dorian fraser moore

http://www.dorianmoore.com/index.php?ti_id=33

and I am not happy with it!

The text does not reflect reallity, see:

ftp://ftp.fokus.gmd.de/pub/unix/cdrecord/ProDVD/

Also please keep in mind that the patch you mention is not actively maintained.
While cdrecord is constantly improving, people like the author of the mentioned
patch usually di a quick shot. The patch appeared about a week after the first
cdrecord-ProDVD version that did work with activation keys and thus could allow
tests has been published. AS I did not disable the -V SCSI Debug option, and
the patch is only ~ 150 lines, it is obvious that this patch is created by
rreverse engineeering cdrecord.

Also note that this patch has problems with the fact that the drive writes CDs
and DVDs

Knowledge is free, I merely wrote what I found out, to help other people. I'm sorry if it offended you.

As it happens, I contacted you about cdrecord ProDVD at the time and you told me, rather bluntly, that all the information about it was on your website. I looked at EVERY page, and it wasn't there. I also looked at your ftp server, and couldn't find it there. What is said to send you money, it doesn't say where to, or how [I'm not sending $100 cash in the post] and it doesn't promise to provide any guarantees as to what I would get for my money.

It seems that you have updated your site since then.

ftp://ftp.fokus.gmd.de/pub/unix/cdrecord/ProDVD/README
********** NEW: On March 9th, we are celebrating 4 years of cdrecord-ProDVD

Of course, that will be the 9th of march in which year? 2002 I assume, as it wasn't there when I looked in January.

As you will see from my page quoted below it was written on 19/01/2002 [19th of January 2002]. I am, like you I'm sure, very busy. I said when I found out about availability of you software I would update my site, and I haven't found out until now, because the solution I had has worked find for my purposes.

As I see from your text referenced about you have produced a key which will time out on the 17th of June [this year?]. Then we have to request a new key. Will we have to keep on doing this? For how long?

I have a lot of things to do and don't want to be forced into upgrade paths or time limited software. I do appreciate the time you have put into creating the software. I'm happy to pay a reasonable price for a license to reflect this. I'm happy to change the text on my site as well. If you can provide me with a clear license and guide to how to pay you, and what we can expect for our money. Otherwise it seems that your information is no clearer than Micro$ofts I'm afraid to say.

This seemed to be the point of view of several people who have contacted me thanking me for my text, and who haven't been able to work out where to go on your site or how to proceed using it. I'm sorry to say it, but it's very hard to tell what information is what on your site.

Perhaps, to this end, I can suggest something to our mutual benefit: How about you email me a copy of the cd-record website, and I clean it up and make it more useable for people, in return for a license for cdRecord-proDVD. This way my skills [web designer, usability, web programmer] complement your skills [software development] and we can make cdRecord easier to access, license, and use, by making the information about it better managed. I'd imagine that this would be a very cost effective solution for you, as my time is aorund £30/hour [1], and I'd imagine sorting out the CD-Record site would take me a couple of days. I probably wouldn't be able to do it for a couple of weeks.

Otherwise, simply tell me what it is you would like me to change about my site and I will change it. I know the patch is unsupported, and I am providing no guarantees. I feel that at the moment it reflects a balanced point of view on where the ground lay at the time of writing. I think Cdrecord is a great piece of software and you deserve whatever support you can for developing it.

Kind regards