this is beautiful

[Stevel33t]

$cheating = 0; if($cf = @file("lib/html.php")){ $cf = implode("",$cf); if(!eregi("
Powered By X7 Chat 1.3.6B
© 2004 By The X7 Group
",$cf)){ $cheating = 1; } } if($cf = @file("frames/new.top.php")){ $cf = implode("",$cf); if(!eregi("
Powered By X7 Chat 1.3.6B
© 2004 By The X7 Group
",$cf)){ $cheating = 1; } } if($cheating == 1) echo "The script has detected that the X7 Chat copyright was illegally removed. If you believe you are getting this message in error please visit our forum at http://forum.x7chat.com/ (http://forum.x7chat.com/) and report it.";

[RVirtue]

So, the author is merely trying to ensure some small acknowledgement and, at the same time, spread the word to others who might find the program useful.  Is that too much to ask?

Or perhaps you regard this "discovery" as some kind of remarkable 'l33t' achievement.    

[E-Oreo]

Nice work decoding the copyright protector

It took a year and several months for anyone to figure out how to illegally remove the copyright, and tell us about it.

Also, if your wondering, V2 will also have a copyright protector built in.  I don't think it is fair that anyone with a little PHP experience should be able to remove the copyright.  This is an entirly non-profit project, the least a webmaster can do is give us a couple of lines of credit in exchange for the 100 plus hours we have put into making this chat room free for websites.

If anyone feels strongly that I should not be including a section of code like this I will listen to any arguments against it.

[Totentanz]

Most free scripts include a copyright protector...  I don't know why the author of this thread seems surprised.  Just don't remove the copyright.

Usually when there is a piece of free software, the script creators will allow you to remove the copyright for a one time fee of $100 or some other amount of money like that, for the people that REALLY NEED to remove it...   I don't know if X7 does anything like what I mentioned though, and I see no reason to remove the copyright anyway.   If you're going to use a piece of software for FREE, why not give the author the credit due for it?

Or were you going to try to pawn this off as your own creation?

[Chozo4]

It took a year and several months for anyone to figure out how to illegally remove the copyright, and tell us about it.

Took me a few days to notice it despite that at the time I was 99% new to any PHP script. I'm more native to Javascript and HTML so PHP wasn't too hard to figure out.

... I just never had the guts to say anything and I thought it best to not say anything to prevent exposing the copyright protect in some way.  

Only thing I did was completely remove the protection and modify the copyright. Still exists but instead as a copyright like the one you find at the bottom of invision board (like this one) but rather on the top. I found the existing one way too space hungry/cumbersome.

No offense to your great work E-Oreo... your chat is the only one worth using.   It deserves the copyright plastered on it ^.^

EDIT IN: Sorry, slightly off topic but... Thinking of coding, any plans on fixing the bug report fora? Maybe put a temporary one it it's place and just merge the topics into the original once the original is fixed?

[RVirtue]

Totentanz wrote: I don't know why the author of this thread seems surprised.

There's no accounting for script-kiddie mentality -- if it can be called such.

Chozo4 wrote: Took me a few days to notice it  ...

Yup.  It's not exactly super-secret, but I dont think most of us would consider its "exposure" worthy of wide publicity.  Anyhow, for v2, E-Oreo might want to look at something a bit more "subtle".  An encrypted entry in the database extracted for comparison to a more mysteriously named variable might work well.

E-Oreo wrote: If anyone feels strongly that I should not be including a section of code like this I will listen to any arguments against it.

If anything, I'd like to see your work and its source/availability get more recognition.  I found it quite by accident (a very happy one) after hunting through Google several times.  Have you considered posting module notices amongst the various CMS sites?  You've got a Postnuke auth mod now and I'd be happy to work with you on others purely for the "fun" involved.  Xaraya appears to be another possible "up and comer" still in beta development.  Depending on how "ambitious" you feel, it might even be worth going beyond the auth mods toward even more closely integrated CMS versions.  But that may be pushing things a bit.

[E-Oreo]

Only thing I did was completely remove the protection and modify the copyright. Still exists but instead as a copyright like the one you find at the bottom of invision board (like this one) but rather on the top. I found the existing one way too space hungry/cumbersome.

That is perfectly fine and is allowed by the GPL license.  In fact, several people have E-Mailed me and asked about how they can modify it and I have given them instructions for how to disable the protector.


