Software Pirating. . .your take

[RoninRXN]

<< is this a dirty trick or something? from what i understand...u're asking all the ppl who pirate software to come out and admit it and state a reason for their actions. by doing that, wouldn't those ppl be placing a big "mods, please kick/ban me" sign on their foreheads?

well anyway, only game i play is CS and u can't pirate that. >>



You'd be surprised. =)

It's not like we're distributing or telling people how to get warez. We're just having a conversation about it.

 

[RoninRXN]

<< Technology is not governed by need. If it was that way, we would still be on a 386. And if people had that mentality, technology and science would never advance. >>

Your gonna have to explain that one a little better. My point was that if you think $100 is too much for Windows XP, then you should explore other options. There are plenty of people who want XP and are willing to pay for it. Taking the whiners out of the equation will not stop technological or scientific advancement.[/i] >>



Hey, the guy asked for justification. That was our justification.

We are exploring other options.

Option #1: Getting XP for free from retailer free copy.
Option #2: Getting XP for free off warez.

 

[Valhalla1]

I download games/mp3's/movies just becuase I can.

I have many apps like Office, Photoshop, etc. that are very expensive and I would have never bought them even if I could not find them on the internet, so the software company loses nothing by me downloading and using their application. As for OS, I download my os's too, Microsoft does not need my money more than I do. the programmers still get paid whether I pay for software or not

I dont think piracy in the US is the problem... the problem is in asia where pirates churn out stamped copies of applications and sell them in mass quantities making money off of their pirating. college kids in the US copying games or apps aren't out to make money on other peoples software

 

[Valhalla1]

just wanted to make one point, there are occasions when I pay for software..

when the software is a small application for a specific purpose written by an individul, I have paid before, I think if a lone programmer makes a cool useful little app or game and asks $10 to register or something, thats different than the huge miscrosoft machine wanting money for their crap..

 

[Beowolf]

Removed by myself. Sorry mods.

---

YGPM. Believe me, it is not friendly! :|

AnandTech Moderator

 

[gogeeta13]

While I will admit I have my fair share of pirated crap, I do mostly test.

I bought a education office 200 pro a while back, a few weeks ago, I downloaded OfficeXP, it was slow, bloated and unstable, so I deleted it, and never looked back. As for photoshop, the only thing I do is crop pictures and fix red eye and stuff from my digicam. I have legit 98, legit 2k and legit NT.

I am running a WinXP corp version that MS sent me.

All my games except Halflife, homeworld and NFS5 are copies.

.02

 

[MistaTastyCakes]

It's probably not my place to be speaking for other people here, and I'm probably begging to get flamed...but I think the reason most people pirate is due to the fact that if it's there, and it's free, then why not? Sure, it's morally wrong, but that's never stopped anyone before. Cheating on taxes, speeding, changing lanes without a turn signal, going to the store and not reminding the cashier if they miss some item or not going back to a store if they give ya too much change.. none of it's moral but unless you're a saint, then you've probably ended up doing something morally wrong in your life. I pirate. I have a couple thousand worth of software on cd or my PC that I didn't purchase or at least register, and I really don't have some deep down sorrow for what I do at every LAN I go to.

I could be wrong, but the reason most people do what I do is cause they don't really care. It probably does effect some people, and I'm sure it can't help the industry, but, as someone stated earlier, people are hypocrites in general. I'm sure I could afford it all if I wanted to, and yes, the money I've spent on my PC and the upgrades I'm saving for now coulda been saved for software, but I had better things to do with that money, plain and simple. Look at it this way - if you were walking down the street and found $200, nobody around, would you look around, pick it up, and walk off, happy to have such great luck...or would you pick it up and go door to door, trying to find who it belonged to? It's not the best analogy, but you know what I mean. It's human nature. If it's there, and it's free, and you CAN do it...well then, a good 90% of the people out there would go for it. Not to say what the majority does means it's right, but it just proves the fact that while some people say they're morally straight and upstanding, they're most likely hypocrites too, to an extent.

Anyways, to the people against piracy, that is why I believe people who pirate do it. I'm not advocating or putting anything down...but answering the question.. "Why, when you can pay for it?"

