Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!lethe!yunexus!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!lll-winken!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!hsdndev!husc6!hscfsas1.harvard.edu!kenh From: kenh@hscfsas1.harvard.edu (Ken Hancock) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games Subject: Re: SimEarth copy protection Message-ID: <5598@husc6.harvard.edu> Date: 4 Feb 91 18:48:05 GMT References: <1991Jan31.222504.12327@dartvax.dartmouth.edu> Sender: news@husc6.harvard.edu Organization: Isle Systems - Waltham, MA Lines: 37 In article evett@drinkme.umd.edu (Matt Evett) writes: >If somebody posted a letter to the Net saying: "Hey, I've got an illegal >copy of program X, but because I don't have the manuals I can't beat the >copy protection scheme," would you immediately tell him/her how he could do so? >I would hope not. Now suppose that same person is a little wilier and his/her >posting reads, "Hey, I just bought a copy of program X, but, boy, that copy >protection scheme sure is a bummer! Can anybody give me a hand?" Now >would you help him/her? Would you consider aid ethical in the latter >situation but not the former? Is there a difference if the end result is >the same? I know what answer you're expecting... The first person I'd peg as naive, stupid, or a pirate. I wouldn't move an inch to help him. In the second case, yes, I would help, unless they gave some reason to believe that they didn't have a legitimate copy. I'd consider aid in the first case unethical, and in the second case, eithical. There most certainly is a difference if the end result is the same. Face it, we live in an imperfect world. If the means always resulted in a justifiable end, then the answer might be no, but the fact is, that the best intentions can always end up wrong. So, you have two choices, always distrust, in which case the world never improves, or trust, in which case maybe in time, things will improve. Where there is trust, there is always the chance of betrayal. The choice is yours. Ken -- Ken Hancock | INTERNET: kenh@hscfsas1.harvard.edu Isle Systems | Compuserve: >INTERNET:kenh@hscfsas1.harvard.edu Macintosh Consulting | AOL: coming soon... | Disclaimer: My opinions are mine, | your opinions are yours. Simple, isn't it?