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From: mwm@eris (Mike (My watch has windows) Meyer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.misc,comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Shareware & Honesty (Was: Software (and other kinds of) copying)
Message-ID: <6649@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 21 Jan 88 21:46:04 GMT
References: <8055@g.ms.uky.edu> <174@piring.cwi.nl> <39450@sun.uucp>
Sender: usenet@agate.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: mwm@eris.UUCP (Mike (My watch has windows) Meyer)
Organization: Missionaria Phonibalonica
Lines: 38

In article <39450@sun.uucp> fiddler%concertina@Sun.COM (Steve Hix) writes:
<Note the general
<treatment of shareware: People get it for free (or for minimal effort)
<and very seldom do those who keep and use it ever pay *anything* for
<it.  Which, besides being unfair, is dishonest.

Dishonest? Unfair? I'd suggest you look in a dictionary. For instance,
the OAD says that dishonest is merely not honest, and that honest is:

	1) truthful, trustworthy
	2) showing such qualities
	3) got by fair means

Now, someone *gives* me (or otherwise makes available at no cost) a
piece of software. I haven't done anything dishonest so far. They then
say "Give me money if you use this." I *still* haven't done anything
dishonest.

As for fair, that means according to the rules. The rules (laws) in
the US state that if you give somebody something, it's *theirs*. You
can get neither payment nor the return of the thing, unless there's a
prior agreement about such.

Now, calling such people immoral and disgusting is fine. Those are
value judgements, and I can't dispute them. Of course, I expect the
same when I tell you that I find the very concept of shareware immoral
and disgusting. I mean, you give somebody something, and then tell
them they are immoral scumbags if they don't pay you for it?
Especially when in many cases someone else is willing to give you the
something very similar without calling you names if you don't pay for
it.

	<mike
--
Estant assis, de nuit secrette estude,			Mike Meyer
Seul, repose sur la selle d'airain,   			mwm@berkeley.edu
Flambe exigue, sortant de solitude,   			ucbvax!mwm
Fait proferer qui n'est a croire vain.			mwm@ucbjade.BITNET