Just my $.2

 

[jhu]

Most broadband users I know, got
broadband to download software off the net to begin with.

i got dsl for the porn

 

[LAUST]

<< Laust - building on what I have said above, you are probably violating the letter of the law. However, I don't think ANY software company would be bothered. That type of practice (as you said) is essentially demoing the product. In the long run it will result in you buying more software than you would otherwise. >>


Yep, I got a copy of Empire Earth just abit ago also, I liked the game so I ordered a copy for $34.99. felt it was worth it, I hope they continue to support it now by releasing a patch to take care of a few problems. But outside of that I like it.

EBGames also kinda supports the same thing, you can go in and buy the game and take it back for ANY reason, I have done that too, I got a game and took it back and just told em it sucked... if I remember it was Wizards and Warriors... man that game was terrible. But I traded it in for something else, and kept that game.

 

[auyong]

just download whatever you want on morpheus or aimster...you don't have to borrow cds to copy.

 

Mwilding: I commented on your bashing and thread crapping in another thread. But I guess Ill do it here because you feel the need to cite this thread.

My point is that you tell people how they are criminals, when you admit to being one yourself. Are you justifying it? No, but you would if a cop pulled you over for speeding.

 

[GigaCluster]

MartyTheManiak wisely uttered:


<< I do it because I either don't want to or can't pay.


I got better stuff to spend money on. >>



Well, duh.
Apparently, you feel that your reason is unique enough and serious enough to justify piracy.
It's not.

 

[ViperVin2]

anyone read the latest "Computer Games" magazine article on software piracy? its really interesting...

 

[tm37]

<< You are clueless, or never ever had to use a computer for production >>



And just what production do you use your computer for?

You call me a zealot? Because I stick to my guns and won't see your logic on the choices you made. Get real and grow up. No matter what river you cry me your arguement is not based on any sort of logic or common sense. You live in a fantisy world if you think for a second that you can justify your theft!

Yes a 400 could not do everything that my 1.7 P4 can. But you know what YOU ARE NOT ENTILED TO ANYTHING!! If someone spends money on a system and can't afford the software to make that system USABLE then in my mind they wasted there money.

I still run 98 because I desided to buy hardware as opposed to software. When I get ready to use XP i will do something alot of you simply have no concept of ---> I will pay for it. I may buy a used copy, or an oem but i will own i licence BEFORE it is installed on my system. Would I like to have photoshop? Yeah I would but I have yet to find anything that MS Photo editor won't do that i need or want. and it was free with FRONTPAGE XP (yes i paid for it).

My parents have dial up that costs $8 a month!!!!! and they also have legal software I asked my mom to buy 98 when she upgraded her system. She uses Corel office that she purchased USED from a freind for $15.

I am by no means saying you need to buy all your software @ Office max or staples, But obtaining legal software really isn't that expensive ort difficult. With what I have spent on hardware, I would guess that my software outlay is less than 30% of what I have spent on computers. And I have a ton of games Legal. I used to trade my games at the Used game place in San Diego, now I swap with a few friends at work. We share. I am borrowing a copy of rogue squadron right now. when I am done I will give it back and I am letting him used something of mine.



<< download a game if it is not one that I think is worth buying, but one that I still want to play. For example Max Payne was a pretty lame game, good graphics though, so I downloaded it. But games that come out from companies that I like such as blizzard I will buy because they know what they are doing. >>



Again if some is worth having then it is worth paying for.



<< Exactly. I wouldn't have bought it anyways so I don't think it's hurting anyone. It's not like I use it to make money but only to convert files, resize and to draw a mustache on someone's picture and post it on a prominent website for the world to point and laugh. >>



But you do use it. there are far cheaper photo editing programs that would easily handle these mudane tasks why not buy one of those.



<< Why don't YOU do that, then... who the hell wants to use Windows98 anymore.. it's a piece of trash... >>



I use it and I have no complaints!



<< I never whine about free stuff.

I'm hoping that free retailers copy of XP comes in the mail...then I don't have to argue about Windows.

Geez...it's just Microsoft. It's not like Bill doesn't have enough money. >>



at what point does someone have enough money. Does bill owe you anything? I think Not!



<< Technology is not governed by need. If it was that way, we would still be on a 386. And if people had that mentality, technology and science would never advance >>



so you really don't need it you just want and it costs to much so it's ok to steal? Or is is it you can't afford it and you need it? Perhaps you should pick an arguement and stick with it.



