Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!kuhub.cc.ukans.edu!petrino From: petrino@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu Newsgroups: comp.sys.cbm Subject: Message-ID: <25021.26ac30bf@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> Date: 24 Jul 90 16:27:59 GMT References: <1990Jul16.221811.7115@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> <1990Jul16.222043.7094@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> <5105@uwm.edu> <24987.26a58f60@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> <5227@uwm.edu> Distribution: na Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Services Lines: 54 In article <5227@uwm.edu>, jgreco@archimedes.math.uwm.edu (Joe Greco) writes: > > The question, if I recall, was if we felt it was responsible for the > "decline" of the 64. Actually no, at least not in whole. The question was also asking whether we felt piracy was wrong, plain & simple. Your reply was "yes" piracy is plainly & simply wrong, my reply was "no" IMHO piracy, although illegal, is okay. > Your argument here suggests that it indeed is not, for > if most PC owners use pirated software, you must recognize that the PC is > one of the most popular machines around. I'd suggest that pirating hasn't > hurt IBM popularity at all.... as a matter of fact, might enhance it. :-) Agreed, although my argument was directed towards the moral question of piracy, as opposed to the effect it has/had on the C64, I do indeed agree that piracy hasn't had much of an impact on the hardware sales of the c64. It's dying because it's a dinosaur, but hey, I like dinosaurs :) > I would, however, not consider piracy to be acceptable. It is merely a fact > of life. I am a software author, so I do have some interest in legality and > morality. Perhaps more relevant to the original question, I believe piracy > can do a very good job of discouraging software authors from writing > software for a machine. Some of my experiences with LEGITIMATE owners of my > products were bad enough to make my toes curl up. I finally got exasperated > with the pirates and put a backdoor into my BBS, distributed it, and waited > until it was sufficiently pirated. Then I went around about 2am one > morning and formatted lots of disk drives. I admit, it was petty. But also > satisfying. Sounds interesting! (being a sysop myself) I'd like to hear more about this "Revenge of the Sysop" extravaganza. (E-mail me!) I do sympathize with your plight. But, I don't feel the Software industry has been crippled by pirates, and, since no machine/system is completely secure, I haven't seen many professional software creators giving up the biz' because there are too many pirates out there. This is not to be misconstrued as a justification/rationalization for software piracy! Illegal is illegal. Like exceeding the speed limit though, we all decide which laws we will abide by and to what extent. BTW...I'm a programmer also, but for slightly bigger machines :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- \ / Jack Petrino (DRAGON) int: PETRINO@KUHUB.CC.UKANS.EDU |\^--^/| Systems Testing bit: PETRINO@UKANVAX < O O > University of Kansas vox: (913)864-0443 \/ \/ Computer Center fax: (913)864-0485 / oo \ \ .. / "Rock U Like a HURRICANE" (CBR1000F) -----------------------------------------------------------------------