Rhys
TPF Noob!
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2008
- Messages
- 975
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- Location
- Columbia, SC
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos OK to edit
Ok. I see the other thread was closed before I could put my reply and I'm afraid I'm going to be fairly lengthy....
When I was in college in the 1980s/1990s even my college was pirating software. I remember they threw a fit when the discovered I'd copied their pirated software. I recall being threatened with expulsion and all I had to say was "fine. I'll pass this to the company" and the threat was rescinded. They tried all manner of bribes but for that year I was untouchable. They did wrong and knew they were doing wrong which is an attitude that to this day still baffles me.
Some friends of mine bought pirated software. I recall seeing it and how awful it was. One friend had a pirated version of Windows 2000 that came with all manner of viruses. Another had a pirated version of Norton Utilities and that had its fair share of problems - notably that all the menus were screwed up.
Now let's move on to my software...
I used to write shareware. I would write some then put it online and watch people trying it. I wrote a ton of software and put it online. I did my best and put keylocks into it and all sorts of things. It didn't do much good. Software I'd taken months to write would be cracked and the crack would be freely available as would cracked versions within a week or two of my releasing the software. Basically things got so bad I had to give up writing software. That was my job - it's what put clothes on my back and food in my belly. I had to turn to fixing computers instead of writing software as fixing computers made money. Writing software was useless as it all got pirated. Once it was pirated I made no money because everybody used the pirated version. I hated fixing computers!
Let's move on a bit now. After I moved to the US, I took a job fixing computers with a local mom & pop shop. They used a lot of Linux utilities which was fine. What was not so good was that the owner wanted all his staff to use and install a cracked copy of Nod 32 antivirus and to use cracked registry-fixing software (can't remember which one now but I know the guy who wrote it is in Romania). I challenged him on this and he said "I prefer not to think of it as cracked. I prefer to think of it as activated". Needless to say next payday I slapped my resignation on his desk. I did contact all the bodies interested in software piracy and the software authors but as the authors were in other countries they could do little. I never heard back from the bodies interested in software piracy. I rather suspect my reports were quietly filed and forgotten.
I don't use pirated software. I don't particularly feel like buying a copy of the latest photoshop so I stick with Photoshop Elements 2 that came with my Nikon 3100 several years ago and DPP that came with my 30D. I can't recommend any of the free software - I tried it and it was awful (the gimp). I could buy more software but most of the windows software I've tried has been so awful that I'm just not buying any until I get my Mac. As for my business software - I use Open Office which is free and for the internet Mozilla and Firefox.
I have seen piracy from both sides. I have wanted software that I haven't been able to afford and have simply got by without it. I certainly don't feel that Photoshop CS is worth the money that Adobe is charging BUT you have to remember that every copy that Adobe sells pays for 10 pirated copies. They have to make their money somewhere. If there were no software piracy, software would be a fraction of its current price.
What can you do as an honest human being? Simple... buy the software you actually use and report anybody you see using pirated software. It's possible to report most piracy anonymously BUT there's a greater chance of the guy being convicted if you're willing to testify. Make a stand!
When I was in college in the 1980s/1990s even my college was pirating software. I remember they threw a fit when the discovered I'd copied their pirated software. I recall being threatened with expulsion and all I had to say was "fine. I'll pass this to the company" and the threat was rescinded. They tried all manner of bribes but for that year I was untouchable. They did wrong and knew they were doing wrong which is an attitude that to this day still baffles me.
Some friends of mine bought pirated software. I recall seeing it and how awful it was. One friend had a pirated version of Windows 2000 that came with all manner of viruses. Another had a pirated version of Norton Utilities and that had its fair share of problems - notably that all the menus were screwed up.
Now let's move on to my software...
I used to write shareware. I would write some then put it online and watch people trying it. I wrote a ton of software and put it online. I did my best and put keylocks into it and all sorts of things. It didn't do much good. Software I'd taken months to write would be cracked and the crack would be freely available as would cracked versions within a week or two of my releasing the software. Basically things got so bad I had to give up writing software. That was my job - it's what put clothes on my back and food in my belly. I had to turn to fixing computers instead of writing software as fixing computers made money. Writing software was useless as it all got pirated. Once it was pirated I made no money because everybody used the pirated version. I hated fixing computers!
Let's move on a bit now. After I moved to the US, I took a job fixing computers with a local mom & pop shop. They used a lot of Linux utilities which was fine. What was not so good was that the owner wanted all his staff to use and install a cracked copy of Nod 32 antivirus and to use cracked registry-fixing software (can't remember which one now but I know the guy who wrote it is in Romania). I challenged him on this and he said "I prefer not to think of it as cracked. I prefer to think of it as activated". Needless to say next payday I slapped my resignation on his desk. I did contact all the bodies interested in software piracy and the software authors but as the authors were in other countries they could do little. I never heard back from the bodies interested in software piracy. I rather suspect my reports were quietly filed and forgotten.
I don't use pirated software. I don't particularly feel like buying a copy of the latest photoshop so I stick with Photoshop Elements 2 that came with my Nikon 3100 several years ago and DPP that came with my 30D. I can't recommend any of the free software - I tried it and it was awful (the gimp). I could buy more software but most of the windows software I've tried has been so awful that I'm just not buying any until I get my Mac. As for my business software - I use Open Office which is free and for the internet Mozilla and Firefox.
I have seen piracy from both sides. I have wanted software that I haven't been able to afford and have simply got by without it. I certainly don't feel that Photoshop CS is worth the money that Adobe is charging BUT you have to remember that every copy that Adobe sells pays for 10 pirated copies. They have to make their money somewhere. If there were no software piracy, software would be a fraction of its current price.
What can you do as an honest human being? Simple... buy the software you actually use and report anybody you see using pirated software. It's possible to report most piracy anonymously BUT there's a greater chance of the guy being convicted if you're willing to testify. Make a stand!