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On-Demand Electronic Software Delivery (ESD): Safeguarding the distribution of interactive digital content
June 29th, 2004
Distributing digital content, such as documents, music, photos and video, is an inherently insecure exercise. It is hard enough to prevent a hostile attacker from copying information, but altogether impossible to re-assert control over information thats already been revealed to a legitimate user through traditional distribution methods.

Protecting most forms of human-readable, -audible, or viewable content is, at best, ineffectual. The final result of all that decryption and authorization is the intellectual property itself: the original document, in the clear, ready for re-encoding and re-presentation.

However, interactive content such as software applications do not face that limit. The fundamental nature of software is that it cant be reduced to a simple, static movie each and every input from the user could affect the entire user experience. As the software executes, it has the ability to re-verify an ongoing relationship between the user and licensor at runtime.

Unlike other types of multimedia content, software packages do not need to be revealed in the clear in their entirety to be useful. As a result, software content can remain encrypted end-to-end, while still taking advantage of on-line validation to ensure fine-grained usage control.

In the case of Electronic Software Distribution (ESD), there are new solutions that grant users more limited access than a full, unencumbered copy of an entire application. At one extreme, we see online (networked) license managers that must be compiled into an application by the original developer (e.g. FlexLM or NetQuartz. At the other, we see hardware tokens that must be physically interrogated by the running instance (e.g. Rainbows dongles).

In between lies an ideal: an application protection technique that enforces use rights without modifying the underlying application code. Endeavors Technology Inc.s AppExpress technology hits this mark by modifying how the Windows file system works. Rather than copying over an entire application in-the-clear, AppExpress makes it look like the files are available, while actually downloading encrypted fragments of the original on the fly and, more importantly, re-validating the users right to access those files, say, every ten minutes. This means that it can effectively protect digital content that requires repeated access over time: the precise difference between static multimedia files and interactive software files.


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Ask the OD Guru -
What is the difference between Digital Rights Management and Electronic Software Distribution?
Digital Rights Management (DRM) is about enforcing copyrights, Electronic Software Distribution (ESD) is about enforcing usage rights. While there is some overlap - an application install CD-ROM is physically identical to a CD containing a videogame, photographs, or music - there is clearly room for a different sort of protection mechanism designed specifically for ESD, whether it is software or hardware.

When delivering applications online, how can we ensure that the applications are safe from corruption or hacking?
There is a difference between securing applications and securing the application delivery process. A solution such as AppExpress is all about securing the application delivery process. Its goal is to deliver the exact same user experience that would have resulted from installing an unprotected copy (i.e. from a CD-ROM) so that the application, once authorized to execute, could do anything that a 'normal' Microsoft Windows application could. Therefore, AppExpress is about enforcing the security of application distribution. On the other hand, there are various products and services available on the market that are designed to enhance the security of an application once it's installed. Such solutions approach application security by checking for viruses or worms, depending on other public-key security infrastructure, or preventing leaking private data ("spyware".


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Send your questions about on-demand application delivery to our resident OD Guru at joea@endeavors.com.

From iii

Paleface
It shows what the future holds I believe.

Midaz - surely the Computerworld article is bad for Tad - irrespective on what Tad can offer, it seems that the computer community are looking elsewhere at server-centric operability?

Pachandl
I did not read that all looks pretty positive for tad to me

Tadpole Technology plc
June 29, 2004

Tadpole Technology plc
Interim Results for the period October 1, 2003 - March 31, 2004

Highlights

* Turnover increased by 39% to #2.6m, operating loss reduced by 30% to
#1.8m compared with H1 2003

* Endeavors begins to come on-stream, wins on-demand streaming software
contracts for its AppExpress enterprise-focused technology. Customers
now include Autodesk, MCI, Microsoft and Wyse Technology. EDS
appointed AppExpress master reseller to its world-wide customer base

* Cartesia delivers small profit; extends order book from new ESRI-based
product lines; customer wins include US municipalities and JEA electic
utility

* Outlook - the Board is pleased with the continued progress of the
subsidiaries in implementing the 3-year business plans defined in
2003. It expects further improvements in the Group's trading
performance in 2004

Enquiries

Keith Bigsby, CFO, Tadpole Technology plc - 0207 987 4888 (until 16.30)
Mike Brennan, Evolution Beeson Gregory - Tel 0207 488 4040
Hugh Paterson, Patcom Media - Tel 0207 987 4888


CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT

Financial Results

Turnover from continuing operations in the first half of 2004 increased by 39%
compared with the same period last year, gross margins rose from 40% to 59% and
operating expenses were cut from #3.0 million to #2.6 million. A consequent
reduction in operating losses, from #2.6 million to #1.8 million, was achieved.

