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I personally believe in freeware...I will definately pay for something if it is worth the price...how unethical is it to get a program that costs more than should be payed for it and getting a serial for it that wasn't recieved from paying for the product to use it for free? Am I wrong in having unpaid progs on my computer? I don't believe in paying $300 + for PhotoShop...id pay $50 and I would definately want it for free...who wouldn't?
I personally use warez but feel a little guilty when doing so considering the hard work people but into making these applications and programs.
I take advantage of Freeware and Shareware whenever I can and don't see any problem with it. The only time ethics come into play in my opionion is if a person chooses to use Warez. Am not going to lie and say that I have never used warez in my life. But the more I learn about programming the more I believe in open source, but my respect for the time that those who write the code also increases and if they choose to charge a fee I understand and will pay a resonable fee for that program. Anyway to summerize my feelings Freeware and Shareware are great and I dont see any ethical problem with them. Warez well each person has to decide in a society with copyright laws.
FreeWare Definition from Merriam-Webster OnLine
ShareWare Definition Merriam-Webster OnLine
Show me a computer-savvy person who claims to have never illegally installed software, and I'll show you a liar.
I personaly think that some programs are destined to be downloaded illigely. I bought windows 95 back and the day and that's the only time I've payed for an OS. I don't think you should have to pay for something more than once just because it's full of bugs and they (microsoft) needs to come out with a product to fix it. I pirated photshop for a less scrupulous reason. I'm cheap and don't want to shell out $300. I pay for the majority of games I play and if I like the mp3 I'll buy the cd. But should morals really be considered in this, we are talking about 1's and 0's for that matter.
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play and if I like the mp3 I'll buy the cd. But should morals really be considered in this, we are talking about 1's and 0's for that matter.
I think we are talking about much more than ones and zeros. We are talking about the time and hard work that someone put into writing software.
For shareware, that person trusts you to pay a (usually) small amount.
I can understand not wanting to pay hundreds of dollars for software, but no one forces you to. If the price is to high, use something else. If you don't want yo pay $300 for PhotoShop, use gimp, it's free.
warez is illegal, imoral, and yes I am a hypocrite.
Cheers,
I love shareware and freeware. I also have my share of "backup" CDs. I am in the software Development field and the more I write the more I realize that I am deproving my fellow developers of income by using warez sites -so I don't. If I need something I ask my manager to approve it. If that fails and I still need, it these days I buy it.
Being a poor college student, I can't afford to purchase software all the time. I can't afford Visual Studio, Borland C++, Windows XP, MS Office, etc. All of these programs are on the school's computers, though. My (poor?) excuse for downloading these programs is that if I didn't have the programs, I would just be using one of the many school computers. Rather, I save time running into school by using the pirated copies on my computer.
Granted, once I have some money I will be purchasing my software.
I more than appreciate the hard work programmers invest into making their products... For example.. I will buy every game I play, before I even think of downloading it on a warez site.. But.. Take Photoshop for example, as many posts on this topic have... Photoshop is upgraded constantly... I don't even know which is the current copy.. maybe Photoshop 6? Well.. regardless.. $300 is a lot of money, especially for a computer-savvy person who can't get a decent job because he or she does not have the documentation to prove it.. So, yes.. I am in college as well.. and I am unemployed.. However this is all besides my point, I find $300 to be an absurd price for Photoshop.. After all.. As a mediocre programmer, everytime I update one of my programs.. that's just it.. I'm updating it.. It's not a brand new program... What is the difference between Photoshop 5 and Photoshop 6? About a hundred bucks lets say... and maybe the ability to smudge 600 pixels at a time, rather than 550? A few new features? It's still the same program.. If Diablo II, was merely an upgraded version of Diablo I, they would call it another expansion... But it's not an expansion, it's a whole new game.. Photoshop 5 and 6 are not different, besides several new features.. as Diablo adds several new characters and items.. I think productivity software should be held accountable under the same rule, Photoshop 6.. is just an expansion of Photoshop 5.. The term upgrade works as well.. shelling out $300 bucks now, doesn't guarantee that you won't have to shell out another $300 when Photoshop 7 comes out.. I think $100 is a reasonable price for a productivity program.. Games are about half that at around $50.. and expansions can be as high as another $50..
Rather than babble on and on... I'll let the posters here decide if they agree with me or not..
=]: TeKRoMaNCeR
Nobody's forcing you to upgrade your version of photoshop, if you think the additional functionality is worth the extra $$$, then you pay it - if not, work away with the version you have.
