The Pirated Software Discussion Thread!

That is actually very smart of Microsoft. In fact, Apple has done something similar for schools.

By giving students free copies of Microsoft software, they are encouraging students to learn and focus on Microsoft software. This inevitably influences company buying decisions.

If universities base their curriculum on Microsoft software and graduates come armed with knowledge of Microsoft software, companies will think about switching to Microsoft software. After all, it saves them the cost of retraining new employees on other software.

So, even though Microsoft is giving away free software, it's not a loss for them. Call it a strategic move. They will reap the benefits indirectly.

 

I don't think it's an open license.

Check out Microsoft's open license programme for educational institutions - http://www.microsoft.com/education/Open.aspx

Looks more like a more convenient way of managing software purchases, than a way to provide free Microsoft software to students.

I would say that Microsoft is actually giving their software free to university students. Just like I said they should. Benefits them in the long run.

 

I don't get you. You can go to the last post by clicking on the last post icon .

Oh really? I have downloaded many files off P2P with no trojans.

Besides, there are many alternative methods of serving free software. But of course, if you don't agree on giving away free software, no way is ever good enough.

But no matter what you may say, Microsoft is ALREADY giving away free software via the Internet. That's proof.. and fact. Not conjectures, opinions or mere possibilities.

Really? Please help me print the BOG book for almost nothing then.

Err.. I have no idea what you are trying to say.

Did I ever say otherwise?

Err.. Again, did I ever say otherwise?

No comment!

Err.. I never said all software should be provided free, although there are people who write software and distribute them for free use.

When it comes to big companies providing software for free to students, that is considered a calculated investment. Giving software to them will not bring them any money, but it will certainly encourage more people to use their software.

Indirectly, this influences buying decisions of various commercial entities, large and small. If most of your workforce is very proficient in Microsoft software, would you prefer to migrate to Microsoft software or take time, effort and money to retrain them to use Sun or Mac software?

This is especially true for smaller companies that cannot afford to retrain their staff. For them, the cost of buying Microsoft software is a LOT cheaper than retraining the staff.

Sponsors? What sponsors? Have you seen the open source projects? Those programmers are not working for profit, but as part of a worldwide team to promote open source software.

Again, no one is saying that if you work on something, you do not have the right to benefit from it. Heck, I said that right from the beginning.

All I'm saying is large software companies should consider giving their software free to students and retirees. Not only will this benefit them by increasing their market share in the future, but also educate students about the value and importance of buying original software and supporting their development.

When you take a step back and look at the whole situation, there is really no right or wrong way in this matter. There are only consequences. Cause and effect.

If large software companies want to correct software piracy and improve their profits, they have to stop thinking about making a killing now and start thinking proactively and long-term.

Their current method of smash and litigate will only arouse the ire of rebellious young people and encourage software piracy as a way to thumb their nose at large, faceless corporations with nothing more than profits on their minds. In the end, who loses? Think about that.

 

If you check out the link, you will know why.

I'll quote :-

 

That icon is everywhere. You can see it in the forum index. It's the icon next to the date (under the last thread in each forum).

And if you click on the New Posts link (http://forums.rojakpot.com/search.php?do=getnew) above, you will get a list of latest posts. You will see a list of page numbers. Right at the end is the last post icon. Click on it.

Err.. I'm not a heavy P2P user myself. But it's not that hard. Even my 14-year old cousin has been a heavy P2P user for the last few years!

She has downloaded so much stuff over the years but has never been infected by trojans or viruses, etc. I think you just need a little common sense or software prophylactics like an antivirus software to avoid such a problem.

If a little girl can do it, so can you!

So are we.

As long as it is online, we can do it for free. But if you are talking about printed books, it's not possible. And that's a fact.

For almost nothing? You gotta be kidding me.

The printing cost using an inkjet is exhorbitant. Have you actually used one?

You said for almost nothing. Why don't you try printing the BOG book using an inkjet? Then you can let us know the exact cost.

When it comes to the printed book, that's under Prentice-Hall. Under the contract, they have full rights over the marketing and sale of the book.

But unlike some software companies, publishers like Prentice-Hall have a long tradition of selling books at very low prices to students and academic institutions.