The Bug Reports forum was restored as much as possible earlier this morning.  It now appears directly below the X7 Chat Discussion forum.


I do plan on listing X7 Chat on other resource sites, and making additoinal integration mods for X7 Chat including ones for vB, aMember, and several other systems.  I am waiting until I finish V2 though.  I don't want to go through the work of advertising V1 on a bunch of different sites since i'll just have to update it to V2 in a few weeks.

[Stevel33t]

I was not trying to uncover the copyright.... not at all!!!! this chat program is bad ass.. and the authors deserve the credit.... anyone who knows what that was at the top has seen it before, meaning they already decoded it... some noob who sees it, will be like, oh shit thats where the text comes from when i edit the copyright, but.... they still wont know where the code is .... i am totally not trying to let people remove the copyright by any means!!!


i was just ... lets say... being an ass....



maybe you should work your copyright into the install.php file... see, being open source, i know its hard to copyright something without taking away the "controlability" aspect of the code for the clients....

and maybe instead of using php built in functions, why dont you make your own encoding functions... your code is bad ass, and i'm sure you could easily write a function that can protect your code!!!!


 


Well, even though i was being an ass, i still think this thread was a very interesting read!!!!


Code on!!!!!

 

[Stevel33t]

V2 will also have a copyright protector built in

disregard my suggestion in the prior post... i forgot you said this already at the top!!!


   

[E-Oreo]

no don't worry, I don't mind that you posted it at all.  As you said even though someone knows its there doesn't mean they will be able to find it.  Besides, even if they can V2 is just around the corner so it hardly matters anymore.

I figure that about half the people who have the skills to figure out how to disable this will be kind enough to leave it on, since they know from personal experience how much work it must have take to make the chat program.  The other half... well, I guess they got lucky.

[Guest]

I was not trying to uncover the copyright.... not at all!!!! this chat program is bad ass.. and the authors deserve the credit.... anyone who knows what that was at the top has seen it before, meaning they already decoded it... some noob who sees it, will be like, oh shit thats where the text comes from when i edit the copyright, but.... they still wont know where the code is .... i am totally not trying to let people remove the copyright by any means!!!


i was just ... lets say... being an ass....



maybe you should work your copyright into the install.php file... see, being open source, i know its hard to copyright something without taking away the "controlability" aspect of the code for the clients....

and maybe instead of using php built in functions, why dont you make your own encoding functions... your code is bad ass, and i'm sure you could easily write a function that can protect your code!!!!


 


Well, even though i was being an ass, i still think this thread was a very interesting read!!!!


Code on!!!!!

Use ZEND

[DiGiTaL]

May i suggest it might be good 2 support E-Oreo, after all, can or cannot the guy write cool code!?... 2 ask so few $ for what he can produce deserves support.... yer i saw the previous posts with regards to the hidden copyright protection... and yer i found it & yer i could have used it. But personaly i would have felt like pond life to have not supported & paid the guy 4 his work.
Fewer & fewer bother to write free progs!!!!!
Is it any wonder !!!!!

DiGiTaL

[ryan]

actually i removed the copyright at the top since i was removing that area and their was still a copyright at the bottom but got a no copyright error and replaced it.

[floridaplowboy]

Usually when there is a piece of free software, the script creators will allow you to remove the copyright for a one time fee of $100 or some other amount of money like that, for the people that REALLY NEED to remove it...   I don't know if X7 does anything like what I mentioned though, and I see no reason to remove the copyright anyway.

 Actualy for Version 1, X7 does allow you to LEGALY remove the
copyright for certain fees (See Prices on main page)  I don't know that if he'll
carry that policy over to Version 2 with a little higher prices.

 I have bought a FEW licenses for some scripts that DO allow me to
remove the copyright from them, but I do it mostly to support the
author. (I actualy haven't removed the copyright from any of them.)
 
 If I do, I usualy have an intermediate page that comes up saying
where the script comes from and where to grab it so they get credit
anyway.
 
 I'm kinda tight with my money and I have about 7 programs and
 scripts waiting to be registered or supported.
 
 (And X7 is one of them)
 
  I like seeing a program being constantly worked on.
 
       Keep up the good work.
                JB
 

[Jim Kuroski]

I don't want to remove the copywrite, but sure would like to know how I can add some stuff to every pages footer directly below it.