Piracy of the Software Kind
April 16, 2009 by Jason Bean
Filed under Computers
Lots of discussion recently regarding all of the issues with pirates. These are the real kinds, not the Johnny Depp kind and not the kind that wear patches and fly the jolly-roger. The pirates I’ve been thinking about recently though are those of the software and digital content kind.
Images Source: www.sxc.hu
I had a friend recently tell me not to buy a CD that I was interested in because he had a copy of it and he would let me borrow. Although they didn’t tell me to go burn the disc so I would avoid buying it, but that’s the impression I got. My opinion is that’s plainly theft and piracy. Is there any difference between stealing that data and information and stealing any other property? I don’t think so.
Let’s expand that question to software itself. Do you install legal software on your machine? Do you get hacks and codes to circumvent user registration keys? What’s the difference?
Maybe your argument is that new copy of Microsoft Office isn’t worth $900 so why should I pay for it? Because that’s the price folks. If you don’t think it’s worth that, then don’t buy. Go download OpenOffice or get what use you can from Google Docs.
Where’d you get idea that MS Office is $900?
If you did a little research, you’d know that on Microsoft’s site, the most highest cost version is $679.95.
http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/Office-Ultimate-2007-Full/product/16E681F4
Also, there are usually college student discounts at their campus store, if you’re a college student, you can even get Office 2007 Ultimate for just $60:
http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-us/default.aspx
MS has also promoted Dreamspark, which is available for both college AND high school students: https://www.dreamspark.com/
With people saying that MS Office cost $900, it’s not a wonder why people feel the need to pirate, when they just aren’t aware that it’s not as much as it seems, and there are LEGAL and CHEAP ways of obtaining it.
I don’t pirate, because I think it’s wrong, but if I buy a copy, and am entitled to extra licenses, I don’t mind letting my friend use one of those licenses.
Quikboy you’re correct, my mention of $900 wasn’t based on any fact. It was just a high number I through out there as an example for illustration. I wasn’t sure what the current retail price for Microsoft Office is because I haven’t paid retail for a copy of Microsoft Office in probably a decade. The point of my statement wasn’t an encouragement to pirate software because of the price, it was an argument that regardless of the price, pirating the software is theft. I’m not sure about the EULA on your extra licenses, but I doubt it allows you to give them out to anyone to use. I believe they are all supposed to be used on machines under the original purchaser’s ownership rights. Please let me know if the EULA states differently.