How to protect python code ?

[Cameron Laird]

In article <mailman.1049722991.18682.python-list at python.org>,
Dave Brueck  <dave at pythonapocrypha.com> wrote:
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>adding too much complexity or maintenance costs. Beyond that, the law of
>diminishing returns starts to win because pretty quickly you get into
>guarding against people who are willing to invest large amounts of time
>cracking it or, worse, people who crack for fun.
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>Even once you have the source code, there's still enormous work involved
>before you can use it to generate revenue (to create your own knock-off
>product). In the case of protecting the code to protect the revenue stream
>(anti-piracy), you have to realize things like many/most pirates would not
>have purchased your program anyway, your selling price may be too high,
>having your customer relationship depend completely on the product itself
>is a weak position and tough to defend, etc.
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Gratuitous factual tangent:  'might surprise folks
how often acquirers of software companies essentially
discard source code.  They want customer lists and
relations, and occasionally the engineering staff,
but existing programs?  Those are nearly valueless.

I exaggerate a bit.  There are indeed legitimate roles
for obfuscating technologies.  Managers think they're
far more common than is true, though, and programmers
far, FAR overestimate the objective value of source
code.  It's one of our occupational hazards.

Dave's right.
-- 

Cameron Laird <Cameron at Lairds.com>
Business:  http://www.Phaseit.net
Personal:  http://phaseit.net/claird/home.html