[R] How to hiding code for a package

[Spencer Graves]

	  The problem with this is that if someone thinks it's useful, they 
will likely slog through the obfuscation, then offer something much 
simpler to do the same thing -- and then be shocked and confused if the 
originator doesn't thank them for their efort!  I've heard that S-Plus 
allows you to encrypt your code.  Talk with Insightful if you want to 
protect your intellectual property.

	  spencer graves

bogdan romocea wrote:

> There's something else you could try - since you can't hide the code,
> obfuscate it. Hide the real thing in a large pile of useless,
> complicated, awfully formatted code that would stop anyone except the
> most desperate (including yourself, after a couple of weeks/months)
> from trying to understand it. The best solution would be to compile
> the code, but R is not there yet.
> 
> 
> 
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Prof Brian Ripley [mailto:ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk] 
>>Sent: Saturday, July 30, 2005 5:35 AM
>>To: Gary Wong
>>Cc: r-help at stat.math.ethz.ch
>>Subject: Re: [R] How to hiding code for a package
>>
>>
>>What you ask is impossible.  For a function to be callable it 
>>has to be 
>>locatable and hence can be printed.
>>
>>One possibility is to have a namespace, and something like
>>
>>foo <- function(...) foo_internal(...)
>>
>>where foo is exported but foo_internal is not.  Then foo_internal is 
>>hidden from casual inspection, but it can be listed by cognescenti.
>>
>>Why do you want to do this?  Anyhone can read the source code of your 
>>package, and any function which can be called can be 
>>deparsed, possibly 
>>after jumping through a few hoops.
>>
>>On Sat, 30 Jul 2005, Gary Wong wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Hey everyone,
>>>
>>>I have made a package and wish to release it but
>>>before then I have a problem. I have a few functions
>>>in this package written in R that I wish to hide such
>>>that after installation, someone can use say the
>>>function >foo(parameters = "") but cannot do >foo.
>>>Typing foo should not show the source code or at least
>>>not all of it. Is there a way to do this ? I have
>>>searched the mailing list and used google, and have
>>>found something like "[R] Hiding internal package
>>>functions for the doc. pkg-internal.Rd" but this seems
>>>different since it seems that the keyword internal
>>>just hides the function from showing in the index and
>>>hides documentation, not the function itself. Can
>>>someone help? Thanks
>>
>>-- 
>>Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk
>>Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
>>University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
>>1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272866 (PA)
>>Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595
>>
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>>http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
>>
> 
> 
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-- 
Spencer Graves, PhD
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