Xref: utzoo comp.sys.amiga:26599 comp.misc:4394
Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ucbvax!euler!amorando
From: amorando@euler.uucp (Alexander R. Morando)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.misc
Subject: Re: Software Development And Piracy (Spurred By FTL replies)
Message-ID: <27145@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 15 Dec 88 05:48:50 GMT
References: <555@icus.islp.ny.us> <2363@ddsw1.MCS.COM>
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: amorando@euler.UUCP (Alexander R. Morando)
Organization: U.C. Berkeley EECS CAD Group
Lines: 61

I wrote two long articles that I junked because they sounded too whiny. Here
is my $.02:

Good luck if you are going to try and make a living on the Amiga, and you are
an individual. It's practically impossible, what with the computer magazines
not printing announcements, high cost of advertising, and general apathy
all around. Good look trying to contact big publishers/developers like
Electronic Arts and Epyx. You probably have to suck up to them royally to get
them to listen to you. You're best bet is contacting the small, just-starting-
out houses, who have not become so big that they cannot dart and weave in the
microcomputer market.

Disk based copy protection does not work and only incites to anger software
buyers and spur on pirates. I am still seething at Emerald Mine's flaky
protection that 95% of the time hangs. But I love the game...although I
haven't played it since I finished every level.

Computer stores are the sources of a lot of piracy. They often leave disks
lying around. It is possible to copy RIGHT UNDER THEIR NOSE, dealer versions
of software that are not copy protected. I know one store in particular, that
I would rather not receive copies of any of my software...

The average person is always looking for a way to save money. Given
the opportunity, he will pirate software. He would feel like a patsy if he
went into the store and bought it, when he could get it for free.

A lot of people pirate software so they can look at it. If they like the
software enough, they will go out and purchase a legitimate copy. There is
a lot to be said about piracy in this form. It allows potential buyers to
test-drive stuff, without the hassle of dealing with money-back guarantees.
I would feel uncomfortable going into a software store and asking for my
money back, knowing that the store thinks that I probably duplicated the
software while I had it, even though I didn't. How often can you do that to
the same store? After a while, they will probably change their policy, or
will refuse to sell you software, or will be snotty to you.

I am a developer, but I don't hate pirates. I don't hate piracy. It is a
problem, and I don't have any solution to it. Perhaps some actual arrests,
infiltration, or levying some of those big $10,000 fines would scare some
people and make a difference. It seems that society doesn't care if piracy
is going on, because society is represented 99+% by people who are potential
pirates. I think it is important to knock down big pirating groups and pirate
BBS's. Just exposing them and giving them a warning is enough to change them.
Expecting citizens to rat on their friends is rediculous. No one would do
that.

In one of my games, Targis, there is type-in-the-word copy protection, like
on Digi-paint and Starglider-II and others. I don't know how effective that
is, but I do know it will always work. Also I know that since I usually go
to the hardware directly, my programs will always work, even if they change
the software to 1.4,1.5,etc. And I know that I am getting the most out of
the Amiga. Believe me, go to the hardware even if it isn't convenient. All
the best software does. JUST BE ABLE TO BACK OUT, SO THE USER DOES NOT HAVE
TO REBOOT. It is ok to take over the display while the game is running, BUT
DON'T DISABLE MULTI-TASKING.

Oh well.


Life is a game I play to win.
David Ashley
amorando@euler.berkeley.edu