pirate software, why?

[Xserver]

The retail price for full Windows XP Pro in US is US$299 (refer to Microsoft website) and in Malaysia it cost about RM$750. Currency exchange is about (US$1 = RM$3.80). The living cost for student like me is RM$15/day and the basic salary for worker in Malaysia is RM$400-700 especially for Government servant. That's why pirate software usage is increase in Asia especially Malaysia.

p/s: I'm not support pirate, too.

[buletov]

Prices should be cut down, no question about it...

My country is also one of the most pirated software market due to a way heavy prizes...let say a combination of WindowsXP and OfficeXP costs you 50% more that an average month salary...not to talk about other living costs.

[XtremeMaC]

erm? okay.

there are 3 reasons for not buying a legit copy of anything

1. u either don't have money for it.

2. u have money for it but u'd rather buy something else and get this software for less.

3. u hate MS but u've to use windows and u don't want to pay for it, because u don't want MS to earn more money to make more bugs

(hey don't get me wrong I've 3 licenses! and I like MS!)

also as for other programs per say 3d studio max. it cost something above $3000 or last i checked it was. and u want to design some stuff but u definitely won't buy it simple bc either u don't have the money or u're thinking "I'll just use this for 2-3 months of time till i get my design complete, so why should I buy it?" and use pirated stuff.......

and since u're talking about the countries, my country is also pretty good in pirated stuff its not bc of the money but rather not many companies are here to sold stuff.

the ones I know that do sell box'ed stuff are: MS, Adobe, Symantec, Electronics Art. so unless u're buying from 1 of these there is no way u get a boxed version. I think ppl don't try to bring other companies simply bc its less cheaper to buy the pirate ones and ppl know that no one will buy the legits for $50 when there is a working copy of a game.

well this brings 1 issue though, if u're planning on playing a game on the internet and it asks u for serial number, u're in trouble, no way to play it unless u dl the workarounds which don't really work much. so hopefully i had bought my most playes games when I was in the USA, half-life, ut2004, toca race driver 2, battefield 1942,bf vietnam, nfs hp2, nfs ug ..etc

so i do complain about the companies not bringing stuff to Turkey, only workaround for this if u're willing to buy legit copies is to order from amazon.com or a place like that, that ships to Turkey, then your price goes up to hell knows that it is. I think it was $15 for a dvd.. i dunno for sure now. not many games released after I bought them...

Edited October 14, 2004 by XtremeMaC

[Zilevoli]

If anything use the saying "Try it before buying it" to its fullest extent. You can try it till you have money ... which you may never have HA. No no no no thats wrong ... or is it?

FYI - I do buy the software I can afford and like.

[mazin]

I do not think that piracy can be categorized by country on a rich/poor basis.

There's piracy in the richest countries. I just remind you of "Free Kevin" campaign in the USA.

Also, all countries are now connected to the WorldWideWeb. So, a person lives even in Alaska or Bangladish can download pirated software while he's sleeping!

Additionally, there are good free alternate softwares to those commercial ones. So, there's no need for people to get pirated copies of commercial software.

On the other hand, if there were no pirates/crackers/hackers, there would be no pirated software on earth at all.

In other words, pirates are not being fought strong enough.

[SiMoNsAyS]

don't talk about windows (that every1 need to be running on their systems for w32 apps), talk about other software that if you like graphic designing need to buy f.e: 3dmax (as some1 said), adobe photoshop, or the more professional autocad 200x that it's about 50000€=+-50000$ (!).

i assume that most companies know about piracy and they need to earn money the only way they can: big prices for companies that need a legit license

it's simply my point of view

[XtremeMaC]

I agree with SiMoNsAyS.

for example my friend likes to do 3d stuff on 3d studio max bc he's used to it. since it was the most popular one he got it, but there is no way he can afford it.

I use solidworks for my designing apps and I've the student edition, I'm happy to use it. I dunno if 3dstudio max has a student edition or something of such price but if the companies come up with cheaper and less functional programs i could buy them.

also nowadays as for programs, most of them can be bought through internet. that how i bought mines and dled them. but for games as i mentioned earlier haven't really started to have this dl thing. except hl2 and some few games on http://www.fileplanet.com

[mazin]

talk about other software that if you like graphic designing need to buy ...

for example my friend likes to do 3d stuff ...

