In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Perl Authors Upload Server <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> The following module was proposed for inclusion in the Module List: > > modid: Crypt::License > Encrypts plaintext perl source code with public and private keys >i think that namespaces under Crypt should be reserved for specific >types of encryption rather than applications of it. > >does this technique only work for Perl source, or can you use it >on anything? No, it is perl specific > >why the name "License"? a legal arrangement is unrelated to the >technology, and a good design should allow your module to be used >for things unrelated to licensing. hmmm.... good point. I couldn't think of another name that was applicable. Perhaps a description of how it works would illuminate the choice. The developer portion has a couple of scripts, one which generates user certificates that contain short keys and usually contain a "terms of use statement" or License. The script crypts the perl sources and autoload stuff using a modified non-linear RC4 type of scrambling. The user end of things only decrypts and feeds the module into the perl engine. First it checks the user certificate for valid host, etc... + expiration date. If the "license" period has expired, it will not decrypt the file. There is an optional e-mail module that notifies the user/developer/licensor of pending expiration of the cert. Thus the choice of names. The objective of the module is to provide the developer that has spend a lot of time an $$ on a proprietary application in perl to be able to keep prying eyes out of source code. This encourages development of applications in perl rather than a compiled language such as "C". Any suggestions on what might be a good name other if this one is not suitable?
