2006-07-12 21:10:21 · 9 answers · asked by tan l 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
A dongle is a small hardware device that connects to a computer to authenticate some piece of software. This was its primary meaning in the computer industry in the 1980s and 1990s. When the dongle is not present, the software runs in a restricted mode or refuses to run. Dongles are used by some proprietary vendors as a form of copy prevention or digital rights management because it is much harder to copy the dongle than to copy the software it authenticates.
2006-07-12 21:14:56 · answer #1 · answered by thematrixhazu36 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A dongle (pronounced DONG-uhl) is a mechanism for ensuring that only authorized users can copy or use specific software applications, especially very expensive programs. Common mechanisms include a hardware key that plugs into a parallel or serial port on a computer and that a software application accesses for verification before continuing to run; special key diskettes accessed in a similar manner; and registration numbers that are loaded into some form of ROM (read-only memory) at the factory or during system setup.
If more than one application requires a dongle, multiple dongles can be daisy-chained together from the same port. Dongles are not in frequent use partly because enterprises don't like to have a serial or parallel port preempted for this use.
2006-07-13 04:18:03 · answer #2 · answered by magicrajesh 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My company uses dongles to licence software.
It's a little plastic thing that goes in the back of the computer and our software will not work without it.
It means if they dont pay us for our software we dont send them a dongle and our software wont work for them.
2006-07-13 04:17:22 · answer #3 · answered by BeerLover 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have heard of a hardware key referred to as a dongle.
basically it is a piece of hardware that gets connected to computer. the dongle works as a form of copy protection for the software. without the dongle your software won't work.
2006-07-13 04:15:26 · answer #4 · answered by sadfwer 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A dongle can be many things, a copy protection device, a computer key, a type of switch. You should do thorough research via a search engine like Yahoo to get a full detailed description. Good luck!
P.S. Dont answer a question unless you know the answer people! DUH!!
2006-07-13 04:15:31 · answer #5 · answered by Rowdy answers 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a dongle is a a hardware, not a license, though it acts as a license since you can't use one software unless you use the required/appropriate dongle fo it... on example is the Atmel AVR -ISP... you have to use this dongle to program the Atmel microcontroller using the AVR Studio... if you don't use the atmel dongle, you won't be able to transfer/burn the program you wrote in AVR Studio to your microcontroller... hope this helps you!
2006-07-13 04:21:51 · answer #6 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a dongle is a little antenna that you connect to the back of your computer for wirless if its not built in.
2006-07-13 04:14:58 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
its like a key. it has a protection data which prevents certain program from functioning without it.. Cubase uses it. You cant use the program without the key.
2006-07-13 04:14:59 · answer #8 · answered by wildhair 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Never heard of it. May be some kind of electronics device.
2006-07-13 04:14:47 · answer #9 · answered by FL Girl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