Very true, the linux distro I run the recommended method to download is via torrent so when a new one is released I download via torrent and then share it for a while afterward to help others.
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Have/Would you use pirated software?
- Thread starter Vinsanity93
- Start date
Very true, the linux distro I run the recommended method to download is via torrent so when a new one is released I download via torrent and then share it for a while afterward to help others.
I didn't think the Windows Media Player was that bad.
Some people still thing internet explorer or outlook express are decent and/or safe.
Some people still think AOL isn't that bad
And those things compare to the media center how exactly?
They are other examples of crap software that people don't think is that bad, either because they haven't tried anything better or just don't know much about computers in general.
Those three microsoft programs that were forced into windows are the most bloated, buggy and insecure programs, we could patch half as often if its weren't for those three crappy programs being integrated.
Those three microsoft programs that were forced into windows are the most bloated, buggy and insecure programs, we could patch half as often if its weren't for those three crappy programs being integrated.
NYCHitman1
Gun for Hire
Individual production companies do this for movies already. Lionsgate, MGM, Nintendo, etc will contact you ISP and they will shut your internet off. Upon opening browser all that will pop up is a 800 number. When you call it your ISP will tell you who contacted them, what was downloaded, when it was downloaded. They explain to you that you get 2 warnings, 3rd offense is no internet for a week + possible charges, 4th offense 30 days no internet + possible charges, 5th offense lifetime ban on internet and possible charges (and this is per year, meaning 2 warnings EVERY year)
Then my ISP informed me that the companies (lionsgate, mgm, nintendo) do NOT care if i download any material. Only when you are uploading/sharing will they come after you. Again, my ISP told me to download as much as i wanted, just never 'share' it.
Granted this is just my isp but they said the companies set this policy fwiw.
Now this has happened to me 3 times. Every time it was an instance where someone left it on there to share after completing the download.
Do i condone it? I don't really care either way. I don't listen to music unless it's pandora, playlist.com, or radio and if i want to see a movie bad enough i'll go to the theater. I keep all my movie ticket stubs and i bet i've seen over 2,000 movies in the theater. I will download movies though.
I used to use TONS of pirated software but in almost EVERY instance their is a better free alternative. Plus i fix computers on the side while i go to school and i'm sure not gonna put pirated software on other peoples pc's. I have unlimited license copies of office 07 and xp from my school plus a personal copy of windows 7 free from school so for my needs it isn't necessary.
The majority of people who pirate are in third world countries or developing economies.
Vihzel
Destroying Balls Everyday
I have the same thing with my school!
It's awesome. My school was giving out Windows 7 discs up to 2 months before it was released to the public.Oh I can't believe I forgot Amazon MP3 store! Yeah that makes sense. lol Thanks for that!
I should be more specific... the majority of people in the US who pirate want free stuff.
I have the same thing with my school!
Yea that was what they dubbed the 'developers' copy or RTM. The same as the retail copy but since you couldn't get it retail yet they named it something different. I have the RTM installed on my computer right now though i obtained it by nefarious methods (ie torrent)
I have the free one from my school but as of yet been to lazy to wipe and reload my machine!
LOL How about THAT, i'm to lazy to put the FREE AND LEGAL version on!!
M
Member243850
Guest
You know what?
I have been thinking a CRAP load about pirating.
I am sorry to revive a dead thread... but I just wanted to say... i have formatted my PC and just got rid of everything illegal.
You are all 120% correct. It's theft plain and simple. It's just entitlement.
The biggest thing that made me change my mind was that my Dad owns a small softeware company and I would hate it if someone stole his software technology or ripped it off...
I am starting fresh and have destroyed all my nasty stuff like PS2 games etc.
And everyone... thanx for changing my mind!
Regards
Stinky
I have been thinking a CRAP load about pirating.
I am sorry to revive a dead thread... but I just wanted to say... i have formatted my PC and just got rid of everything illegal.
You are all 120% correct. It's theft plain and simple. It's just entitlement.
The biggest thing that made me change my mind was that my Dad owns a small softeware company and I would hate it if someone stole his software technology or ripped it off...
I am starting fresh and have destroyed all my nasty stuff like PS2 games etc.
And everyone... thanx for changing my mind!
Regards
Stinky
I'm glad you are the moral compass....
Devs, music, computers... technology in general has changed how people consume media. Ironically, the ones who try to make money (not a bad thing by any stretch) are the ones who fail to adjust their business models to be successful.
Blockbuster was once successful business model, but failed to adapt. Of course, Netflix had no problem adapting. They could have joined BB and instead of adapting, they could have simply tried to word laws that demanded the only way to consume movies was by driving down to the video store and doing it the old fashioned way, like we had for the previous 30 years.
I feel no sympathy for Metallica, Blockbuster or even app developers because they are a dinosaur in a modern world and instead of adapting, they simply lobby to force consumers into using outdated methods simply because it's easier for them if they don't have to change anything.
Devs, music, computers... technology in general has changed how people consume media. Ironically, the ones who try to make money (not a bad thing by any stretch) are the ones who fail to adjust their business models to be successful.