<< I think you're overlooking something. Most broadband users I know, got broadband to download software off the net to begin with. It's no big secret--everything you see sitting on the shelf at CompUSA (and then some) can be downloaded right now for free off the Internet. With a 56K modem, it will take forever. With a cable modem, it takes 45min or less to download a 650MB CD image. His $20 a month could potentially allow him to download thousands of dollars in pirated software a month. So, a broadband connection, if used for pirating, pays for itself many times over. Plus, you don't need an extra phoneline, so that saves $20 right there. Broadband access is more than worth the typical $40-50 a month fee, even if not used for pirating. >>



well you don't need a second phone line, I was on dial up for about 6 months and we were able to use our regular phoneline!:Q also there are many small dial ups that charge less than $10 a month for internet service. Also last time I checked you don't need internet to survive!



<< I have many apps like Office, Photoshop, etc. that are very expensive and I would have never bought them even if I could not find them on the internet, so the software company loses nothing by me downloading and using their application. As for OS, I download my os's too, Microsoft does not need my money more than I do. the programmers still get paid whether I pay for software or not >>



Of course if everyone did it then those programmer would have no job.
Your logic just does not work!



<< YGPM. Believe me, it is not friendly!

AnandTech Moderator >>



YES!!!!

 

[ectx]

Every one of my softwares are legal. However, I do not want to buy many different copies of the same software and install them on all my pcs that I keep for personal use -- I'd be willing to pay a fee for family license (say an extra of 10% of the software price).

 

[jhu]

i get my software for free without any qualms

 

[Bleep]

Here is bleep with his 6 computers.. I never said I could not afford 6 os.....My machines use $17.00 motherboards from tekram, all my cpu,s were free from a store here that took them out of systems that they upgraded. These machines have 270 meg hard drives which were free. No cases. No CD roms, well just 1 that I switch now and then. The os would cost almost 6 times the price of the machines.
Bleep

 

[yoda291]

<< Here is bleep with his 6 computers.. I never said I could not afford 6 os.....My machines use $17.00 motherboards from tekram, all my cpu,s were free from a store here that took them out of systems that they upgraded. These machines have 270 meg hard drives which were free. No cases. No CD roms, well just 1 that I switch now and then. The os would cost almost 6 times the price of the machines.
Bleep >>



Wow, I'm impressed those machines are up and running no offense or anything. It's just 17 dollar mobos and used components.

 

[xyyz]

where the hell were some of you people when i posted this thread:

link

Most people here were going on about how one doesn't need these applications and that you should go and use the cheaper less feature-filled application.

It seemed like I was the only one who said that software prices needed to be lowered so that people would actually buy them instead of illegally obtaining them.

I really doubt people would obtain stuff because it's free if the prices were really resonable.

 

[Cessna172]

It basically comes down to this--people who pirate software know that it's wrong--they just don't care. Most people don't care, in fact. It's about on the same level as taping a TV show and fast-forwarding through the commercials (you're cheating the advertisers out of their ad time--they paid for the show and are getting no benefit). Again, it's wrong, but we just don't care. You can get upset about it if you want, but it's not going to change anything at all.

 

<< Yes a 400 could not do everything that my 1.7 P4 can. But you know what YOU ARE NOT ENTILED TO ANYTHING!! >>


I don't understand how these two statements correlate. I have never mentioned or implied that I think I deserve anything. I have made no arguments FOR pirating. I have merely tried to dispel the some of the ignorance, and hypocracy in this post. A very daunting task.
Nor have I referred to you as a zealot, mabey you felt that was implied, or mabey you just feel that way inside.



<< I use it and I have no complaints! >>


Volumes are spoken in that statement.



<< well you don't need a second phone line, I was on dial up for about 6 months and we were able to use our regular phoneline! also there are many small dial ups that charge less than $10 a month for internet service. Also last time I checked you don't need internet to survive! >>




<< My parents have dial up that costs $8 a month!!!!! >>


I pay for my own cable. All the "get rid of your broadband" arguements are ridiculous. If you argue that, you have no idea of the internet lifestyle, or its needs for personal and business communication. The internet is just not usable on dialup. And downgrading your connection to have a few pennies more to buy software is quite the far off idea.
Last time I checked my job and life is impossible without the internet.



