Protect know-how of PC-DMIS routines

Let's take a few steps back.
When you say you want to protect routines from "know how theft"...

I'm guessing you are a contractor, who gets paid to produce inspection routines for-profit, and likely on a per-PRG basis, and you want to make sure your "intellectual property" is protected, correct?
You don't want your customers to learn how your routine works, so they (or others) can't:
1: Learn any of your programming tricks,
2: Enable the client to go on their own and make routines based upon your code as a template.

--OR-- are you talking about what everyone above is inferring (IT security of the PC)?

If my hunch is correct, I think you are talking about the first topic. Protecting your work product as a contractor and preventing others from undermining your business.

I recall the old protect mode as well, it didn't obfuscate access to the edit window.

Maybe you could contact hexagon with your question.
--My guess is that they have a solution already made. (think of the FSE's calibration tools) They can sell you a solution that will embed PRG's into an EXE or batch file (or something similar)...
The EXE file will open and force PCDMIS to execute the routine using INSPECT user interface and make sure the routine closes/terminates upon routine end... that way the only means of running the routine is to run the EXE. or maybe it will allow pcdmis to execute the routine, but in the background..

I've never done it but the DEMON does have the capability to export a program as VB and I'm assuming that this could be recalled and ran as VB too.

I've never done it but the DEMON does have the capability to export a program as VB and I'm assuming that this could be recalled and ran as VB too.