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From: jb10320@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Desdinova)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: Rastan GS!
Message-ID: <1990Sep18.013322.15529@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: 18 Sep 90 01:33:22 GMT
References: <4436@crash.cts.com> <1990Sep16.182926.10944@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> <13891@smoke.BRL.MIL>
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In article <13891@smoke.BRL.MIL> gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn) writes:
>In article <1990Sep16.182926.10944@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> jb10320@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Desdinova) writes:
>>  But I have a question for ya all.  The pirate mentality is, I think, an
>>adolescent mentality.  The young are easily motivated and impressionable.
>>Therefore, shouldn't it be possible to do SOMETHING to change these kids'
>>attitutes towards what most consider a crime?
>>  Part of the problem is that most kids don't have the money to spend on $50
>>video games (although new Nintendo carts can cost that much).  The high cost
>>of software drives the kids to pirate. And of course the software industry 
>>blames the pirates for the high cost of software.  Somewhere, this circle
>>has to be broken.
>
>I don't believe that software prices have a thing to do with it.  Pirates
>often use that as an excuse, yet they pirate even inexpensive software.
>
>I think the root of the problem is that these ethical retards were not
>raised to understand that values need to be earned, and that mere desire
>for something does not entitle one to it.  If you really want to improve
>the situation, you should concentrate on ways to spread a rational
>philosophy in place of the hodge-podge of unjustifiable notions that most
>of the public hold in its place.

It seems the piracy debate has started again. This time I've got new ideas.
Doug, the software industry is doing business just like the book business.
Trouble is, the two industries are terribly different.  You can copy a megs
worth of information for 30 seconds and $0.50.  Copying a megabyte from a book
requires much more time and money (built-in copy protection?)
If the software publishers would stop worrying about traditional marketing 
methods (something Apple also needs to do) they would open their eyes and
see the world's most efficient distribution network (next to Internet, of
course).  The pirate BBS's network the nation.  If _I_ were a publisher,
I'd find a way to take advantage of this to dramatically lower costs and
increase sales. 

Pirate BBSs could easily be turned into big commercial ventures.  The publisher
would release its new software to the highest bidder. Anyone who wanted it
would then have to get it from the sysop for a fee.  Give them a cut of the
deal, plus whatever other enticements you can think of, and they will quickly
stop being pirates and quickly start being paid, contracted distributors.
This would work, because what do teenagers think about more than anything?
(Sex? Well, uh, yeah, but we can't mention that here-this is a family forum).
Let me spell it out for you- M O N E Y.  Entice them with money and they'll
do just about anything, especially something as simple as running a BBS.
It's the American Way in action...

Imagine how much a company could save on disk duplicating costs, manual print 
jobs, etc...  The publisher can keep costs WAY WAY down and still make money.  

I guarantee publisher profits would go up if they lowered their prices.

There would still be pirating, but then, no society is perfect.

--
Jawaid Bazyar               | Blondes in big black cars look better wearing
Senior/Computer Engineering | their dark sunglasses at night. (unk. wierdo)
jb10320@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu    |      The gin, the gin, glows in the Dark!
                            |                             (B O'Cult)