Blockbuster was once successful business model, but failed to adapt. Of course, Netflix had no problem adapting. They could have joined BB and instead of adapting, they could have simply tried to word laws that demanded the only way to consume movies was by driving down to the video store and doing it the old fashioned way, like we had for the previous 30 years.
I feel no sympathy for Metallica, Blockbuster or even app developers because they are a dinosaur in a modern world and instead of adapting, they simply lobby to force consumers into using outdated methods simply because it's easier for them if they don't have to change anything.
IOWA
Mr. Logic Pants
15 min android purchase window = 500% increase in user piracy of apps.
The biggest cause of piracy? Availability. Most people pirate becuase they simply can't get it in the format they want it in. And now they've become accustom to it, becuase large companies didn't want to adjust their business models in an appropriate time to adjust to this brand new demand, just begging to make them even more untold millions. What do they do? They shoot themselves in the foot by slapping DRM and fighting a war against piracy they'll never win, all because they want to create an artificial scarcity of an infinite good.
Roze
Hiding behind a mystery
Yes, that's really stupid on Google's part. It just seem that the developers there never really TRY anything on the market that needs tweeking and customizing and they simply play games. It sometimes take you more than 15 minutes to just customize most apps to your liking and that doesn't include the 'test run'. How are you going to test apps like Tasker or those GPS ones in 15 minutes.
I feel bad for the developers, but I really blame it on Google for the increase in piracy on the market.
Google's trying to reach a wider audience and decided they need more games. It was the game devs en mass who complained that they were holding back because the longer return gave people time to crack/copy games and then return them.
Google didn't decide this on their own - this nonsense is all courtesy of the gaming community, beginning with their devs blaming their users.
Tail wagging the dog in my opinion. I bought an Android phone, not an XBox.
And I'm fully with IOWA on this one - the devs might believe this is clever, but the actual unintended consequence is going to be an increase in piracy for games, while the rest of the community suffers not having time to assess the right add-on keyboards and so forth.
Google didn't decide this on their own - this nonsense is all courtesy of the gaming community, beginning with their devs blaming their users.
Tail wagging the dog in my opinion. I bought an Android phone, not an XBox.
And I'm fully with IOWA on this one - the devs might believe this is clever, but the actual unintended consequence is going to be an increase in piracy for games, while the rest of the community suffers not having time to assess the right add-on keyboards and so forth.
I hear what your saying, my issue though is they went from 24 hours... to 15 MINUTES!! Really?? Can we get some middle ground here?
I've never believed in pirating apps for my phone or any games for my consoles. I don't buy much at all these days. If i want a 360 or ps3 game (which isn't often) i will buy it, if i really want to see a movie i will go to the theater as i would want them to make enough money for them to make sequels. One my phone i've only bought one app, mlb-at-bat, other than that everything i could ever want has been free
M
Member138406
Guest
Same.
There was this time, believe it or not, when music was made to just be enjoyed. Now, anyone with a mic and Adobe Audition feels they should be highly compensated for their "genius."
chrlswltrs
Extreme Android User
I used to download all my music from Limewire, etc for free. Now I just use Slacker and Pandora and never have any downloaded music. I also haven't bought a CD in years. Streaming music that I can customize and skip songs is just easier and nothing at all illegal.
When it comes to apps, in the past I have used pirated apps. When I had my iPhone I used pirated apps to test them, then if I liked it I would buy it, if not I would delete it. The only pirated app I kept on my iPhone was a navigation app because it was like $100 and I didn't have the money to buy it, it was also the only one that worked right while multi tasking. I always support devs when I like their software and haven't used any pirated apps at all since switching to Android and I do not intend to either.
When it comes to apps, in the past I have used pirated apps. When I had my iPhone I used pirated apps to test them, then if I liked it I would buy it, if not I would delete it. The only pirated app I kept on my iPhone was a navigation app because it was like $100 and I didn't have the money to buy it, it was also the only one that worked right while multi tasking. I always support devs when I like their software and haven't used any pirated apps at all since switching to Android and I do not intend to either.
Roze
Hiding behind a mystery
The irony in that, to copy an app, it takes less than 15 minutes. If they didn't want people to copy their apps, then it should be ZERO minute...but then I guess Google didn't want to be an apple
...though this is pretty close. Even then...there are still pirated apps for iOS. The people that WANT to pirate apps WILL, regardless of the return time...that's just a fact. In the end, this just hurts all other people that would buy an app to go and pirate it now instead. I mean would you spen $45 on a GPS app or $10-30 for DocsToGo...and not fully test it and have to be stuck with the price tag. To please a few, they've hurted the mass and themself in the process. I know when I get a new Android phone (waiting for something good to come to Canada)...I have to sadly say that if the app does not have a free version or the dev does not have a trial period on their website, I would most likely pirate an app before I even think of buying it. I spend hours testing out similar apps at once just to see which one I like best.
