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#Programs similar to parallels for mac> how to
#Programs similar to parallels for mac> for mac os x
#Programs similar to parallels for mac> install
#Programs similar to parallels for mac> registration
#Programs similar to parallels for mac> software

applications with a special installer (technically there is no reason why it cannot be done by installation package above, developers probably don’t like to reveal their installation process).

mpkg) they are installed by Installer.app (/Applications/Utilities/Installer.app) There are several types of installations in Mac OS: In the following text we will talk about “hidden information” (as developers tend to hide this from the user). I don’t know about any system service where you can store some arbitrary information and then pick it up. In this section we will analyse in detail the last item from the previous list.įirst of all we must say that the information about trial period must be hidden somewhere in the filesystem. Moreover Macs use by default NTP (Network Time Protocol) daemon which synchronises the clock (it is convenient for normal user - it always displays the precise time). Yes, it may work, but please do not try it on unix (unix-like) system, this may lead to unexpected consequences. So one can think that it if he/she changes the current date in the computer, the application will think that the trial is not over.

I assume that it simply takes current date and subtracts the start date. I leave aside the question, how the application computes the end of trial period. This case looks very appealing for a curious man who wonders: “How is it done”? So we will later explain some basic methods. In later runs it usually displays how many days still you can use it. When the application is run for the first time, a dialog appears with the information that the application is not registered and you have some time to try and explore it.

Another method which is more comfortable for user is that the application stores silently the information about start of the trial period somewhere in the computer.

Example of such an application: Araxis Merge. The application doesn’t work without the code. The code contains information about start or end date of the trial and has some redundancy (checksum), so it is not easy to fake the date.

#Programs similar to parallels for mac> registration

The application is informed from outside – the most common is probably registration process when you enter your email address on the developer’s page and an email is sent to you with some code you enter into the application.

#Programs similar to parallels for mac> software

I haven’t met any software which uses this type of starting of the trial period. Moreover technically speaking such a trial is measured from installation date, which may differ from the first usage date (preinstalled computers). There are several timestamps on a file, but each of them can be changed by the system (if you copy files, the new files may have the same timestamps as the original file). This method is a bit pointless, because there is nothing such a “creation date” of a file.

The applications look onto “creation” date of its binary (or other) files, for example.

If it does, anything is possible, so I won’t to analyse this case.

#Programs similar to parallels for mac> how to

So let’s think how to tell the application the start date of the trial period:

#Programs similar to parallels for mac> install

When you download and install the software with trial time, the application (software) must get know, when the trial period started and wether the trial period is finished. Men is generally a curious creature, so he/she wonders how the applications knows, when the trial time started, wether the time trial is over and wether it is possible do some trick (I mean simple trick, not reverse engineering) and reset the trial period. you cannot save anything - applications from iWork). Slidepad) or the functionality is significantly reduced (e.g.

After the trial period expires, the application stops work (e.g. if the output is an image, it contains a watermark with the name of the application). The trial software is sometimes combined with reduced functionality (e.g. Time trials allow developers to offer their software to potential customers for a short period of time (generally 2-4 weeks) so the user can explore this software in his preferred settings (own computer, calm place etc.) and decide to buy it. It is not intended to encourage somebody to repeatedly reset the trial period in purpose to use the commercial software without payment, hence no hints for concrete software are included. A basic knowledge of Mac (or some other unix or unix-like) system is required.

#Programs similar to parallels for mac> for mac os x

Its findings are mostly applicable for Mac OS X (Snow Leopard), but some findings are general for other Unices and unix-like systems (Linux). This article aims to give an overall description of various strategies on time trials of software.