In article ,
mevetts wrote:

At the end of the day, if someone makes the best use of the resources
available, then what more can they do. Computers are too powerful not
to be taken advantage of, and there's always an element of risk, but
should we turn our backs because of this? Not in my opinion,

I don't think anyone is suggesting turning a back on technology. But
it's dumb, IMO, to risk distributing private or confidential information
to unauthorized parties when it's well known that the protection for
that information is compromised.

No business I've ever worked with has chosen to ignore that preventable
risk. Businesses that do will deservedly fail.

It makes far more sense to take further advantage of the technology -
perhaps using VBA to create separate files to be sent to each worker,
and to then consolidate any changes.

I'm currently building an Excel based register and
markbook system for teachers. I have put the standard copyright blurb
on the workbook and will password up certain bits of it. This
wouldn't stop someone who wanted to steal the content, code, design
etc....but this isn't going to stop me builfding it in the first
place.

The only thing I use worksheet or workbook protection for in my
commercial XL work is to minimize the opportunity for users to
inadvertently muck up the worksheet structure and formulae. I rarely use
a password unless the client insists on it (after I let them know that
it won't prevent a 6th grader from bypassing it - I know because my 6th
grader independently found the info and used it to remove his teacher's
worksheet protection after the teacher forgot the password).

I figure that the best protection of my work is to provide an excellent
product that clients will pay for. So far, that's worked very well. I
know my copyright has often been violated (the first time was a business
app suite for the CBM8000 back in 1979), but I tell myself that the
violators probably wouldn't have paid for it anyway. Though a couple of
them have, after I've suggested that my fee was somewhat cheaper than
their lawyer's.