Question: how does Maemo 5 track licensed software?
My thinking is that there is some encrypted datastore for this information and this is where certificates, licenses, etc. would be saved. But this is something that I wonder as the N900 would be soon a device using paid software from the Ovi Store.
Or, are companies/developers also giving some kind of certificate to their applications that are saved to the device?
How would the user be able to see what licensed software they have, and how could downloaded software be coded therefore to look against that datastore so that a user would be validated to use it?
- for example, we can set a status in a specific area, is there a userspace for personalizing the device that also includes those registered apps?
And if there isn't something, can I recommend something along the lines of the idea that I posted here:
A default and non-end-user editable contact is added to the address book called "Application Licenses"
When a person purchases or registers content, the Note that is appended to the contact contains the date of purchase, date of registration, application name, and serial number (locked to IMEI and/or SIM ID)
Person moves to new device and restores address book from SIM, PC Suite, or online service
When they reinstall the application, the application asks to look at the "Application Licenses Contact" to register/verifiy the app
Person has new device, and registered apps
I propose it this way since the data file that makes up the Application Manager is rarely updated by users, but contacts are almost always backed up to SIM/PC/online. The fact that this isn't a contact that the user can edit means that in order to edit the file, the user has to be extra heady (breaking device/carrier terms of use and probably the Application Licenses Contact's file fidelity).
My thinking is that there is some encrypted datastore for this information and this is where certificates, licenses, etc. would be saved. But this is something that I wonder as the N900 would be soon a device using paid software from the Ovi Store.
Or, are companies/developers also giving some kind of certificate to their applications that are saved to the device?
How would the user be able to see what licensed software they have, and how could downloaded software be coded therefore to look against that datastore so that a user would be validated to use it?
- for example, we can set a status in a specific area, is there a userspace for personalizing the device that also includes those registered apps?
And if there isn't something, can I recommend something along the lines of the idea that I posted here:
antoinerjwright.com | Mobile Ministry Magazine