Piracy. The licensing kind.

Just curious on people's views.

How wrong is piracy, and can it ever be justified? I'm thinking about both software and music here. How many people on VR do not have any pirated material on their computer? And how many people circumvent copy protection on things like copy protected CDs/DVDs?

Right now I'm running Windows Vista RC1 - legally downloaded from the Microsoft servers with my own licence key as part of the public beta. It's running nicely and doesn't expire until next June. So all nice and legal on that front. The first time I installed Windows on this machine it was a copy of Windows XP Home - from my Mother's computer. It was installed on two different computers, and used the same licence key. When I was no longer able to get updates, I downloaded a copy of Windows XP Pro from the Internet that ignored the whole Genuine Advantage thing.

Windows XP Pro costs about £300. I built this computer on a budget, and didn't get a "free" copy of Windows with it. Although I use my computer a hell of a lot, I couldn't justify paying £300 for an operating system and therefore would never have bought it. And because I would never have bought it, despite the fact that I'm using it anyway, I don't feel Microsoft have lost any money with me using it. I installed Mother's copy because I could. At what point was I wrong - when I installed a copy that had been paid for or when I installed the copy I'd downloaded from the Internet?

I also use Photoshop occasionally. It's a piece of software that costs just shy of £600. I use it for basic editing of pictures - nothing too fancy, and also not that often. Although it's a powerful program, it's not something I'd ever consider buying from a dealer. There are cheaper alternatives (including a few free open Source programs) that do what I need to do. I'm used to using Photoshop from college though. So who's loosing out here - Adobe, even though I wouldn't have ever actually paid £600? The people who make the "lighter" programs, because I'm not going for the legally cheaper option? Or even the developers of the open source programs, because I'm not advocating them so much?

And speaking of open source – I use Linux every now and then. I have it installed on my computer with the option when I turn it on of booting into either Linux or Windows. Apart from running certain proprietary software written for Windows, Linux can do pretty much anything Windows can. It lacks in some areas, but makes up for it in others. So another question – can open source software replace the need for common commercial software, and also is it an alternative that people who pirate software now should be looking in to?

Finally, is there anyone here who can say that there is no illegal material on their computer? I’m talking software, un-licensed music or ripped DVDs, software that serves no purpose other than to do illegal things…?

First person to make a sea pirate joke will be walking the plank :p

I do the same with the DVD rentals. I'll occasionally back one up to DVD once I've watched it, but mostly it's just so that I can send them back the same day so I get my next batch faster. They're pretty much deleted as soon as they've been watched.

Quote: Gary

First person to make a sea pirate joke will be walking the plank :p

That would be you, then.

Hoisted by your own petard!

Yarr.