>Tim and I may be unfairly assuming guilt, but if you don't think piracy >is a real problem, ask your Windows friends to own up about how much >software they've ever actually BOUGHT. I think you'll find that apart >from the software that was included on the machine and the stuff they >will claim they "have" to take home from the office, they've bought >very, very little. And that's not even counting the music and porn ...
I never said piracy isn't a problem, what I said was, piracy is NOT the root problem of the software industry (in particular high prices). What I said was, stopping piracy is unlikely to have a significant impact on software sales. I'm a software developer (not by choice), so is my brother (by choice) so is the company I work for, so are half my friends in the computer world. I sympathize with the hurt and anger and annoyance at seeing a program pirated. I'm not at all in favor of piracy. But to say that Adobe charges $600 bucks for Photoshop BECAUSE photoshop is pirated, well that just simply isn't true. Walmart raises prices to cover theft, Adobe, does not. Adobe charges $600 for Photoshop because they can, and because they feel it is worth it, and because so far, some serious users are willing to pay that. Drop the price to $150, and sales would probably increase dramatically (the question becomes, will it increase enough to off set the difference to the lower price). >Mac users, in my experience, are much better about this (not perfect, >but better). Heck, I've probably spent over $50 this year alone on >SHAREWARE, never mind regular apps (though there are still a few I use >and haven't yet paid for!). But for some reason even Mac OS users >suffer from the delusion that the OS is a "freebie" they can install on >every machine around, including that of total strangers who happen to >be wandering by; make copies of for their friends, etc. Look at the >Ebay auctions if you don't believe me. Part of this is old school thought. Apple used to give away the OS, and even starting with System 7 that went commercial, they turned a blind eye to piracy of it. Because they honestly didn't care. You needed a Mac to run the OS, so they already made their money. Starting with OS X, they changed their ideas. Now they have a business plan that involves sale of the OS. Now they care if it is pirated. But many Mac users are still in the old train of thought... if you need a mac to use the OS, and you have a Mac, then you should be allowed to have the OS. Obviously this is an incorrect thought and should not occur. (in the windows world, people just don't think that much, and don't really care about theft at all). >Assuming that people who "lose" their purchased software CDs might be >fibbing is as natural and normal as assuming that the White House press >spokesman just might be stretching things a little. It might not be >true in this particular case, but I'm sure there's an honest used car >salesman somewhere in the world too -- I just don't know any. That's fine. There is nothing wrong with that assumption in itself. Everyone has their opinions. But when Tim tells me that I should not be answering a support question, and that I'm encouraging piracy by doing so, simply because ONE POSSIBLE explanation is that the software is stolen... then he is simply wrong in my opinion. Unless of course, that is the rule for this list... no question can be answered until proof of ownership is established. I was unaware of that rule, and will happily abide by it if one exists. -chris <http://www.mythtech.net> -- The iMac List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | - Epson Stylus Color 580 Printers - new at $69 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> iMac List info: <http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/imac-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
