RPN Registration fiasco

Over the last few weeks, I've switched my products to use the RPN
registration algorithm found on Handango, PocketGear, PocketLand,
Mobihand and others. Now, on the day of release, I've discovered that
the RPN implementation IS DIFFERENT amongst the various distributors.
ARGH!!!

The crux of the difference is that Handango is using 32 bit integers
for intermediate RPN calculations while Pocketland and Mobihand are
using 16 bit integers for intermediate RPN calculations. I don't
know what PocketGear is doing yet.

For the simple demo RPN string of:

User Name = "Will P"
RPN string = "i 0 == 111 * key + c 2 * +"

the 16 and 32 bit versions produce the same results, but more complex
RPN strings and longer User Names can easily overflow and produce
different results.

Has anyone either:

1. Screamed in anguish at the distributors, trying to make them
converge on a single implementation? If so, what did they say?
2. Added logic to their product to support both versions?
3. Given up on RPN registration because of issues like this?

jaybo
Tue Dec 13 10:39:41 CST 2005

An update: PocketGear is also using 16 bit intermediate results. They
claim to be working on a new version to allow either 16 or 32 bit
results to be produced.

clevinson
Tue Dec 13 14:43:02 CST 2005

I spent a few hours experimenting with RPN strings last week using the
Handango and PocketGear test sites. Handango's worked flawlessly, and
matched my code, however most of the strings when fed to PocketGear
came up with results that were slightly off eg 06297 instead of 06293.
The one exception was the RPN that would always generate either 00000
or 22222 for every user name I tried. I emailed PocketGear, they are
supposed to be fixing the code this week.
Does anyone else use dynamic registration, or what other alternatives
are there, having to generate the registration key myself could be very
time consuming.
Clive

anon
Wed Dec 14 08:40:10 CST 2005

I'm trying to get started with RPN registragion on PPC. I've done it
on Palm and am trying to port my apps over to PPC, but I don't have any
idea where to start. Could anyone point me to a starting place, like
where to get a userID or whatever unique ID for the device? Thanks

clevinson
Wed Dec 14 17:38:17 CST 2005

Hi,
You could use the owner information from the registry:

RegOpenKeyEx(HKEY_CURRENT_USER, TEXT("ControlPanel\\Owner"), ....);
RegQueryValueEx(hkey, TEXT("Owner"), .....);

jaybo
Thu Dec 15 03:03:02 CST 2005

My latest results as of 12/14/2005:

Handango - only site using 32 bit intermediate computations
PDATopSoft - 16 bit intermediate
Mobile2Day - 16 bit (but watch out for "key": requires "key" not "k")
PocketLand - 16 bit
Pocketgear - 16 bit, but doesn't seem to match other results!

How is it possible that the distributors could have screwed this up so
thoroughly?

I've implemented both 16 bit and 32 bit versions in my code, and will
accept either version. Now I only need to figure out what's going on
with Pocketgear.

clevinson
Thu Dec 15 11:04:15 CST 2005

I received the following from PocketGear:

"We are aware of the bugs in our generators and we are close to rolling
out a new RPN generator without these issues. The new version should
be launched in the next few weeks".

Almon
Thu Dec 15 16:16:31 CST 2005


Hi,

Also note that on PocketGear that the right-shift
operator has bugs as well.

I spoke to Matt Stein of PocketGear/Motricity
face-to-face 2-and-a-half months ago, and he said
they were about to fix it--I'm not holding my breath.

Almon B. Strowger
KOOK Pocket Software


<clevinson@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1134666254.939243.219100@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> I received the following from PocketGear:
>
> "We are aware of the bugs in our generators and we are close to rolling
> out a new RPN generator without these issues. The new version should
> be launched in the next few weeks".
>

Palewar
Thu Dec 22 05:53:06 CST 2005

Is there any other way for registration beside using owner name? Owner
name is not a very secured way of protecting. Is there any other
popular standard way to handle registration for Pocket PC CF
applications?

Thanks in advance,

Sachin