On Sunday 30 September 2007 04:25:44 pm feba thatl wrote:
I'm curious as to what some of you think of Windows piracy.
I haven't run windows for about four or five years now, and was just saying that I've completely lost track of what software is available for it, whether commercial, shareware, or free.
I used to run a BBS, and I didn't distribute warez, though I did distribute cracking tools.
I have never bought the whole SPA (or MPAA or RIAA) "Piracy" theory that a shared program constitutes a lost sale. 99% of the people who I know who have pirated a program (movie, song) would NEVER have bought the program. I never did like the roll-of-the-dice quality of commercial software either.
My rule regarding pirated commercial software has been that if you want to use it privately, it's up to you. If it's something you rely on regularly, like your base operating system, you should probably pay for it. (This is especially true since Linux is a reasonable alternative.) If it's something you use once in a while or are just trying out, you're smart to try before you buy.
On the other hand, if you're using it in a commercial setting or to make money, you should pay for software just as readily as you expect to be paid for whatever you do. I have ZERO tolerance for companies that pirate commercial software - with the exception of the need for small support companies to do testing and evaluation without having to pay the full price for an MSDN subscription. There I figure the gained sales justify a casual attitude about licenses - provided that all sales are legitimate. Selling illegal copies is also a zero-tolerance matter, that's about the worst offense I can think of.
(That's the only thing that ever should have been called or prosecuted as piracy. Calling file sharing piracy has given piracy a good name.)