Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!brunix!rjd
From: rjd@cs.brown.edu (Rob Demillo)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: ST S/ware Rental Places
Keywords: Software , rental, atari, st
Message-ID: <28201@brunix.UUCP>
Date: 6 Feb 90 19:43:00 GMT
References: <2625@cunixc.cc.columbia.edu> <25723@brunix.UUCP> <26232@brunix.UUCP> <418@ssc.UUCP> <26640@brunix.UUCP> <1990Jan26.192511.1350@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> <21964@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> <27273@brunix.UUCP> <1574@cs.rit.edu>
Sender: news@brunix.UUCP
Reply-To: rjd@cs.brown.edu (Rob Demillo)
Organization: Brown University Department of Computer Science
Lines: 65

In article <1574@cs.rit.edu> ajy2208%ritcv@cs.rit.edu writes:
>In article <27273@brunix.UUCP> rjd@cs.brown.edu (Rob Demillo) writes:
>>		...my personal theory is that the Atari
>>		community sprung (somewhat) out of the old 
>>		8 bit Atari community, where game theft was
>>		rampant. Perhaps that philosophy held on into
>>		the ST community.
>
>How can you say this?  I think ST owners buy a larger share of 
>software than users of ANY other computer.  I know quite a number of
>ST owners, and EVERY ONE OF THEM has bought a lot of software,
>myself included!  

I know, all of the ST owners (well, most) that I know are also
of good character, and they purchase what they use.

The reason I can say this is because I have attended ST User Group
meetings in three different communities. In all three cases, the
scene is entirely the same: a brief meeting is held, some software
is demoed, then what can only be described as an orgy of software
piracy begins. Its mallicious, its organized, and its massive.
There is usually two or three double disked STs set up, with an
operator at each. Club members bring their own diskettes, and they
are free to choose from a menu that not only includes public domain
and shareware, but also commercial copies of Lattice C, Word Perfect,
Games (there are copy protection buster programs available for all to
use), spredsheets, business software, etc etc etc...

I have *never* seen anything like it. When I brought it up to those
present, the attitude was pretty similar to what I've seen on this
net: either alot of snickering "why shouldn't we?" to "Hey, we have to
test this tuff out before we buy it, don't we?" Quite literally
100's of copies of commercial software left the premises on those
evenings.

I have been to IBM and Amiga user gorup meetings, and I have
*never* seen that type of blatant theft. Sure, there were some 
mumbled exchanges of unlabeled disks between people, but nothing
on the scale or magnitude that I have seen at Atari meetings. 

The only Atari meetings where I have not seen that activity are meetings
conducted by the BCS is Boston.


>I refuse to believe that ST owners pirate worse than their IBM/Mac/Amiga 
>counterparts.
>

I not only believe it, but I've seen it.

>>(Sorry to all those who think this thread doesn't belong on this
>> group, but I believe it does - and I think its an important issue.)
>                                 ===================================
>So do I.
>

Thanks Albert...a positive voice is good to hear.

>_____________________________________________________________________________
> Albert Yarusso, Rochester     ajy2208@ritvax.bitnet,ajy2208@ultb.isc.rit.edu

 - Rob DeMillo			| Internet: rjd@brown.cs.edu     
   Brown University 		| BITnet: DEMILLO%BRNPSG.SPAN@STAR.STANFORD.EDU
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"I say you *are* the Messiah, Lord! And I ought to know, I've followed a few!"