In addition, we have continued to provide the online BIOS Optimization Guide for free. I think that's more than anyone can expect from us.

Possibly. But who says you can't benefit from your own work? You seem to be missing the point.

Even if you want to make money, that does not mean you should screw people on the way. At least, that's my philosophy. And being nice comes with its own benefits.

Like I said, cause and effect. You make your choices and you live with the consequences.

Err.. Isn't that what I've been saying since the beginning of this topic? Heck, I've been saying this for a long time now.

Who said anything about justifying software piracy by saying it's too expensive?

Look at us. Most of us are not working. And yet, with the help of advertising and donations, we have gradually managed to lease our own server, buy the many software we need to run the site, etc. If we truly believed that the insane prices is reason enough to use pirated software, would we have wasted our money buying original software?

With that said, software prices are a little insane to be honest. Perhaps it's because of rampant piracy. If so, then the current tactic of increasing prices is really self-defeating. All that higher prices will do is fuel software piracy.

I don't think anyone here will actually buy pirated software if original software is really affordable. Even if I don't use the software for commercial purposes, I personally wouldn't mind paying for it if it was affordable.

But instead of being lazy and passing the loss of revenue from piracy to the consumers, software companies should think proactively. Increasing software prices will only punish those who support original software.

The ultimate strategy should be to educate consumers and ENCOURAGE the use of legit software by making software more affordable. NOT punishing legit users with higher prices and litigating everyone else.

It moves fast? Err.. Windows XP has been with us for a few years already. The next version of Windows is slated to be released in 2007. That's fast?

Stop thinking about making money today. The software industry is hooked on too long to the notion that everyone should pay whatever they want or else... People always forget, when you make a change, nature forces a shift in the other direction to achieve equilibrium.

If you charge RM 1,000 (USD 263) for Windows XP, yes, there will still be demand. But less of it.

At RM 1000, maybe 10% of potential users will buy the original Windows XP. The other 90% will just download a copy from Kazaa.

On the other hand, if Microsoft lowers the price to RM 200 (USD 52.60), I would say that more than 90% of potential users will buy the original Windows XP. Only a small percentage will bother downloading a copy when they can easily afford the original.

Compare the two scenarios. At RM 1000, Microsoft will make RM 100,000 for every 1000 potential users. But at RM 200, Microsoft will make RM 180,000 for every 1000 potential users!

See. It's not how much you make per copy that matters. What matters at the end of the day is the NET TOTAL you make.

I would disagree. If you lower prices, more people will buy original software. And if you duplicate more (due to increased sales), your cost drops. You benefit both ways.

There will always be some piracy, no doubt. But by reducing prices, you can at least destroy the current impression that original software is too expensive. People have less reasons or excuses to buy pirated software.

Also, by giving software free to students and showing them what it means to own original software and why it is important to support original software, software companies will only benefit because the coming generations will become more educated on the benefits of original software.

Right now, the only people benefiting are the lawyers.

Most people know what it takes to eradicate piracy. I think it's just a lack of guts to face the truth or to take the necessary steps.

 

IMHO, the only ones that benefited from the RIAA litigation "exercises" were the lawyers.

I think the RIAA head honchos are still stuck in the dinosaur age.

 

Err.. Even if the said Deepz0ne is not a software pirate... Does it really make sense to you that Microsoft would register the software under the name Deepz0ne?

ROTFL! To be honest, I'll bet you found it strange, right? Hehe..

If Microsoft actually bought a copy of SoundForge for their use, you can be certain it's registered under the name Microsoft, not Deepz0ne.

 

Do you have any other words other than saying 'So lowering prices will just mean less profits.' or 'And pirated software always will have the lowest price.'?

I wonder if you have actually bought anything original before! Buying original essures you get the best quality product, with proper support, manual etc. Buying original music essures you get the best quality audio. If you buy pirated software, you need to use cracks, key generators, and you may probably not be able to update to newer versions. If original software are cheaper, I would definitely buy the original.

Oh yeah, since you like to use 'people that are less clued in' as example, why not you say, these people will have problems cracking the software? How many times have you heard people asking 'how to crack this game?' at your nearest store? (for international forumers, piracy in Malaysia is extremely rampant. )