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Barcode readers often use the keyboard interface for entering their data into text fields. Consequently, I'd expect such readers to show up as "keyboards" also. Some other devices pretend to be keyboards just to get some electrical power via the USB port of the computer.... It's not wise to believe that all keyboards listed in device manager are really keyboards.
When you can get the Vendor ID and Product ID from the list of USB devices, you could compare those data with your list of your supported barcode readers - not a nice solution, but it would work.
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Hello,
Would anyone please give me any idea about making a trial version (time limited) of my C# Windows Software. Or if you know any cheap software tool who can do that. Is there any nice tool available who will do the following things
1] Obfuscators
2] Setup maker (installer) (With checking .Net framework and sql server installed or not, ..)
3] time limited trial version.
I would highly appreciate your responses..
Thanks and regards
Ravi.
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You can store your installation time details in registry or file system.
Then Calculate this value to current date.
Yes Redgate provide these applications.
If you can think then I Can.
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So I mentioned in passing to my boss a few weeks ago that I wrote a library "at home". He immediately said "cool, I own it". Now, he is often sarcastic and says weird stuff alot, so its hard to judge him. It is my understanding that if I do something "at home", he doesn't own anything. Questions may arise of course if I used company or proprietary knowledge, but its not really related except that at work I use C# and the library I wrote is in C#. It uses no company related knowledge. I never mentioned it again and he quickly forgot about it.
Whats the situation here? its more of a reusable "my bag of tricks" type DLL that every programmer has.
I kind of want to use parts of it at work (I do that with a C++ library already). In regards to the C++ library I just used it and he didn't really say anything and he knew about it. I just said "I'm using it for this component". So it would kind of be the same thing. I didn't ask for money in either situation and don't intend to. Its "free with all the source". I'm just not going to reinvent it at every place I go to.
Its kind of like no programmer is going to re-invent the wheel 5 times. lol.
I know the safe thing to do is to just never mention it again lol, but my interest outside of work is in the reusable toolkit type thing rather then finished applications, so that would be kind of useless if I can't use it at work.
I have no interest in selling it or posting it online, etc. As I said, its just "my bag of tricks.dll".
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my understanding has always been, if you didn't write it on company time, equipment or using their software, and its not anything related to a project at work(as in directly related, otherwise we would never be able to use a button again) then they can get bent its not theirs. I have heard rumors of contracts that essentially state "if you write code EVER while employed here its ours" but I have never seen one personally and would never sign one either. My time is my time to do as I damn well pleased including personal development, both literal and knowledge-wise.
That being said I don't know about using it in apps you write for them. Unless its some revolutionary algorithm but just standard "make the lugnuts for the wheel easier to get on and off" library I don't see where its an issue. Then again I'm not a sleazy lawyer either.. lol
Programming is a race between programmers trying to build bigger and better idiot proof programs, and the universe trying to build bigger and better idiots, so far... the universe is winning.
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Yeah, it has nothing to do with the product directly. I'm not interested in getting anything for it. Its nothing revolutionary, its pretty much just a custom control library. Its pretty much exactly what you said: standard "make the lugnuts for the wheel easier to get on and off" type library.
If I start asking about it, it can only raise flags lol.
Every developer has that kind of library.
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My university contract said something like that. All code I ever wrote while studying is technically theirs.
Of course they have no idea what I wrote or when, so I could just lie about the date if they're ever going to complain - which is extremely unlikely.
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mine was similar. anything done on their equipment etc etc.. I did my first Android app for my capstone project. And made damn sure EVERY line of code was written on my laptop, using MY Eclipse not theirs etc.. just in case
They did not have the study part.. just on their equipment and whatnot.
Programming is a race between programmers trying to build bigger and better idiot proof programs, and the universe trying to build bigger and better idiots, so far... the universe is winning.
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that's only true if you signed paperwork stating that specifically.... other than that, its all yours!
on a related topic...
my wheel is rounder than yours 
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Yeah, I asked a co-worker and apperently we did sign something like that. Oh well. Guess I won't use my cool stuff here  . Not even worth the hassle. I'll save it for the next job and then just declare it as prior art. Can't really do that here.
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yeah... you should keep copies and carefully read everything you sign... my current company tried to make me sign a ridiculous non-compete, I refused so they changed it to something I'd agree with.
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Well, I guess if you have another job lined up, you can walk away over something like that  . I'm not dumb enough to quit a job without another one lined up, especially in this economy. I don't live in Silicon Valley, so its not like there is another job around the corner. There just aren't alot of companies worth working for in this area. There used to be a ton. Now its all fly by night 5 person places that'll be out of business in a week. I actually had a place want to interview me for a contract position and they couldn't even tell me how long it was for!! lol... they said "come on in for a few weeks, we'll see how it goes and go from there". Translation: you are going to have your contract terminated in 2 weeks after you finish this little side project.
