Bizy, Inc. switches to Semantic Designs' Thicket Obfuscators to protect application software
For Immediate Release
AUSTIN, Texas/March 10, 2008
In conjunction with Semantic Designs, Bizy, Inc. has released its seminal Place Management® application Bizyweb for use in shared web hosting environments.
Specialists in software re-engineering for complex systems, Semantic Designs (SD) of Austin, Texas has produced a low-footprint, distributable version of Bizyweb whose source code is protected using SD's Thicket™ Family of Source Code Obfuscators.
Most source code protection technologies for dynamic languages such as PHP or JavaScript are based on encrypting the source code with some ad hoc encryption algorithm and key. A protected, web-hosted program then requires the web host to hold the encryption key and execute the corresponding decryption algorithm. This has several disadvantages, including making the decryption key and algorithm insecurely available at the web host, outside the scope of protection of the application's owners, and forcing the web host to provide a decryption mechanism specific to the application. Consequently, both owners and web hosts are reluctant to support key-driven encryption.
According to Bizy's President Sheryl Hamlin, Bizyweb's initial distributions were limited by such protection methods.
Ira Baxter, SD's CTO, says that source code obfuscation removes the semantic cues from source code that make it possible for programmers to understand code, without changing the legality or meaning of the code in any way. An obfuscated version of an application such as Bizyweb can then be run on web hosts without any special application or hosting support. An obfuscator such as SD's Thicket changes names to nonsense names, and removes all program formatting, protecting the source code by making it almost impossible to understand.
Most obfuscators handle just a single language, yet web applications usually consist of components in multiple languages. The SD approach protects not only the server side PHP source code but the client side JavaScript code as well; removal of layout whitespace for Javascript code has the additional benefit of improving page delivery bandwidth for complex pages.
Now millions of users of major web hosts like Yahoo!, 1and1, Hostgator, GoDaddy and others who support PHP can immediately install the Bizyweb Place Management® application with an existing web site because there are no host changes required.
The new Bizyweb install procedure is a simple three-step process: 1) download the code from bizyweb.com, 2) unzip the code and 3) file transfer the code to the desired website maintaining the original web folder hierarchy. An installation document is also available for download.
According to Sheryl Hamlin, Bizy Inc.'s seminal product Bizyweb transforms an ordinary website into a dynamically, editable publishing platform creating a new genre of web application called Place Management. Webmasters will appreciate Bizyweb's rich Internet interface allowing them to maintain and manage a website from a browser connected to the Internet. Web site content owners will rely on Bizyweb to refresh content. Please visit www.PlugandPlayWebmaster.com for a quick overview.
Using the latest technologies including dynamically defined XML data structures, the patent-pending approach of the product Bizyweb™ is not to be confused with simple HTML editing. Using a familiar desktop skill, the user can point to an image to designate an editable 'place' on a page. Subsequently, the non-technical user or webmaster can peruse available web folders and select a new image for this 'place' even resizing or adding other properties upon insertion. The user may also highlight a text or a group of page objects and create a multi-purpose 'place' on a page to insert an entire article. There is a free whitepaper on the site called 'Creating a Page with Bizyweb' which demonstrates the steps in creation of a new article.
A special widget inserter will add Internet tools like the Google™ calendar to the page with a simple click. Widgets may be preconfigured and placed in a drop-down list for one-click insertion. A free whitepaper is available for download about the use of the widget insertion tool.
Using the 'place' approach, only the designated places on the page are editable, thus preserving the look and feel of the page.
Place definition and content changes happen asynchronously, so that organizations can assign some users to create 'places' and others to add content to the 'places' in the multi-user version of the product. A free whitepaper of organizational use cases is available for download on the site www.bizyweb.com.
Please visit www.bizyinc.com for company information.
About Semantic Designs
Semantic Designs Inc.'s headquarters is in Austin, Texas. The company's Web site is www.semanticdesigns.com. Since 1996 the privately- held company has provided leadership in automating the analysis, testing, modification and transformation of large software systems. Business solutions include tools, bundles and suites, services for enterprises and ISVs, and system integrator partnering for dozens of languages, databases and schema. Sources include C/C++, COBOL, Ada, Fortran, Transact, Java, C#, PHP, ECMA (Java) Script, VBScript, XML, SQL, PL/SQL, Verilog, VHDL and others. Tools, bundles and suites benefit productivity in formatting, test coverage, execution profiling, metrics, clone detection, inactive code management and detailed source browsing. Obfuscation scrambles source files but allows applications to run normally. Services enable massive, regular change for enterprise and cost-effective system development for ISVs. System integrators help deliver automated transformations for large and/or legacy systems using proven DMS(TM) technology. Concentrations and vertical industries include, legacy optimization and migrations, applications security/Testing/QA, Web site operations and electronic design automation. Customers include Northrop Grumman, Boeing, IBM/Tivoli, Nomura Securities, ARM, Synplicity, Rockwell Collins and others. Semantic Designs performs all development and client deployment on Windows platforms and has been a Microsoft Certified Developer and Solution Provider (MCSP) since 1997.
Semantic Designs, Design Maintenance System and DMS are registered trademarks and/or servicemarks of Semantic Designs Inc. All other products or company names are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Copyright (C) 1996-2008 Semantic Designs, Inc. All Rights Reserved
CONTACT:
Ira Baxter
Austin, Texas 78729
PHONE. (512) 250-1018
E-MAIL: idbaxter@semanticdesigns.com
KEYWORDS: BizyWeb, Web Hosting, Intellectual Property Protection, JavaScript, PHP, Encryption, Obfuscation
SOURCE: Semantic Designs Inc.
