<< A question for you: Do you think it is morally wrong to resell software that you have bought, if you decide that you don't like it and remove it from your computer?
If you do this, you are taking revenue away from the software company, because you are selling to a person who is obviously willing to pay money for the software.
As a software developer, I'd rather see my program copied by a teen who would never purchase my software to begin with, than see someone reselling my program, even if they did remove it from their computer. >>
Ah, but you aren't seeing this correctly! Software is product. It may not be tangible like a car, but it is still product. There are no moral issues at all with reselling software that you buy legally, decide you didn't like and remove from your PC (as long as the EULA permits resale...for instance, most academic licenses forbid it). Reselling software is essentially no different than reselling a car. Am I denying revenue to Honda if I sell my Accord to somebody else? That person could afford to buy a new Accord, but they chose to buy my used one. A person who buys my used car is not denying the manufacturer revenue...because if we were all unable to resell used cars (and unwanted software), few could manage to buy new cars. Do you understand why your logic is flawed? Reselling software (within the limits of the license) is entirely legal AND moral.
That teen never gave you a dime, but at least the person who resold your software gave you revenue when they bought the software originally. What kind of users would you rather have? The dead-beat, non-paying kind, or the reselling kind who start off with legitimate paid copies?
I've read your posts before, Sir Fredrick, so I know you are capable of thoughtful analysis. Think about it.
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<< I still cant understand why you anti-piracy zealots keep arguing about this. We have stated time and time again, that we do NOT care. >>
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<< Casting all piraters as slackers and online vagrants who are of little or no worth is where I draw the line. There is no excuse for passing judgment on people you don't know squat about. >>
Your arguments are very telling. I'll try not to be condescending, but we often don't realize the face we present to others because we each have natural shields that protect our perspectives from scrutiny.
From my external, anonymous perspective, both of you are "troubled", that's pretty clear. Whether you realize it or not, you are "troubled" by the realization that the activities you engage in (warez) are not being accepted by others. This bothers you both. Your reputation is being questioned, so you are engaging your natural defenses. This defense comes in the form of repeated denial of wrong-doing. You believe, from repetition, that you are in the right...or at least, not in the wrong.
From your world view, environment and background, you download copied software for various "justified" reasons. These "justified" reasons seem infallible to you simply because the experiences you've drawn on to come to your conclusions are limited. Surely a sensible individual with acuity for law and common decency would understand why piracy is wrong. Yet you do not come to the same conclusion.
We all break laws. Speeding is my vice. Do I try to rationalize and justify my behavior? Yes, I do. Again, that's part of the natural tendency to protect oneself from scrutiny. I try to justify speeding from the personal "discovery" - drawn from experience - that speeding produces gains (quicker, more pleasurable travel) without creating undue losses (crashes and injuries)...in my perspective. It's my perspective because I've never been in a situation where speeding has produced a bad end, though "experts" can produce documentation that says risks increase with speed. As time goes by, however, the cumulative experience of being able to speed without causing harm becomes a strong rationalization against submissiveness to traffic law.
Perhaps you are rationalizing in a similar manner. You download warez, find the act pleasurable (save money) and you repeatedly do it and realize the risks of getting caught are fairly low. You think you are in the green...or at least, you think nobody has the right to tell you that you are wrong. However, there is a clear differentiation from somebody who speeds and somebody who pirates software. A speeder, while charged with increasing the risk of injuries to himself and others, is not harming others simply by speeding. Speeding itself is more or less subjective and often speed law is dictated by revenue concerns (hick towns with 25mph speed zones) than rational sense. However, a warez addict is harming others from the very first download. You are taking somebody else's property without their permission. It's that simple. Unlike speeding, pirating creates a bad end right from the start. Neither activity is moral behavior, but one is definitely more objectionable.
So if you are grinding your teeth over how others - seemingly hypocritical others - "desire to impose their morality on you", consider the nature of the act in question. It isn't victimless. I hope you realize this.
And yes, our reputations are formed by our actions. We can try to rationalize our behavior but we must accept that ultimately our external reputations may not be to our liking. Perhaps you don't care what other people think of you? Ok, that's your decision. But it sounds like both of you do care what people think of you. If you don't want your reputation harmed, don't go posting in a public forum how you love to get warez and really don't care about your actions, because others do care.