Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!oucsace!bchurch
From: bchurch@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU (Bob Church)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: Rastan GS
Message-ID: <2220@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU>
Date: 21 Oct 90 05:17:40 GMT
References: <4907@crash.cts.com> <1990Oct20.073921.423@utstat.uucp>
Organization: Ohio University CS Dept., Athens
Lines: 32

>In article <4907@crash.cts.com> tg.exc@pro-harvest.cts.com (Terry Guelfo) writes:
>>In-Reply-To: message from unknown@ucscb.UCSC.EDU
>>
>>>I support piracy as a form of TESTING OUT software.
>>
>>I agree with you.  However, not so many of the people out there are that
>>honest about it, and that is where you run into problems.
>
I disagree with testing out pirated software but not for the reasons you
would think. A good software writer puts a lot of energy into software
*and* manual. Most packages include tips and even customer support to
help their customers. You have no idea of the integrity of the game that
you receive from a pirate board, etc. Maybe you don't like the game because
it is too hard or too easy to progress from level to level. Is this inherent
in the game or just because of a bad copy? Appleworks is one of the most
slandered programs I have seen. I knew of a University employee who tested
a copy that had been given to him. He spread the word that Appleworks was
useless because you couldn't even do block moves with it. He turned an 
entire department against Appleworks because of several essential things
that it didn't do. When I showed him in my manual how simple it was to
do these things it was the classic "never mind". The damage had already
been done though. How do you protect yourself from buying bad software?
Well, if I knew the answer to that one I wouldn't have a bookcase full
of stuff that I don't use. It would be nice to find a magazine that gave
impartial reviews. The ones in Nibble used to be an insult to the intelligence.
We need someone who will write reviews without worrying so much about
upsetting their advertisers.
Anyway, to get back to my original point, I have found that the person who
gets cheated the most by using pirated software is yourself.

bob church
bchurch.oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu