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From: richc@madvax.UUCP (Rich Commins)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: all copy protection
Message-ID: <606@madvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 14-Jul-87 19:32:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: madvax.606
Posted: Tue Jul 14 19:32:53 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 17-Jul-87 04:36:21 EDT
References: <1303@crash.CTS.COM> <593@madvax.UUCP> <1813@vax135.UUCP>
Organization: Varian Instruments, Walnut Creek CA
Lines: 46
Keywords: excuses, excuses
Summary: I HATE ALL COPY PROTECTION!

In article <1813@vax135.UUCP>, cjp@vax135.UUCP (Charles Poirier) writes:
> For example (and let me state, I am NOT accusing this author of piracy):
> 
> In article <593@madvax.UUCP> richc@madvax.UUCP (Rich Commins) writes:
> >	  I HATE ALL COPY PROTECTION OF ANY KIND!
> 
> >If the software that is being sold was of better quality I think their
> >would be less stealing of software.  I've seen better public domain
> >software, than some of the stuff being sold.  
> 
> This kind of argument assumes pirates are ethical Darwinists.  Their
> noble motivation is to weed out the baddies who overcharge for rotten
> code by refusing to pay them for it.
> 
> I just don't understand the logic of this.  Pirates are thieves.
> Typical, smirking, self-centered thieves.  Thieves are not motivated by
> social ideology.  They are motivated by getting something valuable at
> the expense of others, preferably without getting caught.  Oh sure, all
> thieves have some thin excuse with which to salve their self-image.

I'm not justifing the motives of thieves and pirates, but tring to point
out that there is no protection for software consumers from the
thieves that sell shoddy and or broken software to an unsuspecting buyer.
Has anyone bought software, tried the program and found that it didn't work
or perform as expected, and try to return it for credit?  No way! 

The software vendors have learned to live with the pirates and theives by
raising the price and lowering the quality of their software to compensate
for the lost revenue and thus is indirectly encouraging the act.  The higher
the price, the more salve to justify their deeds and the more others are
persuaded into piracy.  

I feel shareware is a step in the right direction to break this catch 22.
Shareware does require that honest people who use the software pay the
price the author requests, but if the software is useless he just doesn't
send in the money.  This is not the perfect solution to the problem, but is
a start to solving the software/pirate problem.

Let get together and fix the problem and stop fixing the blame.


-- 
-- 
Rich Commins   (415)939-2400				          \  /\
Varian Instruments, 2700 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94598    \/--\
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