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DERT New Technique For Distributing Digital Publications
I. Concept
II.
Discussion
I. Concept
Defining DERT:
Distributable Executable
Rich Text (DERT) is an innovative new technique invented by
mental9Production to perform compact compilation of rich text into
standalone executable programs. DERT greatly enhances the security of the
publication and the executables run as any normal program.
DERT Technique Basic Operations:
ENCODE - COMPACT - COMPILE
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Encoding the rich text
ensures the originality of the publication since it counteracts tempering
with the content of the document. |
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Compacting reduces
significantly the size of large rich text especially the ones with many
embedded materials such as images and objects. |
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Compiling transforms the
rich text into an executable standalone program. |
How Does The DERT Executable Work?
Running the
resulting DERT executable program opens a window displaying the originally
compiled rich text complete with all of its formatting and embedded images
and objects exactly as the document was created. The program opens the
document in read mode only, denying the user any write access. In other
words, the publication cannot be edited after compilation. This is enforced
by the fact that DERT will also encode the executable to prevent reverse
engineering. So, the document cannot be decompiled, edited, and recompiled
as a way of forging its contents. If, in some way, a malicious attempt
succeeded in changing the contents of the DERT executable program, then the
DERT program, when run, will display a warning message stating that the
document is corrupt and may have been tempered with. Here's the warning
message that will be triggered:
"WARNING FROM DERT
DECODER
THE DATA IS CORRUPT!
Possibly the DERT document has been tempered with!
This document may not contain the genuine material of the original
author!"
Main Benefits Of Using DERT:
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Rich text will be run as
a standalone executable program, i.e., it does not require a third-party
word processor to open it. |
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To a strong degree, DERT
guarantees that the publication is genuine and contains the exact
materials as intended by the author. This allows the distribution of
important documents with data that need to be exact. |
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Being an executable,
DERT programs are ideal for distribution over the internet, especially
that DERT compact large rich text that has many embedded images to much
smaller size (approx. less than half) while, at the same time, maintaining
exactly 100% the images quality.
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Application That Uses DERT:
DERT is used by m9P
Editor Plus.
II. Discussion
One might argue that this
technique is not bullet proof against forgery. For example, let us say
Publisher A produced a DERT Publication X, and another Publisher B wants to
take credits for the contents of X, so produces DERT Publication Y written
as X. Now we have two publications X and Y with exact contents but written
with different publishers. You cannot know who is the original contents
creator. Continue with the scenario, Publisher B also produces altered
material similar to X or maybe contradicting X and publishes this
Publication Z under the name of Publisher A. Some dispute arises and
Publisher B claims the ownership of the original contents X and declares
that Publisher A published Z and not X. Publisher A cannot easily prove the
ownership of Publication X. Well, the answer is: WRONG for both parts of the
scenario.
Why's the answer is WRONG?
Simply
because each DERT publication is stamped with the compilation date and the
serial number of the computer drive where the compilation originated.
Remember that DERT in itself is secured and cannot be altered in any way,
that includes its date and serial number. Back to the scenario:
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"You cannot know who is the
original contents creator": you can know, just click the Certificate icon
at the lower left corner of DERT. It tells you, among many things, if the
publication is genuine and it tells you the Creation Date. The publisher
with the earlier creation date is the original contents creator!
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"Publisher A cannot easily prove
the ownership of Publication X": easily the ownership of X can
be proven to Publisher A by showing that the DERT drive serial number is the
serial number of a computer drive owned by Publisher A!
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