Aug 15 2004

aspECard is profiting on my script PostcardMentor

Posted by admin under Other

It happens every now and then. Someone takes my free script(s) and then changes some layout, add a few things and then tries to sell it.


The last one in the row is maine-net.com which with no doubt has used my TopsiteMentor and PostcardMentor.

I will for now just lay out the evidence for PostcardMentor (my original script) and aspEcard(their script which they are trying to sell for 80$ or 40$). I recognize my own scripts when I see them even if they are hotted up with some nicer layout.


Please look at this page at http://www2.aspcode.net/evidence/ecard.htm to look at some of the screenshots I have taken from PostcardMentor (to the left) and aspECard(scroll to the right to see them).



Is it a coincidence?


Please notice that all url query parameters are named the same - years ago when I started coding ASP and developed PostcardMentor for ASP and all other of my ASP scripts I for some stupid reasons always called my auto increment fields in the database fldAuto (now I just call them id). Strange that the developer of aspEcard do too, right? And all other parameters as well, I mean small=...



I just don't feel like saying much more about this, for me it's obvious, the pics talk for themselves but let me just add the last and maybe most strange coindidence(?):



All postcard scripts is about sending away a postcard containing a link to a page where the receipient can view it and I first just made a like like viewcard.asp?cardid=. Then I thought that's not good, anyone with a brain could figure out how to view any card at all, just enetering any number at chance as cardid. So I developed a really stupid(but working) scheme to make the url look like
viewcard.asp?cardid=id---recepientemail and of course verified the email address when they tried to view the card.

Yesterday I tried sending a card from maine-net.com:s demo site and I can tell you I wasn't surprised to see that the viewcard link looked like:

...www.maine-net.com/ecard/viewcard.asp?cardid=1151---addr@thedomain.com.




Why am I telling you about this?


a) If someone should profit from my scripts it should me me
b) thjis has happened before with other people and when I contact them they are usually embarrased and takes down their script asap. But Will at maine-net.com answered my email by saying


QUOTE:



Stefan,


Not even close.


Will

-----Original Message-----

From: Stefan Holmberg
[mailto:REMOVED]

Sent: Saturday, August 14, 2004 1:54 PM

To: wills@maine-net.com

Subject: Your applications are copyrighted





I am Stefan Holmberg and I am the funder of
ASPCode.net. I have found your applications
ASPEcard and AspTopSites to be almost identical to my own (PostcardMentor and
TopsiteMentor. I can not let anyone profit on
my work so I ask you to immedietely remove
those scripts from your site.




My original apps can be downloaded from
http://www2.aspcode.net/default.aspx?page=article_subarea&id=11 .
ENDQUOTE

So, that's what I has to say right now in this matter. STA AWAY FROM MAINE-NET.COM. They are lying and unethical.