Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!cogsci!meadors From: meadors@cogsci.ucsd.EDU (Tony Meadors) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc Subject: Re: Why do people pirate software? Message-ID: <185@cogsci.ucsd.EDU> Date: 15 Aug 90 04:15:23 GMT References: <1462fullerr@yvax.byu.edu> <2847@bruce.cs.monash.OZ.AU> Reply-To: meadors@cogsci (Tony Meadors) Organization: Institute for Cognitive Science, U.C. San Diego Lines: 38 In article <2847@bruce.cs.monash.OZ.AU> alanf@bruce.cs.monash.OZ.AU (Alan Grant Finlay) writes: > >What we should really do >is ban the copyright of software altogether. Over the past few years I have >seen more harm than good come out of software copyrightability. I know many >will disagree but I am serious - think about it! What we should pay for is >the support. Consumers should refuse to buy (or use!) copyright software and >insist on source code for the software they do use. One of the many problems with this is the adverse affect it would have on the software design itself. The more easy to learn, use, and maintain a product was, the less support it would need. Thus, very there would be little pressure to produce good software--only essential software. >There must be a better way! We don't >expect mathematicians to copyright their proofs, and yet mathematics >progresses. Yet, well developed proofs may be reported in journals and discussed at conferences--even named after the develper. The renown of such good work is a reward in itself and may lead to appointments and a better life. There is compensation in a great many ways that drive the research. On the other hand, engineering a useful tool for the purpose of monetary gain seems a reasonable enterprise itself--one more similar to writing a book or inventing a new chemical treatment process. It is pretty generally accepted that scientific and mathematic discoveries (of the ways of nature or numbers) may not be copyrighted, while specific linguistic matter or engineered designs can be. This arrangement has worked pretty well for a couple of hundred years now. The primary difference that the engineering of software brings is in how easily it may be copied and used without remnumeration to its creators/owners. Some argue that it can't be controlled. You take the stance that it shouldn't...presumably even if could be easily controlled. Is that right? tonyM