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The Ethical System Administrator

Issue 104

From Issue #104
December 2002

Dec 01, 2002  By Lawrence Rosen
 in
On the question of making illegal copies of proprietary software—why should we care?
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Re: The Ethical System Administrator

Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 12/06/2002 - 03:00.

Get more information on this issue from the crackmonkey ethics page.

Re: The Ethical System Administrator

Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 11/13/2002 - 03:00.

I believe you've missed a vital point.

Company ABC obtains a copy or copies of a software package for X amount of currency, safe in the knowledge that they may illicitly make Y copies.

If Y times X is more than ABC can afford, then it is reasonable to assume that had the company been law abiding a cheaper alternative would have been sourced.

A classic case is Photoshop. For all but the most demanding, the Gimp achieves what Photoshop does for free. Yet such is the availability of illicit copies of Photoshop that the Free alternative does not get considered.

Now I think of it, consider the relatively recent uptake of Linux at the expense of Windows XP, attributed in a large part to Product Activation. Is this because users are genuinely incensed about the invasion of their privacy or is it that it is now more difficult to make illicit use of the software?

Open and shut case IMO.

Re: The Ethical System Administrator

dmarti's picture
Submitted by dmarti (not verified) on Fri, 02/20/2004 - 03:00.

The more strictly you enforce the licenses of proprietary software, the more incentive you give your company to go with a free alternative.

Adobe Photoshop doesn't have "product activation" or a dongle because they _want_ you to learn on an illegal copy so you will depend on it when you go to work at a place that keeps track of software licenses.

Blow away illegal copies and you break their best marketing tool and create an opening for GPL replecements.

re

Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 11/08/2006 - 14:57.

INDEED!!! I agree. :)

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