Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!skipper!altair!maine From: maine@altair.dfrf.nasa.gov (Richard Maine) Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer Subject: Re: Shareware "Piracy" (was Re: Cracking games) Message-ID: Date: 21 Mar 91 21:18:26 GMT References: <1991Mar19.172138.4340@Solbourne.COM> <7808@uceng.UC.EDU> <27530@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> <1991Mar21.153234.21760@athena.mit.edu> Sender: news@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov Distribution: comp Organization: NASA Dryden, Edwards, Cal. Lines: 24 In-reply-to: valley@uchicago's message of 21 Mar 91 18:18:01 GMT On 21 Mar 91 18:18:01 GMT, valley@uchicago (Doug Dougherty) said: Doug> ahodgson@athena.mit.edu (Antony Hodgson) writes: Antony> Actually, it was $25. Get three other people to register and you've Antony> essentially got a legit copy for free. I think it's a great idea, and Antony> judging by the success of PC_Write, it works! Doug> It's a pyramid scheme. I wonder how soon its legality will be tested. Not really. Unlike fraudulent pyramid schemes (which I abhor): 1) There is a real, substantiative product that people are paying for. They aren't paying just to join the "pyramid." Nor are they paying for some shallow subtrefuge like mailing lists of the people in the pyramid. 2) People get money only from those that they have directly signed up. They don't get money in turn from those signed up multiple "levels" down. Thus, there is no pyramid effect. -- -- Richard Maine maine@altair.dfrf.nasa.gov