IOWA
Mr. Logic Pants
The irony in that, to copy an app, it takes less than 15 minutes. If they didn't want people to copy their apps, then it should be ZERO minute...but then I guess Google didn't want to be an apple
I know when I get a new Android phone (waiting for something good to come to Canada)...I have to sadly say that if the app does not have a free version or the dev does not have a trial period on their website, I would most likely pirate an app before I even think of buying it. I spend hours testing out similar apps at once just to see which one I like best.
Ironically I know people who use Google to pirate stuff the most lol... including apps for iOS/Android
Roze
Hiding behind a mystery
That's just becase Bing and Yahoo are not to par to Google!!!
Totally shameless here.
What I do pirate:
- Games without demos or with ridiculous DRM schemes. I refuse to have a constant internet connection for a single player game, therefore, you will not get my money, and I will show you why your DRM doesn't work.
- Games no longer commercially available.
- Music. As a musician, there is absolutely no money in CD sales. My old band would simply give out CD's and that would get people to come to our shows, which we then would get paid handsomely for.
- Operating systems generally. I have bought two legitimate keys through my student discount, and they both were blacklisted once Microsoft tried to implement Genuine Advantage into Windows 7, even though I bought the copies directly through them and not any type of third party. Rather than deal with their corporate idiocy and dick-waving, I simply cracked the copies. Problem solved.
- Office, as it should be included with Windows anyway.
- TV shows, as they generally are not available to buy and are in shit quality with all kinds of "Don't copy this" garbage and advertisements.
- Movies, because it's less of a headache to have a pirated copy that I can stream to my Xbox than having to rip a DVD with all of it's non-skippable advertisements and useless interactive screens I don't want.
What I don't pirate:
- Any game available on Steam that does not have any extra layers of DRM on top of Steamworks. (Some games I have on steam are exceptions, as I got them on a really ridiculous sale or something, like GTA IV for $5)
As you can see by my SteamCalculator page, their approach works very well and is a good deterrent to Piracy simply because they provide an amazing distribution service, incredible customer support, and don't bog games down with extra layers of DRM.
SteamCalculator.com - How much is your Steam Account worth?
- Android Apps. I want to support the devs because I love this OS.
I also always use private torrent trackers as the speeds are better, I like giving back to the community, and they're generally ignored by the big companies that throw the lawsuits around.
To wrap up, I don't care about all the moral "piracy is stealing" BS. If publishers/movie producers/etc want to survive, they need to adapt to the current technology and not treat their potential customers like criminals.
What I do pirate:
- Games without demos or with ridiculous DRM schemes. I refuse to have a constant internet connection for a single player game, therefore, you will not get my money, and I will show you why your DRM doesn't work.
- Games no longer commercially available.
- Music. As a musician, there is absolutely no money in CD sales. My old band would simply give out CD's and that would get people to come to our shows, which we then would get paid handsomely for.
- Operating systems generally. I have bought two legitimate keys through my student discount, and they both were blacklisted once Microsoft tried to implement Genuine Advantage into Windows 7, even though I bought the copies directly through them and not any type of third party. Rather than deal with their corporate idiocy and dick-waving, I simply cracked the copies. Problem solved.
- Office, as it should be included with Windows anyway.
- TV shows, as they generally are not available to buy and are in shit quality with all kinds of "Don't copy this" garbage and advertisements.
- Movies, because it's less of a headache to have a pirated copy that I can stream to my Xbox than having to rip a DVD with all of it's non-skippable advertisements and useless interactive screens I don't want.
What I don't pirate:
- Any game available on Steam that does not have any extra layers of DRM on top of Steamworks. (Some games I have on steam are exceptions, as I got them on a really ridiculous sale or something, like GTA IV for $5)
As you can see by my SteamCalculator page, their approach works very well and is a good deterrent to Piracy simply because they provide an amazing distribution service, incredible customer support, and don't bog games down with extra layers of DRM.
SteamCalculator.com - How much is your Steam Account worth?
- Android Apps. I want to support the devs because I love this OS.
I also always use private torrent trackers as the speeds are better, I like giving back to the community, and they're generally ignored by the big companies that throw the lawsuits around.
To wrap up, I don't care about all the moral "piracy is stealing" BS. If publishers/movie producers/etc want to survive, they need to adapt to the current technology and not treat their potential customers like criminals.
So, in essence, you're stealing stuff to prove them that their ideas about people stealing stuff is wrong - and because you feel treated like a potential criminal, you act like one.
Doesn't occur to you to simply avoid their products and not even give them mindshare?
Tempusfugit
Android Enthusiast
Holy crap you just reminded me why I started downloading stuff in the first place.. Same exact thing happened to me... windows update locked out my girlfriends computer bought from gateway.. Another time I was rebuilding a friend's computer after the mobo crashed.. It wouldn't let me register windows, when I called they told me since I changed the mobo, its a "new computer" and I need volume licensing.
So, pay 200 dollars to have the program stolen back from you, or get it for free, and never have problems with it...
oh, and earlymon.. .avoid windows?? come on...