Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!netsys!vector!killer!chari From: chari@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Chris Whatley) Newsgroups: comp.misc Subject: Re: Software Development And Piracy (Spurred By FTL replies) Message-ID: <6432@killer.DALLAS.TX.US> Date: 14 Dec 88 19:27:30 GMT References: <555@icus.islp.ny.us> <2363@ddsw1.MCS.COM> <1334@leah.Albany.Edu> <6390@killer.DALLAS.TX.US> <287@s1.sys.uea.ac.uk> Reply-To: chari@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Chris Whatley) Organization: The Unix(R) Connection BBS, Dallas, Tx Lines: 68 In article <287@s1.sys.uea.ac.uk> jrk@s1.sys.uea.ac.uk (Richard Kennaway CMP RA) writes: >In article <6390@killer.DALLAS.TX.US>, chari@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Chris Whatley ) writes: >> In article <245@taniwha.UUCP> michael@taniwha.UUCP (Michael Hamel) writes: >> >Whoa thar! We are talking about copying. This has *nothing* to do with thef [Richard says copying is not theft but it still may be wrong] >> >Maybe you *can* copy my car if you can't afford one yourself. Wouldn't that >> >make for a kinder, gentler nation? >> I'm sorry but that is the most ludicrous concept. Pure fantasy! Is this not >> a capitalistic economy? Said copying seriously devalues the software product. >Copying software does not change its value one whit. It reduces the >*price* the manufacturer is able to sell it for. The only difference >other peoples' illegal copies of the software I use can make to me is >that it hurts the fortunes of the companies who wrote it, who may therefore >not write any more. The idea that copiers have stolen something from the >software itself is the ludicrous concept. What else do you think I mean by "devaluation" than a reduction of the price of the product. I cartainly don't think that the software will wear out or become soiled in any way! Geez! Well, at the very least you agree that illegal copying is unfair to the publisher, writer and even the twits who allow themselves to be taken advantage of when they let somebody copy their $400.00 program for free. I just can't see what type of "value" you are referring to there. Maybe you think I meant the software lost self-esteem after being copied? >> It DOES NOT make any sense to say otherwise. If in your fantasy-land (you >> know, the "kinder and gentler nation", Ha!) we could copy others posessions >> and then those posessions would be worthless and the company who made them >> would likely go bankrupt. Gee wouldn't that be great! >Ever heard of the FSF? >I don't mean Fantasy and Science Fiction :-) Sure I've read about them, in books. What do they have to do with this discussion? I don't see how it relates since their licensing policy, as I understand it, does not include the concepts of intellectual property or a price for that property. (Disclaimer: I have no beef with the FSF. In fact, I hardly know anything about them except for the fact that they make my favorite editor.) So, really what is your purpose here? >> Chris >Richard Kennaway SYS, University of East Anglia, Norwich, U.K. uk.ac.uea.sys Chris (Sorry if I was mean but, this was such a stupid reply.) -- -------------------------------------------------------- INET: chari@killer.DALLAS.TX.US | BIX: chari UUCP: {anywhere}!killer!chari | -- CI$: 71370,1654 | Phone: 512/453-4238