The Pirated Software Discussion Thread!

DYKT: I agree!

 

DYKT I really would buy original software if I could?

DYKT : my parents would never fund it? (Tell me that non-IT ppl would see the point in paying 999 us dollars for Photoshop, or the equivalent for Macromedia Studio MX, etc etc etc)

DYKT : i have tried explaining to them why it costs so much, but heck, they still won't listen? And I'm sure that many students face the same problem.

DYKT : not all students are geeks or techies, thats why they dont dare touch open source stuff, and not all of them have the time to learn about it (especially with the way courses are run in our public Unis)?

DYKT : It's not that I condone the use of pirated software, it's just that I see why its usage is so prevalent?

DYKT : At least I try my best to buy whatever original software I can? (yes, that extends to all the games I buy)

 

DYKT : I think there aren't any shops in miri which sells original software.. at all?

I think there used to be one but ppl wouldn't go there to buy the stuff cos it's just too expensive and u still get same thing from all the pirated copies.

 

Eyy... then why were u all like, 'i can't believe u buy original games' when u came over?

 

Actually, yes, they're all original. This doesn't mean I'm rich. It means there's very little software on this PC

DYKT : some colleges have open licenses ?

DYKT : you maybe can use an open license, or you can call it an investment in your education ?

DYKT : you're probably right ? and there are no open-source equivs for many popular software programs. Still think commercial ones are better sometimes.

 

DYKT: There is lots of software available online that already has that sort of scheme. Eg. ZoneLabs' ZoneAlarm and Lavasoft Adaware. For home users, you are allowed to use the program for free, albeit without some of the extra features that are provided for paying users. Come to think of it, 3DMark also probably falls into this category.

DYKT: My beef, however, is solely with Microsoft. Bill Gates is really a genius and a monster rolled into one, and I'll try to explain why. He knows that every computer needs an operating system. He also knows that at the moment (and for the past ~8 years), there are no worthy competitors to Windows for home/office users. When there is no competition, (and this holds true for any market/product/industry), then he can charge as high a price as he likes because, as we say in Economics, the demand is inelastic. People NEED an OS, so they are forced to buy Windows at exorbitant prices. In a market where there is fierce competition, eg. Nvidia vs. ATI, the competing producers are forced to lower their prices so as to remain competitive. They may also find new methods of production to lower their production costs. This is not the case with Microsoft. There is no incentive for them to lower prices, and the revenue they generate exceeds their costs of production by (I'm estimating) several hundred %. And what happens to the huge profits? It ends up in Mr. Bill Gates' bank account, of course. So, do you see the logic in my argument now?

 

DYKT: it sounds different if the shoe is on the other foot ? Can I photocopy your book, as long as I don't use it for commercial purposes ?

DYKT : doing so will not only better define and reduce piracy, it will also encourage students to self-train themselves on the software and actually encourage companies to adopt those software?

DYKT : authors should only charge royalties if the person buys the book for commercial use. Or at least working adults.

 

There actually are alernatives. And Windows is dirt cheap. Do you know how much SCO charged for XENIX ?

 

DYKT, no. 1 : We're a public Uni, not a college. It's not in our hands. plus, I live half an hour from my Uni, and I dont have student accomodation. So if i needed to edit a photo for a presentation at 3 am, i;d have to drive all the way back to the Uni to use Photoshop?

DYKT : no. 2 : refer to no. 1. (And also a reference to how most of our parents wouldnt really geddit')

DYKT : no. 3, PRECISELY?

DYKT : I agree with Boss, on student applicaton for free software usage.

DYKT : If software prices dropped down to a maximum of maybe a hundred US dollars for most things, it'd probably be ok for me?

 

No I don't.
But DYKT: I'm referring to home/office users. People who do not have the technical expertise to try alternate operating systems or simply are ignorant of their existence. And $400 just for a bloody OS is crazy for someone who only uses a PC for basic work applications or home use.

 

DYKT I agree with you on both counts. However, there arent enough companies adopting this approach. M$ is doing what any monopolising market leader would do in strictly ruthless busniess terms : squeeze out each and every last penny from the consumer.

DYKT : In actual fact, Gate$ doesnt really dictate monetary policy anymore at M$? (Thats the reserve of the sales/accounting/marketing dept)

DYKT : I wsh Linux would mature a bit faster. I'm just waiting for the day I can migrate fully to Linux. Because my TV capture card and none of the games I play work in Linux.

 

DYKT: How can that be? Sure at least got a few one... If not, how companies get their software?

 

DYKT: That's why I say he's both a genius and a monster. What he's doing is not ethical, but it's ruthless and shrewd business sense at its best.

DYKT: I feel the same way

 

DYKT : you can also get a part-time job to pay for it ?

DYKT : you don't need your parents to pay for everything ?

 

DYKT : I dont have enough time for a prt-time job?

DYKT : My time is almost always filled up because of my studies, and we have a strict and rigid education system in my uni?

DYKT : like I said, how do you explain to non-techie/non-geek/non-IT ppl like my parents the necessity of all that money to be spent on software?

DYKT : because I dont have time for a part time job, I still need my parent sto support me?

DYKT : temps (ie, ppl who work part time) where I come from are paid LESS than peanuts?

 

DYKT : RM40K is crazy for a car that someone just drives to work and back ? fine then, stick the OS price on the hardware and charge for the lot.. this way the OS is free but the PC is more expensive. Are you happier now ?

 

DYKT: There are alternatives like public transport?

DYKT: RM40K isn't that much...and I'm sure you can get a 2nd hand car for less than that too.

Also, DYKT: I'm not talking about pre-assembled PCs? When you buy one of those, the seller buys OEM copies of Windows at a low price so the cost passed on to the end-user is not that much.

 

What are your views regarding pirated software? Should there be free licences for people who don't use the software for commercial purposes? Are we being charged unreasonable prices for original software? Is original software really unavailable in Miri? Discuss away!