Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!bellcore!tness7!tness1!nuchat!jackson!egranthm
From: egranthm@jackson.UUCP (Ewan Grantham)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: lotus chairman makes 26 million
Summary: You're kidding right?
Keywords: copy protection piracy
Message-ID: <177@jackson.UUCP>
Date: 18 May 88 19:02:58 GMT
References: <9160@cisunx.UUCP> <1801@uhccux.UUCP> <807@netxcom.UUCP> <362@cf-cm.UUCP>
Organization: Mississippi Dept. of Corrections
Lines: 44

In article <362@cf-cm.UUCP>, mch@cf-cm.UUCP writes:
> 
>    In other words, the s/w writers are * PROFITEERING *.
> 
>    This seems to me to be a crushing indictment of s/w writers, but it is the
> most common reason for s/w copying that I have heard of. In most cases,
> I would
> agree with it.
> 
>    What does everyone else think ?
> 
> -- 
> Martin C. Howe, University College Cardiff 

Let me see if I understand your reasoning, because most people who copy
software say they are doing it because it costs too much, then software
writers must be profiteering?

First, I think most of us are aware that the profits for items such as
Lotus 1-2-3, DBase, etc. are going to publishing houses, not the
writers themselves. Even so, I think that the reason given, and the
actual reason are a lot farther apart.

My guess at the real reason - I need what this piece of software can
do, and since I don't HAVE to pay for it, I won't.

In other words, if I can get the software without getting in trouble,
then I'm going to take it.

I am not advocating copy-protection as a solution, because it isn't.
As we are all aware, there is now way to keep something that was
put on disk from being copied to another disk.

What is the solution? I'm not sure. If you look at robbery in
general, you'll see that fines, jail sentances, etc. have not
stopped it, simply they have made the price of non-compliance
high enough to keep the majority of us from doing it. How you
could do this with software, and still leave the software in an 
easily usable state is beyond me. Suggestions anyone?

Ewan Grantham
(uunet!nuchat!jackson!egranthm)

My bosses aren't responsible for me, and vice-versa.