<< so you really don't need it you just want and it costs to much so it's ok to steal? Or is is it you can't afford it and you need it? Perhaps you should pick an arguement and stick with it. >>


I was speaking on much larger terms then just the software market.



<< You call me a zealot? Because I stick to my guns and won't see your logic on the choices you made. Get real and grow up. >>


Really man, until you support yourself and stick by a budget, don't tell me to grow up.
And much of your arguement stems from your ignorance of the internet and computers in general. No offence.

 

[RoninRXN]

<< You call me a zealot? Because I stick to my guns and won't see your logic on the choices you made. Get real and grow up. No matter what river you cry me your arguement is not based on any sort of logic or common sense. You live in a fantisy world if you think for a second that you can justify your theft! >>



Heh...nope. I didn't call you anything. I frankly don't care because it's your opinion and I respect that. Just don't go around telling us what to do.



<< Yes a 400 could not do everything that my 1.7 P4 can. But you know what YOU ARE NOT ENTILED TO ANYTHING!! If someone spends money on a system and can't afford the software to make that system USABLE then in my mind they wasted there money. >>



Yeah but the point of spending all that money (broadband, for example) was so we could get software for free.



<< I am by no means saying you need to buy all your software @ Office max or staples, But obtaining legal software really isn't that expensive ort difficult. With what I have spent on hardware, I would guess that my software outlay is less than 30% of what I have spent on computers. And I have a ton of games Legal. I used to trade my games at the Used game place in San Diego, now I swap with a few friends at work. We share. I am borrowing a copy of rogue squadron right now. when I am done I will give it back and I am letting him used something of mine. >>



Doesn't it say "Not for rent or distribution" or whatever on those discs? Isn't lending your friend something like that in a way?



<< But you do use it. there are far cheaper photo editing programs that would easily handle these mudane tasks why not buy one of those. >>



Because Photoshop was AVAILABLE. So why not? I am well aware of these cheaper photo editing programs. So what if I use it? I wouldn't have bought it in the first place so either way, Adobe wouldn't have gotten my money.



<< I use it and I have no complaints! >>



Then you have low standards, my friend.



<< at what point does someone have enough money. Does bill owe you anything? I think Not! >>



When you're Bill, you have enough money. Name something short of a country that he can't buy? No, he doesn't owe me anything...but it doesn't hurt him, now does it?



<< so you really don't need it you just want and it costs to much so it's ok to steal? Or is is it you can't afford it and you need it? Perhaps you should pick an arguement and stick with it. >>



Both. I don't really need Photoshop and...well, I probably could afford it but it's just not a useful way of spending money.



<< well you don't need a second phone line, I was on dial up for about 6 months and we were able to use our regular phoneline!:Q also there are many small dial ups that charge less than $10 a month for internet service. Also last time I checked you don't need internet to survive! >>



You don't need a second phone line? I had three phonelines when I used dialup. What happens if someone calls?



<< Of course if everyone did it then those programmer would have no job.
Your logic just does not work! >>



But not everyone does. You, for one, do not.

 

[chuckieland]

maybe if the game and software are not so expensive
people won't copy it
who here would copy a $20 software?

 

[yoda291]

<< well you don't need a second phone line, I was on dial up for about 6 months and we were able to use our regular phoneline! also there are many small dial ups that charge less than $10 a month for internet service. Also last time I checked you don't need internet to survive! >>



Obviously you aren't in a position that is bandwidth intensive. Ever try to dl an 8.5x11 photo quality scan? I know several people who make a living doing spreads and layouts that do every week. how about streaming lecture notes in video format for a class? Heck, how about downloading a few mp3s. That right there will take up an hour or so. I'm sure the people you live with will appreciate not having a line for a few hours or so. you're making generalizations about other people's internet usage which are disinformed.

 

[hellfreeze]

if microsoft were as stable as linux i would maybe pay

^
^
^
insert sarcasm

paying...LMFAO...oh man. It's a good thing more people have cd-burners these days and faster internet connections

plus, like some software is 1 grand...no way in hell I am paying that

and like my bro pointed out, hardware gets cheaper as time goes on and more people buy the peices. that doesn't happen much with software...(not until a new version comes out or whatever)