Endeavors

Good progress has been achieved in building customer and partner relationships.
On 5 January, we announced a world-wide master reseller agreement with EDS. This
was followed by an announcement on 19 January that a major US telecommunications
company had chosen our AppExpress on-demand application streaming technology for
the deployment of Windows-based programs to the telco's customer base and
throughout its own enterprise. Earlier this month, the name of the telco was
revealed when MCI announced its new service offering which embeds our
technology.

On 17 June, we announced that Microsoft had selected AppExpress to stream trial
versions of consumer software products to customers. The initial value of the
contract is based upon the number of downloads by potential Microsoft customers
up to an aggregate amount of $100,000.

We also continue to develop our relationship with Autodesk, expanding the
applications using our trialware solution and enlarging the site to include
Autodesk's European customers.

With the growing success of our sales activities, we expect to start generating
further revenues and improved operating results by the end of the current fiscal
year.

Cartesia

Turnover grew by 41% generating an operating profit of #75k compared with a loss
of #320k in the same period last year.

The strategic decision to invest in developing products based on ESRI technology
continues to generate rewards. Through direct sales activity, partnership with
ESRI regional offices in the USA and business relationships with other ESRI
partners and distributors, Cartesia has supplied its Go!Sync data
synchronization products to clients in its target market sectors. Of particular
note is the recent $500k contract win with electricity utility JEA in the USA.
We are encouraged by the accelerating interest in our ESRI-focused technology
and it is planned to continue investing in the Go!Sync product set, an example
being the addition of data synchronisation to ESRI's ArcPad pocket PC platform.

Cartesia anticipates growing demand for its data synchronisation and management
technology and is positioned to exploit these opportunities through the
remainder of 2004 and into 2005. We expect a significant increase in the
business unit's revenues and operating results during the second half of this
financial year compared with the first half.

Outlook

The Board is pleased with the continued progress of the subsidiaries in
implementing the 3-year business plans defined in 2003. It expects further
improvements in the Group's trading performance in 2004.

David Lee
Chairman
29 June 2004


FINANCIAL REVIEW

Results semm fine to me, but obviously not enough for the few remaining short termers, 59% profit margins are bloody great once they get the business.

Cheers,

Paleface

and yet the price is dropping what the hell is going on

Traders getting out. They sell on news and buy on rumour.
Maybe they havent heard the latest rumour yet!!
Rumoured to be announced this week!!


M

Only a TAD enthusiast could try to bolster our spirits by announcing that there is a rumour that a rumour will be announced this week. Sorry M, but it did make me smile. I'm still a holder.

so whats this new rumour then? go on make me laugh

The rumour is there is going to be a rumour!

The rumour is:

I am going to have a lie in tomorrow morning.

M

M - :-)

I`m with paleface on this. results are good enough for me to hold, and probably top up, as year end results will show dramatic improvement as second half is historically good for TAD.I believe it will show a positive EPS and value TAD at 30p plus.
this is my certain belief in opposition to previous wishful thinking.
best of luck to all

What an abysmal set of results

Sorry, but this business will continue to make losses for the next few years, until their cash has been burned or they cannot raise any further funding.

A market cap of 45M+ is totally ridiculous.

The $100K (an amount not exceeding) from Microsoft might just about cover for the costs of one software engineer for one year.

This business is pie in the sky, unlikely to ever succeed and obviously being managed by people who have a vested interest to keep the thing afloat, as long as possible, to draw out large salaries, at the expense of very gullible shareholders, who keep pumping more and more money in....

I expect to see this trading south again in the near term.

Verdict: Near term reduce, SELL

Couldn't agree more snappy. In freefall as "investors" (LOL)come to terms with the grim reality that they will not live long enough to see TAD in profit......

It's a shame Tadpole never really learn to manage peoples expectations, i still think they have a great product, but have attracted too many people who remember the tech bubble of yore, it's gone and anybody in business must know it takes at least 4 years before you even get out of debt...if you take endevours as the new business then that means a little time yet till break even, so no fast bucks till the next rumour.

Paleface

Looks to me that a lot of the smaller day traders get out
and in come the bigger boys picking up all stock at very cheap prices.

On the rumour front, I am still hearing about nice contracts not too far away!

Good luck holders

M

http://global.mci.com/news/news2.xml?newsid=11090&mode=long〈=en&width=530&langlinks=off

"MCI will infuse its new capabilities into building next-generation offerings that leverage the company's expansive data center and global IP network footprint. Examples of this include MCI's fully-managed On-Demand Application Service, which was launched earlier this month. Also in development for release later this year are disk-to-disk back-up and restore services, utility storage offerings and a bi-directional ticketing service."

It wont be long before this pays off.

M

Moneylender.

I agree with you regarding TAD. They have only very recently won the contracts from MCI, MS etc. So its going to take a few months before we see some significant revenue as MCI etc need time internally to set up their sales and generate a customer base.

I am disappointed though, that the market is so muted towards Tadpole, as its RNS showed great potential. Obviously the market wants results, not speculation.

Not worth getting up early for quite a while yet, not on behalf of TAD anyway!

H