The Pirated Software Discussion Thread!

Discussion in 'General Software' started by Viper007Bond, Nov 11, 2004.

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  1. hyper_raider

    hyper_raider shutdown -h now

    DYKT: i feel the major problem wif open source programs is that it lacks documentation....this causes lots of problem for "normal" users...open source software or OS such as linux requires experience in order to master...but i like the way it is heading right now...
     
  2. wodenus

    wodenus Banned

    DYKT : I'll get to that sometimes soon.. still waiting for replies here ? :)
     
  3. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    DYKT : The shoe is already on my OTHER foot? :mrgreen:

    I guess I have the right to say I've been on both sides of the story. ;)

    I know fully well the situation on the consumer's end. Who wants to pay more for anything? And yet, the producer has a right to benefit from his work.

    However, I believe we can always strike a good balance between profit and service to the community.

    That's why I took 6 months to negotiate with Prentice-Hall over the BOG book. Were we discussing the weather or President Bush's campaign in Afghanistan?

    No. We were negotiating the fate of the online BIOS Optimization Guide as well as the e-book version of the guide.

    If Prentice-Hall (or any other publisher) have their way, the online guide would be part of the deal. That means the online BOG will be subscription only. NO free BOG.

    I spent most of the time negotiating to ensure there will always be a free copy of the BOG for everyone online. The negotiations almost fell through a few times. If that's not enough, I also negotiated to ensure that the e-book version will be half as expensive as the printed book.

    I think I have shown that I'm not only talking for the sake of talking, but also practicing what I preach. ;)

    Incidentally, while ARP is a hobby site, we purchase all our software. We either save up for expensive software or look for cheaper alternatives and then upgrade when we have more money.
     
  4. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    DYKT : I think the problem people have with software prices is not so much they are so expensive, it's because there is little material cost.

    DYKT : It's easier to calculate the cost of a car but not software? How do you calculate the value of a software? Based on the amount of work done? The ingenuity of the software? Or its rarity? What about its usefulness to the user?

    On the other hand.. Once you create a piece of software, replicating it ad nauseum cost almost nothing thereafter. Therefore, should the company still charge exhorbitant amounts of money for nothing more than bits on a CD/DVD? See above.
     
  5. siddiq

    siddiq Newbie

    :haha: just one statement i made. a thread created. haha

    i think software should be given free to uncomercial use . home user i mean. esspacially OS.
     
  6. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    I've merged some of the posts made in DYKT thread into this thread.
     
  7. wodenus

    wodenus Banned

    DYKT : it takes years (and boatloads of cash) to complete a major software project ? they're not charging for bits on a CD, they're charging for the time, skill and effort -- the CD and the duplication are almost free :)
     
  8. wodenus

    wodenus Banned

    DYKT : none of this answers the question ? :) if you're against people photocopying the book for non-business purposes, then why are you proposing that software should be free for non-business purposes ? :)
     
  9. wodenus

    wodenus Banned

    No. Cos people are greedy and want money. But seriously though, some companies already have that :)

    No, cos software is not basic need. If it's unreasonably-priced, don't buy it :)

    Dunno.. haven't been to Miri :)
     
    Last edited: Nov 12, 2004
  10. Papercut

    Papercut Newbie

    But how are you going to use a computer that doesn't have an OS? It brings us back to the point that all (or most) mainstream users need to purchase Windows because the alternatives like Linux are not feasible or user-friendly enough at this point in time.
     
  11. Papercut

    Papercut Newbie

    There's a huge difference between charging prices to recover your production costs such as R&D, and charging high prices just because you know that people will continue to buy your product. Refer to my previous post about inelastic demand. The fact is that MS is abusing its monopoly position and charging high prices, hence buying pirated software is a very logical solution to the problem.
     
  12. wodenus

    wodenus Banned

    Well then either learn how to use it, or don't use a PC :) RM400K cars are so un-userfriendly people have to go to schools to learn how to drive them, but no one complains about _that_ :)
     
  13. Papercut

    Papercut Newbie

    Ok, then look at this from a simple legal perspective. Photocopying the book amounts to unauthorised duplication of the material -> copyright infringement. If you let someone use your software for free, that's classified as a free public licence.
     
  14. wodenus

    wodenus Banned

    IINM SCO was charging US$15K per license for XENIX at one time. Windows is pretty underpriced for what it does :)
     
  15. wodenus

    wodenus Banned

    Anyone can use the software for free.. as long as it's not duplicated, no one cares how many users use that one copy :)
     
  16. Papercut

    Papercut Newbie

    Mainstream users, wodenus. MAINSTREAM. Don't bring up specialist operating systems like Xenix because it's completely irrelevant to almost everyone. And think about people who are less computer-savvy, people who only do basic stuff like e-mail, web browsing and word processing. Do you honestly expect them to be able to install and use Linux by themselves? Most of them have probably never even heard of Linux!
     
  17. wodenus

    wodenus Banned

    You're probably right. It's hard to make people see the hidden costs :)

    You can't much. So you just stick a price on it, and people can decide whether they wanna buy it or not :) but kjust because they can't afford it doesn't mean they should copy it :)

    It's not just bits.. See below. :)
     
    Last edited: Nov 12, 2004
  18. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Umm.. I'm merely stating how the consumer perceives the software industry. To them, it's just a cheap CD. Cost price less than RM 0.50 per CD. Why should they pay more?

    I'm not agreeing with their perception. I'm just stating the obvious, if no one has noticed that yet.
     
  19. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Ahh.. Please don't put words in my mouth. :naughty: :mrgreen:

    I never said photocopy is illegal. I support fair and equitable use of copyrighted material.

    If you wish to photocopy the book because you cannot afford it, no one can stop you. But if you make copies of the book to sell to others, then that's wrong. :hand:

    BTW, I am not proposing free software for non-commercial purposes. I'm merely proposing free software for students or retirees. The point is if you can't work, how can you be expected to pay for software?

    Since the cost of developing software is a one-time issue (for each version), free copies of software for students and retirees will not cost the company anything. In fact, it will encourage more people to use their software, which may influence buying patterns of companies.
     
  20. wodenus

    wodenus Banned

    In terms of functionality, Xenix is more or less as functional as Windows. Back when *nix was popular, XENIX _was_ mainstream :) E-mail, web browsing etc. are not "basic stuff" from the standpoint of the operating system.. it is way simpler to code an OS without a GUI.. it's a lot more difficult to code an OS that's intuitive and "makes sense". It's only "basic stuff" because it's been made easy. It's not easy to make things easy for humans to use :) so there's a huge cost involved in that.. the process of humanizing the OS. There's always been a tradeoff between cost and convenience. Less money = more trouble. I mean, you can drive, or take a cab, or take a bus. No one says, cabs should be cheaper because taking a bus is hard. :)
     
    Last edited: Nov 12, 2004
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