This is an entry where I wanted to ponder on why I have stopped using pirated software. I have to say it has been very long since I have used a pirated / bootlegged software. I don't feel guilty or anything for having used pirated software, but I do think it was a phase of the particular time that we lived. I would say that, I used pirated software the most during 1999-2002 phases when their use wasn't seen as "wrong" or "stealing". I also had a perfect reason to rationalize my use of pirated software, name the fact that I was a kid in high school as such I wouldn't be able to afford any of the software that was being sold.
Few things, I never used pirated software for Operating System (which once always gets when buying a computer), firewall software like Zone Alarm or Mcafee Firewall, and Virus Scan software. I never used pirated software for these applications. I have to say that of all the software that I used, System Mechanic was one of my most preferred when it came to system utilities. Macromedia Dreamweaver was my favorite html editor or WYSIWYG editor. Alas, now I don't use any of the pirated software. Right now, I buy all of my software’s. In fact, not one even one software on my computer is pirated or bootleg. I guess this is a phase through which I went. From thinking that it is OK to use pirated software to not using pirated software at all.
There are a few other things that made the reason for my usage of these pirated software obsolete. I obviously now have revenue to buy my own things. Another reason, was that many software utilities now seem useless / unnecessary or I have moved on to different things. Take Macromedia Dreamweaver for example, I have now moved to Microsoft Notepad, now this seems like a backward step, but to tell you the truth the beauty of notepad is just incomparable. Once you start doing html on notepad, and completely master html or xhtml you will have no reason to use Macromedia Dreamweaver. With CSS and other little practices you can actually make websites faster on notepad than on Dreamweaver. In fact, I was able to cut down the size of my WebPages from whopping 50Kb to around 7 to 8Kb - that is a huge difference. For software that I don't use for example is Zone Alarm as firewall. With Windows Vista Firewall, for the moment I haven't seen any reason to install a 3rd party software, although I am not sure how good Windows Vista Firewall is. I think I might buy Zone Alarm Firewall in the future to augment my computer safety. But for the moment, I think I will stick with Windows Vista Firewall. For system utilities, with the coming of Vista I have frankly have found no reason to actually use any 3rd party software. Almost everything that I want is available in Windows Vista. The third reason for my discontinuing of pirated software is that there is a certain satisfaction, when you know that certain software is "Yours", compared to software that you just lifted off from a site. Final reason is that a lot of software is now being bundled with new computers, so I have way too my applications that are shipped with computers. Also, as I have Comcast I get free Mcafee Applications.
Right now, I usually buy online software mostly in regards to running my websites. I would say that I spend a few hundred dollars easily for my online software early. One application, which I recommend everyone to buy, is Window Washer, probably my favorite application of all the system utilities. This cleans up all the temporary files and junk from your computer, this makes my life relatively easy, as I don’t have to worry about leaving a trail of my browsing activities or habits.
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Software that you buy is not yours. Piracy is an inappropriate term. It's used to make people sound like theives. But copying software is not theft. Making a copy does not deprive another person of anything. Yet organizations like Microsoft's BSA send in federal marshals and take down corporations while they merely investigate "piracy". If Microsoft simply charged reasonable prices there would hardly be any "piracy" of their software. Richard Stallman might be right: maybe all information should be free. Corporations such as Microsoft are using their control of information to control society and governments while making billions.
I am aware that when a person buys a software it doesn't become his, but still - buying a software that you have bought makes you feel a whole lot different than the one you just lifed off or had it copied.
Yes Microsoft charges outrageous prices for their software, and they should curb that, I have to say that stealing software just isn't the right thing to do. I work for a software company now, and without revenue from our sales, I wouldn't have a job. I like making software that people can use (I'm in music software), but it really upsets me when people steal what I do, and distribute it around. I put blood, sweat, tears, and a lot of heart into my software, and it's a kick in the nuts when someone just takes it. If it continues to happen, we'll be put out of business and then no one will have the opportunity to use what I make. That would suck for a lot of people. Anyway, that's my take.
In fairness to comments seen here, freeware is for sharing
Freeware is created by people who want to throw time into software and let others use it for nothing.
Payware is created by people who want to throw time into software for MONEY.
If you can morally justify the latter, I think it boils down to this,
Software is created, the public desires this software, if the desire is strong enough to pay the money and get the product, the desire to have it for free will also be there to people thus inclined normally.
It is much easier to acquire pirated media than it is to order and wait for it, or go to a retail outlet and buy it, and above all, pay for it.
If you choose to enter a live currency revenue generating MARKET that has physical reasons allowing duplication and personal choice between being "right" and paying, or pirating it being the right way for you, then you MUST accept the physical weaknesses in the way YOU as a company/entity have CHOSEN to generate that money be it for living or wealth.
As for plaguing your genuine customers with anti-piracy measures is a JOKE!
PIRATES pour the time into making software to kill something you have created to in utter VAIN to prevent the blatant inevitable.
They are the type of people who do not seek money, and still want to give that time, and make software smarter than yours, and do, in your face, without relent.
You simply don't get it, the whole principle of piracy is to get something for NADA! If time is needed to circumvent protection measures then of course it will happen, and it will happen immediately, if the desire is there, and if it is for paying, it CERTAINLY will be for taking, the rule of the world.
Just to illustrate how you dig your grave, I go out and legitimately buy a DVD, let's say a video DVD, I am forced, literally, to view anti piracy warnings and such EVERY SINGLE TIME I view that media.
THAT is disgusting, you don't tell a thief that many times, what is more disgusting is that I can download that media in less time, with easier access to it, illegitimately, and have NOTHING shoved down my throat about piracy.
You corporate lot really fucking push it sometimes, ANY customer with knowledge of the internet and how lax it all really is, who was previously teetering on the moral fence, might fall flat on their feet on the side of downloading it for free, because of the insane warnings.
Does a pirate that writes complicated code to circumvent complicated copy protection listen to a piracy warning OF COURSE FUCKING NOT.
Does a downloader, by definition a pirate, listen to warnings that are NOT ON THE MEDIA THEY GET????!!!
OF COURSE NOT!!! You don't see it.
All protection does is allow a window for retail based on strong desire for product NOW before the hard working pirates make it available for nothing, and the lazy leechers just download it.
I would say if the media was not available for free it would not be circulated so much, and the hype you use to sell it to us wouldn't be so prevalent.
Retail forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Like many many people, I used pirated copies of software, even at my school, everybody knew those copies were illegal, but everybody install it and use it.
Very few programs installed by me were illegals, because since a very early age I gained a taste for software like OpenOffice.org, Firefox, etc and Linux (first Ubuntu and now Debian), so I can say that I used for a while pirate software because I had no choice, at school we had pirate software and my friend gave me pirate copies of programs, and they always expected that I use those copies, my sister installed illegal things in my computer, there is a lot of pressure from everybody, forcing us to use what they use.
But I have to say that it is possible to use free-ware instead of using pirate-ware, the quality of free-ware is sometimes even higher than paid software.
There are alternatives, some of us just don't want to see.