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Why is so much software cracked?
Baseman:
I'm going to also give my 2c's worth while debating the fact that whether piracy is warranted or not.......Example: It's a known fact that some companies are over rated as far as software and prices are concerned...Yes they have a right to charge whatever they like and it's up to the consumer whether to purchase it or not, noone forces the consumer to purchase their software take note there are various companies who make the same software for the same purpose and you'll also find that their prices differ...However you do get giant companies who in my own opinion is over priced on their software, so there is a solution to this problem 'Open Source' came into being...'Open source' might not be the 'rolls royce' you looking for but the programs that have been developed do the same work:Example 'Open Office'...'Microsoft Office' there might be some diffs but at the end of the day 'Open Office' is obtainable as a download or a small fee for the CD/DVD to be shipped around the world and that's not bad for people who are at a disadvantage of purchasing Example, Microsoft Office which they cannot afford... we are basically talking about people who cannot afford it BUT there are alternatives to the issue you have many Freeware sites that you can browse and find the same software doing the same major job might not be fancy and have great looking Interfaces but at least it's legal and it works...I'd love to have programs that are used for computer music but because they are so expensive I have to do without however here again there are some freeware programs available to do the same job not fancy or easy but they do work...Expensive softwares that are pirated for the benefit of being utilised by the user to make money from is certainly (to me) a criminal offence)...If someone uses pirated software and like using it should buy the program and support the developer who propably has a family to support and relies on that income...Now you also have the music scene...Musicians work hard and spend a lot of time and money producing their music and should also be compensated...The Moral of the story is if you cannot afford something and freeware is not good enough you go without...If you walk into a store and you see a chair that you really like and you find it's too expensive you bargain with the guy, if your'e not satified then you leave the store empty handed....(Unless you desperatly want it so bad you tempted into trying to stealing it...That's a criminal offence) ...And So is Pirating....
Othalian:
Hi All
This has been an interesting read and the topic appears to be going round and round with some very heated comments.
For my pennies worth I would not condon the pirating of software and I will 'NEVER' and have 'NEVER' paid full price for commercial software. What I do is spend a part of my time reading magazines, newspapers and web sites looking for bargains. Some of the great bargains I have managed to obtain in the past are:
1. Microsoft Office Pro 97 £50 (The company had bulk purchase the software and needed to get rid of it quickly.)
2. Microsoft Office Pro 2000 Update £25 (Directly from Microsoft themselves after proving that I had purchased a copy of Microsoft Office Pro 97 within the last few months.)
3. Microsoft XP Pro £130.
4. OneNote 2003 Free for Microsoft (Yes believe it. This was a thank you from Microsoft for taking part in one of their software reviews.)
Computer magazines are another great place to get your hands on some good software even when it is a year or more old. Within the magazine there is also quite often a discount on any full version purchases you make. If you register the software then you will also receive notification of any discounts that are announced by the software company, and these can be for over 50% off the original price. A recent discounted software is NetObjects Fusion 9 Standard. Its original price was around £190 and is now selling on their web site for approximately £130. I am sure that I received an email a few weeks ago offering it for even less.
If I cannot wait for a piece of software, or afford it, I then look at freeware or open source software where I have obtained NVu, OpenOffice, Gimp, Paint.NET, InkScape, Power Defragmenter, Blender, Picasa 2, etc but to name a few. While they are not the best on the web they do the tasks I require and more importantly they are FREE.
In a perfect world we would expect companies to look a all levels of our society and expect them to set a price based on our ability to pay. Unfortunately we do not live in that world but this one. Some companies provide an open source version and a commercial version while others supply demo versions. A good example of this is StarOffice and OpenOffice from SUN. Perhaps other companies could do the same but don't hold your breath.
I feel that companies could do more to reduce their prices for educational establishments which would get kids interested in the likes of 3D animation, graphic design, game design, etc while reducing the educational expendature. This was something that Microsoft introduced a few years ago when discovering that users once they become accustomed to using a piece of software continue to use that software throughout their lives.
Those that are unemployed or on low incomes, I feel, is not have a reason to be treated any differently to any other person in society. If they wish to have the best software then this should provide them with a urge to want to earn better wages. People who work and pay a mortgage, etc would have to save up for the software they need so why should the unemployed or those on low incomes be treated any differently? Holding a hand out for help is becoming more ingrained in our society; what happened to pride and making your own way in the world? Yes it is hard but it is worth all the trouble in the end when YOU can buy the software or hardware you desire when you want it.
Finally, companies could always reduce their prices and gain more customers but why should they. Yes most if not all software is vastly overpriced but who is at fault? I would suggest that it is the customer who is at fault. Why? Simple, because the customer is paying the price that the company demands. If everyone took their hands out of their pockets and said no to high prices then the companies would have to reduce their prices. This will never happen because there will always be those who want the latest bells and whistles NOW! So stop gripping about cost and a socialist state and become more proactive in forcing companies to lower their prices based on sound arguements which benefits them as much as it benefits YOU!
Regards
Othalian ;D
Lashiec:
The question is not why is so much software cracked, but why people use cracked software. Spain is the first country of the so called "first world" in the piracy ranks. We can't compete with the likes of China of Vietnam, but you can swear that we piracy multimedia more than any other rich country in the world. Not only software, but also games, movies, music and even books. This happens because in Spain we have this zero effort culture that leads to us to make as much money as possible, ignoring the methods we use to achieve that. In other words, we see a thing so we want it. So that's why people uses cracked software, we want to use the best software but we don't want to pay a cent for it. Most of the people using Photosop and AutoCAD doesn't actually know how to use them. Heck, I've seen people using Photoshop as a scanner replacement software. And most of the tasks they use Photoshop for could be achieved with XnView of IrfanView. Same goes for AutoCAD.
Also, people uses cracked software because software is almost the last thing they're willing to spend money in. I used to be in this group 'til recent ages :). Being a student with no occupation doesn't get you much money (nothing at all in fact), so cracking software was the only way I could get to use some software. I didn't crack too many programs, but Diskeeper and PowerTools were in the list (I hope Jouni Vuorio isn't reading this :D). Things have changed since then, and I moved to free and open source software provided that I still can't afford shareware (except for PowerTools, which I beta test). The same thing could be said about games and music. I'm slowly moving from pirated games and music to original ones (even if I didn't do it, between 60 and 70 percent of the music I have is original, and more than 90 percent of my games are original too). I don't really think that software is that much expensive, but heck, if you can get something for free, you won't think it twice. I don't think that morality and ethic will stop people in doing that, even in my case, I only stopped cracking software because of ethics (if in the future I want to make a living of this, I can't contribute to the destruction of the software industry :D). In the music and games choice, I choose original because the feeling of a complete album compared with a pirated album (with the badly printed cover and no booklet) it's not the same...
zridling:
[Lashiec]:...Heck, I've seen people using Photoshop as a scanner replacement software.
--- End quote ---
Okay, that's the best thing I've read all week! I've always seen people try to do everything — and I mean everything — through their word processors.
Carol Haynes:
Hey I've used Word to scan images ...
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