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i didn't say walk away, never hurts to ask... that applies to all contracts... i always negotiate contracts
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I was talking to a co-worker about this. He made a good point... if you ask your boss about it, you just made it necessary for him to care about all the legality. If you just quitely use it under the radar, he probably wouldn't even notice .
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well yeah, at this point its too late! ...that's why you have to read BEFORE you sign! 
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btw, the boss couldn't disagree with my rationale for not signing that non-compete. "i was doing this job before i joined here, and i'll probably be doing it after i leave." (non-compete specified that i couldn't work for anyone deemed a competitor for 1 year after leaving)
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I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I don't care what they think. And I won't work for anyone who thinks that way. 
My feeling is that general code that isn't specific to any particular application is mine; code that is specific to their application is theirs. Yes, my last two jobs have had some sort of vague agreement, and I believe they refer to applications code, not library code, so I feel confident in my stand.
With my current job, it's easier because "they" write in VB -- ergo, any C# I write is clearly not theirs. 
But no way does anyone own what I write on my own time.
Also, look at it this way -- is it stuff you could download free from CP? Certainly if you use Sacha's code they don't own it. Why not write it, publish it, then use it at work? This is why I spend so much time generalizing so much of what I write.
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Well... lol, you remind me of a guy I used to know. He was all super cocky and always had this attitude like he would fight "the man" to the death to protect his IP. But lets be realistic... if push comes to shove, how many of us can afford to get lawyers involved? The company certainly can, but on what planet does your average software engineer have a few hundred thousand to fight a legal battle?
If its VB at work and C# at home, then yeah, they will have a much harder time proving anything.
I know this goes against the open source / code project mentality, but I don't really have much interest in posting my production quality code.
Yeah, the whole point of the library is to make everything reusable and generalized. Thats kind of the point. I don't really write apps in my free time, I just write reusable components.
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SledgeHammer01 wrote: on what planet does your average software engineer have a few hundred thousand
to fight a legal battle?
Exactly; they would gain nothing by suing me.
SledgeHammer01 wrote: protect his IP
There's no such thing.
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I meant if they said "we own your code... or we can do this in court", would you go to court? I mean in your case its not even the same language, but lets assume you had a C# job and wrote code at home in C#? You'd probably just hand over your code and start looking for another job out of resentment right? . The guy I used to know would always say "I'll sell my house!! my car!! everything!! and fight them to the death in court because I know I will win and then I will sue them for millions!!" lol... he lived on a different planet then the rest of us apperently.
My point is, if the company *wants* to be a-holes, they definitely can and will win simply because they have the bigger wallet.
Either that, or its easier to just not use it, lol.
If you had written it *before* you started and planned on using it at work, or even thought you *might*, you can just list it on the prior art agreement with a "free source license". Back in the day when I slummed in the MFC / C++ world, I had a custom control library that I spent around ~10 YRS on. I had every intention of using it and listed it on the prior art. At first, I was kind of an a-hole about it and didn't want to check in the source for it, but after the boss yelled at me, I checked it in .
Oh well... I'm kind of leaning towards not using it at this job anyways because I don't want the hassle and my boss isn't the kind to appreciate it :p. I'll just prior art it at the next job.
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Unless there is something in your contract that states that ALL work produced while you work for the company belongs to them, they haven't got a leg to stand on. Without that clause in the contract, and assuming they don't have a legal department working for them, they'd probably not attempt anything (unless your library became hugely successful and a great moneyspinner in which case they might choose to take a punt at it).
The bottom line, without a legal team on board, they'd have to retain counsel as well which is not a cheap thing to do.
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SledgeHammer01 wrote: I meant if they said "we own your code... or we can do this in court", would you go to court?
No, to the local newspaper - in an attempt to find out how messy it can get
I are Troll 
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SledgeHammer01 wrote: I meant if they said "we own your code... or we can do this in court", would you go to court?
nope. I would hand them some crappy look a like library that barely functions and is almost 100% to cause an error and then move on...lol
" What code? on this pc? no code on this pc are you crazy? oh on that pc? nope none over there either."
oops i forgot to mention the drive hidden in my sock drawer that has my backup files in case my pc ever gets stolen again.....
Programming is a race between programmers trying to build bigger and better idiot proof programs, and the universe trying to build bigger and better idiots, so far... the universe is winning.
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SledgeHammer01 wrote: we own your code
No one owns my code. I have copyright, but I don't own it.
SledgeHammer01 wrote: would you go to court?
I wouldn't, and if they did, so what? It wouldn't affect what I do.
SledgeHammer01 wrote: , if the company *wants* to be a-holes, they definitely can and will win
But they won't gain anything -- it's all loss.
"The more you tighten your grip, Tarken, the more star systems will slip through your fingers." -- Leia
SledgeHammer01 wrote: if the company *wants* to be a-holes
Then few will work for them and do a good job.
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I had this as a clause when I worked at Accenture.
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