It seems that Microsoft’s SLPS, a programming suite for adding licensing and demo functionality to your .NET based software, is closed, adding a whiff of mystery to the down-turn. Could they have taken it out back and shot it?
The service is currently not accepting new orders – at least as of last night – so either there is an upgrade afoot or Microsoft is paring back some of their less popular business units. Companies like Nalperion and CryptKey are obviously ready to step into the vacuum left by Redmond.
I have an email in with Microsoft so we’ll see what they have to say about the shut-down. The official statement:
We appreciate your interest in SLP Services, however we are currently not taking any new orders at this time. Current customers will continue to have access to the service and support for the SLP Services product through our SLPSInfo@microsoft.com email alias and our MSDN site.
and from the SLPS forum a gnomic non-answer:
It is true that SLPS is temporarily not taking on any new customers but not sure about anything beyond that. I’ll pass along any news I hear when available.
Hugo D. Malavet
SLPS Support Program Manager
Excell Data for Microsoft Corporation
UPDATE – Final word from MS:
As of September 23, Microsoft has stopped selling SLP Services. Many ISVs still use home grown software protection solutions, and the return on investment in this area is less than we hoped for. We will continue to create and improve our own internal licensing and protection technologies, but we will no longer be selling any such solutions externally.
Over the last several months the team has done a lot of work to understand the long-term opportunity for the SLPS business and establish its viability as a Microsoft investment. It has become very clear that the opportunity is much smaller than we originally calculated. While the SLPS team did great work on the latest release, the sales haven’t increased to the point where we believe it needs to be.
this is a big mystery. maybe they are up to something.
Too bad. It is a very interesting product and approach.
Nalpeiron has a similar service and can help migrate anyone who has problems because of this shutdown, take a free trial to see if we can help you? We have helped ISVs with their licensing for years: http://www.nalp...n.com/freetrial
I think they are up to something, I don’t trust ballmer
http://gatesand...s.blogspot.com/
there are up to something, I don’t trust ballmer.
http://gatesand...s.blogspot.com/
We cannot expect any thing what microsoft does. If it is closing this, I doubt it is upto something more bigger.
Well, at least they didn’t screw their current users yet.
If they’re going to get rid of something, why think small? Why not take Live search out behind the shed and shoot it?
woo, not so good
Take off your tinfoil hats, idiots.
It was a service that helped people put licensing on their software. You know, serial keys and online activation?
No one needed it because people like to brew their own. The end. Move on.
You guys might also want to check out Apptivation copy protection software if you’re developing for windows. http://www.apptivation.com
Serial Key Maker has long filled the gap for mISV’s looking for a cost effective and easy-to-implement .Net software licensing solution. With tons of example code, award winning service and a 30 day money-back guarantee, you’ll be up and running in no time!
Visit http://www.seri...r.com/index.htm for a free trial.
They just overpriced it. I like Microsoft for their ‘give anything a go’ approach which puts them in good stead with new technologies, but to fund this they have to hike their prices. When you consider economies of scale their OS, Office Suite or any software price it’s clearly sky high.
We looked at Microsoft’s DRM ages ago but chose http://www.fingoo.net as their service was simply way better value. A couple of years before we chose little know http://www.paypal.com for our merchant provider for the same reason… and where are the other merchant providers now?
I wish all companies would stop trying to rip us off, would save me a lot of time searching when I need a new service
)
I remember looking into this and seeing Licensing costs at around $25,000, not surprised it’s closed, probably will get eaten into codeplex
Hmmmmm…. I had a look at the SLPS programme but the pricing structure made me run a mile. Not surprised it hasn’t survived as there are plenty of more reasonably priced alternatives and there is always the option of rolling your own.
Could this by why…
Could this by why: http://www.bloo...id=ajwsdZdSECBw
I looked around for a licensing solution and thought CryptKey and others were more trouble than they’re worth. Didn’t know MSFT was in that space, but if pricing was anything like the remaining players, the cash and engineering costs weren’t justifiable over home grown. Plus, home grown solutions have the benefit of being an unknown technology, so previous cracker community efforts against a vendor supplied solution don’t depreciate the protection scheme.
There is a mystery, They must be upto something else similar.
SafeNet’s Sentinel RMS and SHK’s are the solutions we use and we absolutely can’t live without it. It provides all platforms, windows included, an huge number of licensing models, back-office integration libraries and API’s without having to pay HUGE $$$’s for consulting and integration (like others), and the hardware Keys are great for our High Piracy countries and high end products.
That is something that most of the competitors to the MS solution can not provide, a complete solution.
They couldn’t compete cost-effectively with download.com/upload.com. Finally, one area that MS won’t be trying to take over (for now).
From Microsoft’s statement its clear that they will continue to use software protection on their own products “We will continue to create and improve our own internal licensing and protection” but will no longer sell SLP solutions to ISVs because “the return on investment in this area is less than…”
There may be many reasons that the SLPS initiative was less successful than Microsoft hoped but some number of ISVs now need a different solution – one that is better, cheaper and easy to convert over to – one such solution is ByteShield’s – see the whitepaper at http://www.byte...epaper_0005.pdf.
We are using the Solutions from SafeNet also. We use SafeNet now more than 15Years and are happy that. We honestly looked at the competition solutions and there is nothing that i find out that actual beats the SafeNet Solutions.
So yust my 2cent for today…
oh, my god!
Sure, homegrown solutions may be attractive, but when you factor in all the costs – lost opportunity, security and licensing expertise plus TCO moving forward – many ISVs could do much better with a commercial solution. After all, security and licensing are side issues, and not within the typical ISV’s core competence.
Check out Aladdin’s HASP SRM. You can download it for free:
http://www.alad...order/form.aspx
what they will do we are watching and waiting
Why wait for Microsoft to roll something out? As Spolsky has said in the past, this sort of stuff is just fire & motion.
If you’re sitting around with your hands in your pockets waiting for something that Microsoft may or may not release – or worse, scrabbling to rewrite your licensing architecture to work with whatever they do release – then your core product is suffering.
Just buy a reputable solution and get on with developing your core product.
(Disclaimer: the company I co-founded produces the OffByZero Cobalt software licensing solution for .NET. See https://cobalt.offbyzero.com/ for details.)