From: keith@ksmith.uucp (Keith Smith)
Subject: Re: No bootlegging hurts Unix
Organization: Keith's Computer, Hope Mills, NC
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 92 03:14:39 GMT

In article <id.I5OO.0VG@ferranti.com> peter@ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) writes:
>In article <1992Apr3.190013.3804@denwa.info.com> jimmy@denwa.info.com (Jim Gottlieb) writes:
>> Let's be honest.  Most businesses don't buy a separate copy of software
>> for every PC.
>
>With groups like the SPA going after companies and suing them for big bucks
>over this, I don't expect this will last long.
>

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

That's a good one Peter.  Be real, How and WHY do you think the majority
of PC BBS's and User's groups get started.  SURE, they don't have
copywrited software on them (the majority at least) but phil, talks to
paul, who talks to ed ... 

>> When it's some mythical "large corporation" it is easy to berate them
>> for such activities, but in this case I knew what the company's
>> revenues were and the added cost would truly have been a burden.
>
>Well, I hope their lawyers are paid up.
>
>Seriously.

Seriously,  There are not enough lawyers and Software police to even
BEGIN this type of thing.  Let's say I'm BIG CORP 'X' and I buy 300
copies of 1-2-3.  Now about 1/3 of my employees have PC's at home an
pirate a copy.  In addition It get's installed on about 350-400
machines.  Hell, half of the machines probably don't even get TURNED ON
on a given day.  Enter Mr. Software policeman with Warrants to search
your building and ALL your employee's houses on the odd chance that they
MAY be able to even locate (much less get an ACCURATE count) of all the
machines you have software on, and what not?  Not likely, though it has
happened once or twice in EXTREME cases. (1 copy spread thinly over an
entire Army post ...)  Meanwhile, rest assured if LOTUS starts this shit
the company will simply shut down all the pc's and probably NEVER EVER
buy another lotus product.

This software thing is a lot like the record business.  The record
companies scream all the time about home tapers.  The fact of the matter
is the people who spend the MAJORITY of the money on music are also the
ones who do the most taping!  Stealing?  I dunno, but the guy probably
buys 2 CD's a week and tapes 2 more, so who get's hurt?  He just
wouldn't listen to the stuff he taped as often since his budget is
probably limited.

Software is very similar.  The majority of PC software is purchased by
the people who pirate it the most.  They "share the wealth" that way by
the "I'll buy gorgon wars and give you a copy, and you can buy the print
shop and give me one".  Legal?  Hell no.  Done?  Hell yes.

The big thing is this, most of the people don't even USE half the shit
they pirate, In fact, they don't even use half the stuff they BUY.  They
spend $40-$50, play with it for a couple of hours/days/weeks, or on odd
tuesday's around X-mas then file it in the disk file forever, or pass it
on to someone else. 

Hell, I have some "pirate" software here.  I NEVER USE it.  It's in the
drawer or on the machine, because I have clients who purchased it, and
occasionally need support for it.  I'll bring it up here, answer the
question/solve the problem, and promptly remove it.  Technically, I
should hop in the car, drive across town, check it out there, drive
back, One heckuva lot of trouble vis-a-vis slipping in a disk and/or
running it, and answering a question over the phone. Is this legal?  No!
Am I LAZY?  Definately!

Me PERSONALLY?  I use all freeware except the OS/DevSys which I
purchased so I could compile freeware.... :-) <G>.

>-- 
>-- Peter da Silva,  Ferranti International Controls Corporation
>-- Sugar Land, TX  77487-5012;  +1 713 274 5180
>-- "Have you hugged your wolf today?"


-- 
Keith Smith          uunet!ksmith!keith            5719 Archer Rd.
Digital Designs      BBS 1-919-423-4216            Hope Mills, NC 28348-2201
Somewhere in the Styx of North Carolina ...
Newsgroups: comp.unix.misc,comp.unix.sysv386,comp.sys.sun.misc