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From: eggplant@walt.cc.utexas.edu (johan van Zanten)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.mac
Subject: Software Priacy
Summary: Why? Because!
Message-ID: <31594@ut-emx.UUCP>
Date: 13 Jun 90 20:53:20 GMT
References: <22220@boulder.Colorado.EDU>
Sender: news@ut-emx.UUCP
Reply-To: eggplant@walt.cc.utexas.edu (johan van Zanten)
Organization: The Ministry of Silly Walks
Lines: 29


   There's been alot of insightful discussion about piracy, but the simple
reason that it exists is because copying a program is 
physically completely different than stealing
car radios.  (Aside: Most people who steal car stereos sell them for money.
This is not the case with software; there are different motives at work.)
    I think the average person realizes that:
	a) They probably won't get caught for copying a copyrighted piece
	   of software.
	b) "Everybody" (meaning a whole lot of people) does it.

 and most important, although people can touch, see, feel and even smell a disk
, they cannot touch see and smell software.  Software is lots of little bits
aligned in a certain way, and even though people realize that someone or
someones have worked very hard at aligning and organizing those little bits
in a particular way, it still seems different.  People, because they evovled
for millions of year by manipulating objects perceive what they can sense.
And even though they can use the software, they view it as something very
abstract.    
   In a way, it's like our attitudes toward our environement.  Until we see
grossly polluted lakes, rivers and streams, we really won't be heavily motivated
to recycle and drive less.  I think attitudes are changing; people are learning
that "simple" actions have effects upon people and things we cannot see.
Perhaps the best solution for most software developers is to include digitized
images of them, their staffs, and their dependents with their programs, 
"guilting" people into doing what they think is right.

	Johan van Zanten 	"Don't you threaten me with a dead fish."
(eggplant@walt.cc.utexas.edu)	(from the movie "Withnail and I")