RE: FN-FORUM: Protecting a web page from copying?

date posted 1st August 2007 01:22

On Tuesday 31 July 2007 16:11:13 Duncan Glendinning wrote:

>> Is there something more reliable, or is this just a no-hoper?


Dom:
>It's a no-hoper. Give the client five minutes to understand that if
>the computer can *display* the page, it can be trivially made to
>*save* it. If the client doesn't grasp this concept then up your
>rates to one pound a minute until they either do get it, or bugger
>off.


Yea, this thread is too populated with possible solutions.. +1 for Dom's
comments (there seems to be a couple of people here who consistently
make sense). If the industrial spy can get to The Compootar Main Frame
and get it on microfilm, then all hell will break loose anyway.

Upping your rate to a quid a minute won't do it. A more effective
solution is to use an analogy. Take the client's hand and a big sledge
hammer. Then ask the client what they think would happened if you hit
the hand with the sledge hammer. Chances are that they will not want to
be hit by a hammer of any kind. Then tell them you're gonna build a
protective shield around their hand. Place their hand in a cardboard
box. Whack the box with the hammer. Ask them if the protection worked..

Seriously though, helpful approach with dimwits like this is comparison
to their competitors or massive companies. I.e. "Listen jackbum, if
[insert biggest company you can think of here] isn't bothered about
pissing people off by restricting use of the website, then why should
you?" (wording might need a bit of fine tuning).

Sorry, just had to have a bit of a rant about stupid clients, we all get
them from time to time..

Disclaimer: Whacking people with hammers is likely to hurt. It's an
analogy, not a practical recommendation.

Johan