Jessehk

Organized religion certainly has its faults, but what makes you think that people who follow it are unaware of what they are doing or fail to understand it?
The world is not as black and white as some would have you believe.

On piracy, I would tend to agree with Narue's opinion. However you look at it, you are using a product that took a lot of money, work, and human-power to create for free. The economy doesn't work like that. It goes both ways. It's undeniably wrong, and just a question of whether you choose to partake in it or not.

That said, that policy mostly applies to those who can afford the products they steal. It's a whole other ethical issue (for me, anyways) for those in poverty.

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Baphomet

I should have said in my own experience... Anyways, many religious people don't relize the hate and childish rivalries thier religion has with ohter relgions

a thing

Are you people listening to yourselves? YOU ARE SAYING SHARING IS WRONG! What was one of the first things you were told to do with people when you were little? Hog all your toys? Not let people see what you made because you put work into it? I think not.

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Indigno

Well, it all depends on what's being downloaded and how it'a being used.

For M$ stuff, I don't feel too guilty, as the owner is the richest man in the world and I don't think he's weeping over his cracked software. Though this is really an issue for me as I have a bunch of keys from old PC's that I can use to install windows.

Music and television shows should not be illegal to download. They provide radio where their music is broadcasted for free, so what if I use a tape recorder am I a pirate now? Same thing with television stuff. The companies aren't charging me (though the cable providor is) and they're telling me I can't record the shows for later or give them to someone else? It really annoys me with sports because they specifically say that you aren't even allowed to tape it or they'll sue it. You know why that is? It's so that we don't catch them screwing up. They're basically saying "Hey, if we screw up, you're not allowed to have any proof of it so turn off your vcr".

Movies Personally, I buy any movies I like. If I'm really psyched about it then I'll see it in the theater. If it's an iffy movie I'll download it, and if I like it I'll buy it. But I mean, I'm downloading a low quality version from a camcorder. To me I think if it kind of like a demo version.

Other programs. This is my big gray area. Usually, if I really want/ like a game, I'll buy it. Especially if it's online, because I need a genuine key. If it's some obscure, non-online or old game, then I will most likely just download it. I prefer to have a real version of whatever game I have, but I will download it if I can save myself a few bucks.

Wizard1988

I think that a student makig just enought money to get by is as wrong as as someone using pirated software for comerical pourposes.
I recently read an article saying that microsoft used cracked software for editing some of the sound files that are shipped with windows, now that I do consider totally wrong.

Here is the article

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JG-Webdesign

Libervisco

First of all the word piracy doesn't come from within the community of file sharers, but from the entertainment and software industry. It was coined to essentially equate the acts of robbing ships on the high seas (which usually involves killing). The goal, of course, was to make people believe that what they are doing is as wrong, unethical and crimeful as robbing and killing, in order to supposedly make the battle against unauthorized copying easier.

The way I see it, however, the only "wrong" thing about unauthorized copying and file sharing (AKA piracy) is the fact that it is illegal in that it breaches a copyright license. However, sharing in itself is natural to humans and sharing with each others is not unethical. In a contrary, refusing to share leads to antisocial and hence unethical behaviours.

What is at fault here is not so much file sharers as the whole system of proprietary software. There is an alternative way which allows for both freedom of users and freedom of developers (which are infact users at the same time anyway), and that is Free Software (some of you may call it "open source"). Free Software does actually allow a programmer to get fairly compensated for their work if they so wish, even make a profit. But the truth is that a software program a programmer creates is already a compensation in itself. If I make something I didn't make it just for others, but for myself. I hence don't need to be payed extra for making it: my reward is my own creation.

This is why I find it unacceptable for programmers to expect special treatment for releasing their software publically: that special treatment being an absolute monopoly right over all copies of their program ever made. That said, yes, I consider proprietary software licensing unethical because I believe that once software has been released to the flow and an user who get's it and makes a copy for himself to run on his own computer should have the freedom to control that particular copy himself. Otherwise, the one who is legally in control of this particular code running on your computer is not you, but the programmer who wrote and released that code as proprietary.

If you want to make money, fine, there are various Free Software business models to consider. If you're serious about making money then you'll be ready enough to invest that bit more extra time and effort to make a business off of it instead of exploiting the ability to impose your power over users who get a hold of a *copy* of your software.

Thank you

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Wizard1988

I like your explanation

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JG-Webdesign

andro

Jesus, listen to yourselves. If you spent days/months/years with a team or by yourself working on something, in an effort to make money and support yourself by doing what you like doing, how would you feel if somebody went out and took all your efforts from you for free.

You all present your own excuses for piracy, but none of them are valid. Piracy is wrong, end of story.

Piracy. Is. Stealing.

Wizard1988

Actually, Piracy is Illegal but not always Wrong.

I think that you should be allowed to use software for free as long as you aren't making bux from using it.

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JG-Webdesign

Libervisco

andro, I can agree that piracy is illegal and in that sense you could say it's wrong.

However what you are describing is essentially a business:

Yes, you've just described a business. If you want to make money doing what you like doing then employ a business model which will allow for both freedom of your users and freedom of developers like you. Free Software realm does provide working business models for that.

Just licensing the code under draconian terms is not only creating a little monopoly over the users of copies of your code, but is calling for "piracy" anyway. People don't submit to such terms easily. People want freedom, and they'll apparently take it wether it's legal or not. Instead of fighting that tide, go with it.

And I'm not pirating anything here. All software I use is Free Software of which most is licensed in a way that keeps it and its derivates Free Software forever (GNU GPL). I would also have no problem with paying a programmer to add a feature to that software I use, if I'd need it so badly, or even pay for a commercial support.

Also consider this article. It perfectly describes a way a Free Software economy can work to the benefit of all sides, from a developer to the end user.

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