Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!lll-winken!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!Sullivan
From: Sullivan@cup.portal.com (sullivan - segall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: No more Cinemaware stuff for Amiga !!!????
Message-ID: <20868@cup.portal.com>
Date: 30 Jul 89 19:12:19 GMT
References: <9172.AA9172@heimat>
Distribution: na
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 60

>:>>PIRACY DOES HURT US ALL!
>:>
>:>No arguments here.  But I don't seriously believe that the problem is
>:>nearly as widespread as you imply.  
>:
>:I guess you've not checked out the software available on Amiga's pirate
>:boards for everyone to download free. It is very educational :^)
>
I've logged on to so called 'pirate boards' before.  Most games on such
boards are unplayable without instructions.  Others are simply corrupt.  
I tend to believe that 'pirate' boards are more just mismanaged (read 
Sysop never cleans up the trash) than actively pirate.  For example, most
Infocom games are available on the various boards in the local area.  But
without instructions d/l'ing one of them would be like d/l'ing a demo.  You
can only get so far without the clues and hints that are within the package.
(Sherlock without the 'Times', Enchanter without the codewheel, ...)  I can;t
imagine anyone being able to really play any of the interesting games without
the documentation.  Now arcade games are probably a different story...

>  Well my 'personal' feelings are that you should post the names and #'s
>  of these dens of sin. That way everyone could keep their modems so busy
>  with garbage calls that no pirating could be done.
>
This method is illegal.  Recently at PRACSA (Public Remote Access Computing
Standards Association) we heard about the tracking and eventual arrest of
a childs parents who had let him use their computer to tie up a public 
bulletin board in this way.  I would instead recommend calling the FBI.  (FBI
gets involved because most theft involves crossing of state lines.)  There 
is also a foundation headed by several companies, whose sole purpose is to 
eradicate piracy.  If you know of any 'real' pirate boards, you would be 
eligible for a $1000 reward from them.  I don't have the literature available
at the moment.  But they distinctly said that they were not interested in 
primarily PD BBS's where a couple of copyrighted pieces of software had 
slipped past the sysop.  

To summarize my own feelings:  I don't really believe that piracy is nearly 
the problem that people claim.  I don't know anyone who regularly plays 
pirated games.  It would be untrue to claim that I've never used any cracked
or pirated software, but anything that I use regularly I buy.  (Anything that
I don't use regularly I delete.  I don't have enough disk space for useless
software.)  If I had had the choice, I would have tried illegal copies of 
more of the software that I currently own before buying it.  I have at least
$500 in legal game software.  Of that I currently only use Dungeon Master, 
and F/A - 18 Interceptor.  Others that were worth the cost are Starglider,
Sherlock, (in fact all of the Infocom games) and Bard's Tale.  
  Losers were: Paladin, Bard's Tale II, Ultima IV, Sorcerer Lord, Moebius,
Temple of Apshai, and Shadowgate to name a few.  It could be worse.  I could
be stuck with every lousy piece of game software on the market.  But these
have made me wary.  I've learned not to buy until I've tried.

                           -Sullivan Segall
_________________________________________________________________

/V\  Sullivan  was the first to learn how to jump  without moving.
 '   Is it not proper that the student should surpass the teacher?
To Quote the immortal Socrates: "I drank what?" -Sullivan
_________________________________________________________________

Mail to: ...sun!portal!cup.portal.com!Sullivan or
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