From: mikeh@starnine.com (Mike Haas)
Subject: Re: The piracy argument to end all arguments....
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 02:59:01 GMT
Organization: StarNine Technologies, Inc.

In article <VXRTTB5w165w@bugend.edvina.se> ralph@bugend.edvina.se (Staffan Vilcans) writes:
>mikeh@starnine.com (Mike Haas) writes:
>
>> I may have tuned in late to this thread, but is someone here seriously
>> trying to defend stealing from the developers who bring you great things
>> for your Amiga?
>
>I don't think anyone would defent piracy. But it is explainable. 

Of course it's explainable... some people are dishonest.

>It was 
>a very good article about it in Datav{rlden yesterday. The reasons of 
>piracy comes down to a few points.
>
>* High prices.
>* You can use it without documentation or the manuals are just of no 
>  help.
>* Copy protection is made in the wrong way.

NO NO NO NO NO.

None of this is true.

All of these "reasons" infer some fault with the developer.  What garbage!

They are all rationalizations as to why it's "OK" for someone
to steal.

The system is supposed to work like this...  Someone creates some
"thing" and puts a price on it.  Based on the need or desire for
others to obtain that object, they either pay the price and obtain
it, or they don't.  Any variation from this syetm on your part,
taken to obtain the "thing" for no price...(brace yourself)...
is THIEVERY!

My responses to your "reasons"...

>* High prices.

Price too high?  Don't buy it (but don't steal it).

>* You can use it without documentation or the manuals are just of no
>  help.

This is INCREDIBLE!  A developer makes a product so easy to use that
a manual is not needed, so you cheat him!   ...OR...

If the manual is no help and not good enough... don't buy it (and
don't steal it).


>* Copy protection is made in the wrong way.

Can't be made in the wrong way... there is no "right" way.  The
issue of "right" and "wrong" needs to be re-examined VERY CAREFULLY
by those that steal software.  When they start labeling methods
of copy protection "right" and "wrong", they don't know the meanings
of the words.







>
>The higher the prices are the more work is it likley to be put into 
>cracking a certain software. Take AutoCAD or Ventura, they cost about 
>as much as a japanese car. That makes it very interesting to crack the 
>protection.

It's only "interesting" to scum.  People of integrity are sickened
at the thought.

>
>Bad manuals are also a reason to piracy. 

No they're not.  Dishonest people are the ONLY "REASON".

>If you don't get more when you 
>buy it compared to what you get with a piraced version you are more 
>likley to get an illegal copy.

Not ME, bud.  But YOU really seem to understand.  I don't.  Not at all.

>Infocom was good on this, there you got 
>a lot of extras. Not just a simple box, one disk and a sheet of paper.
>
>Nowdays copy protection are mainly based on loading or on the 
>word-from-manual. This is easy to crack, you just fint the test and 
>remove it. Instead it should be something like in Midwinter, where the 
>novella and other extras included gives you information that is needed 
>to play the game successfully.

It SHOULD not be necessary at all.

The above "discussion" about how it's s-o-o-o-o understandable
how someone could steal software because it's s-o-o-o-o expensive,
s-o-o-o-o-o ill documented, s-o-o-o-o-o badly copy-protected
demonstrates why we have this problem.

Those that steal are crooks.  When you copy commercial software
and distribute it, you are stealing.

The problem won't go away by "understanding" crooks.  It will go
away when the majority start enforcing morality.  Report thievery.
Refuse to participate.  Hit the sumbitch in the mouth.  Do
SOMETHING to communicate that you're not going to stand for it.


Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy