![]() The shift register contained only 8 bits but with lines tied to ground or 5V at random it could provide a random number between 0 and 255 which was sufficient security for the software. ![]() Through the network of PET users in the UK they made contact with Graham Heggie in Coventry and Graham's knowledge of electronics meant that they quickly arrived at the idea of a shift register connected to the tape cassette port. The requirements for security were identified by the author of the Wordcraft word processor, Pete Dowson, and his colleague Mike Lake. The tape cassette port supplied both power and bi-directional data I/O. The dongle was passive using a 74LS165 8-bit shift register connected to one of the two tape cassette ports on the Commodore PET microcomputer. In late 1970s/early 1980s, Wordcraft became the earliest program to use a software protection dongle. Sinclair QL dongle – needed to expand internal ROM capacity in early QLs
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