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From: shawn@pnet51.cts.com (Shawn Stanley)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: Blindness / pirating
Message-ID: <186@orbit.UUCP>
Date: 19 Oct 88 15:25:16 GMT
Sender: root@orbit.UUCP
Organization: People-Net [pnet51], Minneapolis, MN.
Lines: 36

blume@netmbx.UUCP (Heiko Blume) writes:
>
>i dont want to find a excuse for pirating software ( i really think 'pirating'
>is to SELL other peoples programs - i want to talk about COPYING software),

Unfortunately, "pirating" is considered any act which infringes on the
software copyright.  If you make a copy of copyrighted software, whether it's
made over the phone line, across a network, byte by byte entry from the
keyboard, or on-disk, you have made an illegal copy.  If you then sell that
copy, you may be in for some heavy fines or imprisonment.

The copyright law is very strict in some areas and doesn't even allow you to
lend a book to a friend.  Instead, you have to transfer full ownership to that
friend.  Which makes one wonder why libraries are legal.  But then, that's not
what the laws were designed for.

>but if i hadn't copied all kind of software i wouldnt even know of many really
>good programs. this is especially true for me since i live in germany, it has
>always been difficult for me to spend my money on good products, no joke...

I know what you mean.  If I see a program in a store that looks like it might
do the job for me, there's no way I can really tell if it will or won't.  I'd
like to be able to try it out for a while first.

>(still want to buy smalltalk for the apple, sigh...)
>i think, the problem is the need to buy most software in order to find out
>if it's really the stuff one needs or likes. this is especially true for word
>processors / editors. 
>that's why i favor the concept of shareware and demo versions of programs that
>let you try out the thing.
>i think (hope) most people get a good feeling from paying for good stuff, just
>like in a good restaurant.

I agree completely.

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