Original Summary

TL;DR: I built a protected ebook/course packer for a friend: plain HTML/CSS/JS in, a single Windows/macOS app out, with enforced learning paths. 5000+ real activations since 2024, but the authoring side is a pain. Is it worth turning into a real product? So, covid times, nothing to do, and my friend came to me with a problem (I am a software developer). He sells a few interactive courses as ebooks and was using EBook Maestro - a packer that was popular back in the WinXP era - and he was struggling with some JavaScript logic inside his content. After some time spent debugging, he said it would be nice to have something modern instead. I agreed just out of curiosity. He never paid for it - I gave it to him for free, mostly as a challenge to myself: can I actually build something like this? It took me about a year of free time. The packer turns the whole course into a single Windows .exe with all the content encrypted inside. On top of that: Binding to the computer , with remote activation and deactivation Anti-screen-capture Reading paths: the author defines the order, and test gates keep students from skipping ahead Anti-rush and anti-procrastination rules , so students can't just click through the content It has been running since 2024 - those activations are real, I see every one of them on the server. Until this spring it was pure fun - I love creating things and never thought of it as a product. Then I came back to it, used AI to port it to macOS with a comparable level of protection, and started wondering if anyone else needs this. Now the honest part: The produced books are good, but editing and packaging them is a pain in the ass - the editor app's UI/UX has a lot of room for improvement. It is not a PDF or EPUB. The reader can't keep a copy (if the author doesn't allow it), can't open it in their favourite app, and doesn't get that feeling of control over the file. That's the price of protection, and I know many people hate it. Nothing is uncrackable , but getting the content out takes real reverse engineering skills, not a download tool. Distributing content as an .exe feels sketchy , and I'm not sure people will go for it. On the other hand, being a native app is exactly what gives it the stronger protection and the interactivity. Two directions I'm thinking about: a SaaS where authors upload their books and courses and share links instead of files, or a one-time purchase tool - pack your .exe/.app and distribute it yourself, fully offline. So, my questions: If you sell courses or ebooks: would you distribute them as a protected app, or is .exe/.app a dealbreaker for you or your students? SaaS or one-time purchase - which would you prefer, and why? I can share a demo .exe/.app with anyone who wants to poke at it. Any feedback is welcome.   submitted by   /u/Smooth-Main-6822 [link]   [comments]

  • 情报分类：商业与市场研究
  • 分类依据：内容涉及商业、投资或市场动态
  • 信息来源：Reddit · SideProject
  • 发布时间：2026/9/26 06:05:48