Eddie Shipman wrote:
>
> I would create a PHP script that does that for me. I would send the
> information in a POST request using Either Indy HTTP or even WinInet.
> I would have a database on my website with the info in it and use PHP
> to query the database and return a validation code to my program for
> valid users. If a validation code was not returned, I'd disable my
> program.
>
> Very simple to do using PHP/mySQl and most hosts support that
> combination.
Thanks for the quick reply. I'm sure it would be easy to do that way
but I've never looked into php. I briefly looked at mysql but haven't
written anything in it so far. I had planned on re-doing our own
internal database in firbird but haven't had the time yet. I've written
extensive databases in clipper (and foxbase before that) and done a
considerable amount of work with javascript on our web site but I'm
mostly a (former pascal) delphi programmer trying to finish a large
project that I've been working on for more than three years and really
can't take a month or so off to learn to do what would probably take
maybe an hour to do if I was familiar with what you have recommended.
I've already been using WinInet but didn't see the POST command. I'll
take a look to see if I can figure that out. I really don't need a
database for this data since I have maybe a couple of dozen accounts
over a couple of years, certainly not a ton of them (knock on wood). As
long as this list remains so small, I can easily download the whole
file to check. Anyway, I have other resources that can write me some
backend stuff on our site to take care of making a log file. I was just
trying to do it directly and simply if I could.
It's probably not really worth the effort but it's the principle of the
thing that compels me to do it. I hate and despise credit card thieves
and despise even more that they could be using my program and accessing
free web services from that program. Since I don't know who the actual
thieves are, all I can do is stop them from continuing to use it or
from using our services. There are only a few who buy the program, then
return it but continue to use it. It would really be nice to stop them
and be able to prove that they are attempting to use it illegally.