My opinion on warez....
Illegal software = less money for the developers = buggy software.
Yups yups...
Hi all!
I think its all in the mind! guilt or pride, suit u'reself? good work must always be appreciated but to shell out money in order to show u're appreciation , is not something that wud b accpetable 2 all.....
This is just the way i think...dunno if many wud agree with me!!:) :p
i to somtimes over do my shares of warez. if we were stealing straight from the programmers id feel bad because i know how hard it can be to work 24/7 and then its seemes like you just gave it a way. But do you think it cost any of the major factories 400 to 500 dollars i think not.
i agree that stuff shouldn't cost $300. i think that shareware sux only beacause most of it is on a time line. um, that's all i got to say abou that
-havanger
Let me set this up with the fact that I am not innocent of warez piracy (I've done it in the past), but I can say that I don't use any illegal software anymore.
I think you could compare this to the music industry: everybody that buys CD-Rs knows it doesn't cost $17 to make a CD. However, once you add in the profit for the band, recording studio fees, packaging, shipping, etc...it can end up costing a lot of money.Quote:
But do you think it cost any of the major factories 400 to 500 dollars i think not.
Same with the software industry, I'd assume: it adds up after you pay the coders, the developers, publishers, debuggers, etc....
On a different subject, if you're a student, you can get "educational" full versions of most Adobe software for about half the price, go to your college bookstore to investigate.
It's unfortunate that piracy exists, but software companies have to raise prices to account for it.
I think that the prices must drop so everybody can buy it if they must place something neet to the product you know what i mean a mousepad or a mouse :) and cd's wel i can just say one thing here in holland they cost almost 25$ i think that's way to much i burn them for 0.50$ seee the diffrence and yeah if i like the artist i'll buy there cd 4 the cover and extra's and stuff and to support the artist
greets
darkadon
im happy to pay for software but im also happy to use warez my thought is if im not going to buy it their not going to get my money anyway so may aswell have it for free
Stealing is stealing, Period.
It's against mans' law and, more importantly, Gods' law.
Rationalize it any way you want. It's still wrong.
If you want free software, write your own.
For people who dont code, or don't understand what actually goes into developing software here is my insight...
When anyone works, they expect to get paid for their hard work. This is the case with software. Im not saying that my machines are 100% legit... well actually the freeBSD one is... but anyhow developers expect to make money on software. If they didnt, then they wouldnt be in that line of work. Noone writes a book and expects not to make sales and therefore make money.. There will always be pirates, there will always be people prepared to pay for it. But when it comes down to it, the country i live in enforces copyright, to protect industry and also consumers.
well there's a little of my insight...
by the way... all you little lamers who trade DIVX's and say that they would pay for software if it were not so expensive can just go jump. I mean DVD's are cheap as.. 25 bucks.. i mean really come on.. its heaps better quality, sound and video wise.. not to mention chapter selection :)
anyhow i think ive written too much now..
ekkkk
bye ppls :)
Anyway, I agree with all who think $300 or more for a piece of code is to much. Especially when you don't even get the code (wink MS). I myself have 0 legally acquired progs on my PC. It may sound criminal, but I can't afford anything, except maybe a $5 screensaver. My own system is even a PI-166, luckily I can also use my fathers system, a KII-333. So I'm glad there are ppl into WareZ, as am I. I, on the other hand, am not just one of the ppl who just download the soft and run it. I don't like that. It's easy. So, I get the original progs from friends, I copy them and simply crack the copy-protection-code in ASM. That way I can provide free appz for friends, learn about copy-protection techniques, and improve my cracking skillz. Although I know that what I do is illegal and I can be sentenced to jail for it, it will not change until I earn alot of money, or soft becomes cheaper.
Grtz,
This question is exactly the reason why I use Linux.....just so's I don't have to pay for software, and I don't have to worry about pirated software in my system.
Hehe.. good title, nothing to do with any of this.. but.. 2 things.. 1 valid point I forgot to mention.. perhaps it was my mode of rambling that threw me off.. Programmers get paid either way.. regardless of the work they do.. they get paid.. mainly.. the profits go to the corporation.. unless of course you're an independent programmer, but then.. you're not charging $300 for a program.. Um.. other thing.. I feel.. so.. non-custom now... Too bad this avatar isn't my own.. Grr.. I should just make my own.. um.. what was I saying?... Go to school, kids..