Path: utzoo!censor!hugh
From: hugh@censor.UUCP (Hugh Gamble)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Software Development And Piracy (Spurred By FTL replies)
Summary: coping with the real world
Message-ID: <176@censor.UUCP>
Date: 7 Dec 88 18:34:28 GMT
References: <555@icus.islp.ny.us>
Organization: Bell Canada, Business Development, Toronto
Lines: 48


Don't call them pirates, just say thieves.

Back when I was a kid, I saved up all my money from my first summer
job to by a computer, and I'm afraid to say, did steal copies of
commercial software on quite a few occaisions.  I still occaisonally
find myself breaking the exact letter of some of the stranger
license agreements from time to time, but I no longer steal 
software, let anyone copy S/W I've bought (that can be a hard one)
or turn a blind eye to anyone who steals S/W.

I stopped copying S/W because as I grew up I learned that it was
theft and why.  Some people never grow up, but you can still
teach people *why* something is wrong & who it hurts.

I also have money now, but that's because there are things I want
that cost money, so I work to get them.  I have also worked to
put myself in the enviable position where the things I do to
earn money are things that, for the most part, I enjoy.

It tends to be the case that the things that make money and the
things that are fun, are different.  If you were to switch from
programming Amiga war games to IBM mainframe business applications,
or (heaven forbid :-) selling them, you could make lots of $.

I'm afraid it's a fact of life that you have to compromise, and
sometimes divide your time between things with a low fun/high $
attribute and high fun/low $ stuff.

I don't buy computer war games, but from your description of yours
would suggest them to people I know who do.  Mostly I buy
productivity and creative tools & I pay what it costs to get ones
that come closest to filling my needs.  Sometimes this is a lot
of money, but of course even here only a small part of it goes
to the programmers.

You have my best wishes in trying to make a living doing what
you love.  Don't compromise more than you have to.

Sure the Amiga is technically OK, but what really makes me
love it is the amazing mass of dedicated, fanatic romantics
(any on the net?  Nahh :-) who have clustered around it.
With a little serious juggling, even I can connect with the
real world.

P.S.  Should I inject something here about $C00000 RAM just
to get back to the regular flavour of this group :-)