SDK to make changes, but many do not. They simply modify a file that makes our world better, and can be used by any user as an add-on. When you overwrite the file that you are replacing, like a new moon, etc., you are as the end-user, changing the "code" that makes up the sim, and changing, however small, the structure of the sim on your machine, and how it operates. Thus, if you want to get technical about it, almost 100% of the Avsim commnunity has "hacked the code" of MS at one time or another. Furthermore, as GM has a copyright on the GM symbol, there is nothing to say that you,a s the owner of your car, can't spraypaint that symbol, tear it off, and hang it from your rearview window, or wear it as a necklace. That is a different use of the copyrighted material, but not one that is a violation. In that case you could even sell the symbol if you wanted to. Nothing prevents me from selling a copyrighted material to someone either. I.e. In the Avsim buy-sell forum, people sell the software that they have purchased all the time. They just can't copy it and give it away to others for free. Unlike yourself, I am in the business of trying to interpret language. And furthermore, I am trying to find the truest answer without antagonizing other people. I am a thinker, a dreamer, and a seeker of efficient, honest solutions. Even if you are right, you took an incredibly wrong tack to the situation. I am not sure if that is how you run your business, but I sincerely hope not. I simply like to offer solutions and then through feedback, attempt to find one that suits as many people as possible. I love to problem solve. And, that is what I am doing. This hobby, and site, is about trying to come up with creative solutions to move forward and make it as real as possible. I hope to continue to do that and help all of those in the community who spend A LOT of time doing what we love to do.Thank you to all who have lent a helping hand in the past.

[John_Cillis 2,406]

That was a well crafted response to my post--and thanks for recognizing my emotion in the matter--I went out on a limb.You have a very valid point.... I think the difference though, is that Microsoft doesn't see a risk in someone using the Lear as a default for a repaint, or flight dynamics improvements. But allowing hacks that could allow people to freely pirate software, and not prosecuting those responsible for distributing them is a risk I wouldn't take. And I do run my business with a heavy hand--not against my staff, but I have used all our resources to put hackers out of business..... We have a different system of copy protection--key based. Personally, I feel that's enough. I'm not worried about the person who wants to run my software on his home system and his laptop (it's financial software anyway, and meant for servers :) ). I'm worried about the person who wants all his buddies to have it too. By using the key system, we've traced the few who've tried to make a "business" of our business. Edit : Every time a key is distributed publicly, the next build incorporates that key and locks down the software involved, and transmits the user information back to my home office. Why Microsoft chose not to do this is beyond me--but I suspect they'd rather not hire any lawyers and waste as little resources as possible tracking people who steal their software. It backfired, and legit users are caught in the crossfire.Still, going back to software copyright, the courts have protected the software industry. If they didn't, no one could make money in the business. You'd have users all over the place making slight mods to code and pirating it right and left. And the same goes for a book of poetry, or "Star Wars". I'm not allowed to deface those and distribute it on my own.

[gosta 0]

>A hack of Microsoft's code is a violation of copyright, and a criminal act.http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpg

[Tom Allensworth 1,532]

With all due respect, the assertion that files in the library some how make valid the argument that AVSIM should allow discussion of and links to cracks doesn't hold water. They are two very different things. The crack under discussion, and the link that we will always remove, is intended to render MS' copy protection scheme useless. Whether it has a collateral benefit of making life for the user easier is also irrelevant. Send us a check for $50,000 and put in writing that you will further indemnify and protect AVSIM against all lawsuits and prosecution for linking to or providing a crack, and we'll happily do as you suggest.