I disagree with both of you.

Buying decisions are not built on what you need or what you like. Buying decisions are built on what you have in your wallet!

I can't imagine you going to McDonald's with 50 cents in your pocket saying that you need or you like to have a Big Mac.

[SiMoNsAyS]

i think we're telling the same, if you don't have enough money you obviously can't buy anything so starting from this... yes it's a question of which software do u like most or need more...

[rupert86]

Aah, this is a very good question indeed, considering that I have each and every piece of software on all my systems pirated (No offense other people, I'm giving reasons).

First of the reason is poverty. Can you believe that the fastest processor shipping here is the Prescott 2.8GHz? It forms just the best system here. The latest gaming rig I sold was:

AMD Athlon XP 2500+

MSI KT6 Delta-SR

2x Kingston ValueRAM 256MB CL3

Aopen GeForce4 MX4000 (I don't remember the model no.)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 ST340014A 40GB

Just look at it. Does it look like a gaming system. It can't even run NFS4 at a good speed!

Here a US dollar costs about 58 Pakistani Rupees. Consider it 60/-. A WinXP Professional costs about $140, nearly equal to the Rs. 9000/- @ some major vendors like Marsons USA Corp etc. The only other piece of software that ships here is the MS Office productivity suite. Other software publisher simply do not have agencies here. I've heard there are some in our capital, Islamabad. But Islamabad is the city of the elite, it's Paris in Pakistan. It's not a thing out of this country. Also, it's 1466km from the greatest computer market (i.e: Karachi). We have no concept of shipping by post. (We've no highways either, reaching this Islamabad takes nearly 60 hrs. of continuous driving, which many people do not do due to fear of highaymen at night). There is much development needed. (Just for example: We have only 16 ATM machines for a city of 12 million).

Also, people do not have the buying power. Rs. 9000 is far greater than many people can ever save. And, the system which would otherwise cost @ Rs. 60000 now costs for Rs. 45000 (since software is quite free). I cannot very proudly say that our enterprise manages to sell such a system once in every three years.

These are the two major reasons plaguing us: inavailability and cost. On the other hand, for Rs. 18 (eighteen) a CD can acquired which has, not the latest, but some three or four months old version of sooooooo many software that may otherwise cost Rs. 20000.

Plus, like XtremeMac from Turkey said he orders software from online stores. Oh for sake man, if I did like it, my postman would end up running the software. We are simply delved in corruption. (Not to be proud, but Pakistan was No. 1 in corruption in 1996).

Where most of the people are buying branded Pentium IIs which are discarded (I've heard the corporations simply throw them away) for Rs. 3500, how in the world do you suppose would they be able to sell them some software which is even expensive?

I myself earn Rs. 1500 a month. Look at my system's specs:

______________

;config.tXt

;28.09.2004

;07:07 PST

Graphic Card: Matrox Millenium G200 AGP

Model #: Just ain't feeling like unscrewing to look inside.............

Sr #: Just ain't feeling like unscrewing to look inside.............

Driver version: 6.83.017 in Win98, 5.92.006 in WinXP

PD version: 6.83.017 in Win98, 6.92.004 in WinXP

VT version: N/A

MGA Bios version: 1.4.004

Hardware rev.: 133

CPU: AMD Athlon 600 MHz (AMD K7600MTR51B) @687MHz (FSB114, CL2)

Chipset: VIA Apollo KX133 (VT8731 + 82C686A)

Motherboard: SL-77KV

Motherboard Bios: L5

PCB ver: M5

Motherboard chipset patches: AGP GART 1.80a from VIA Hyperion 4.51v

RAM: 2x Kingston 256MB KVR133X64C3/256 (@114MHz)

OS: Windows 4.10.2222A & Windows XP 5.1.2600.2180 SP2

Desktop resolution and color depth: 1024x768, 32bpp

DirectX version: DX9.0b, 4.09.0000.0902 in Win98, Win2000

Hard Drive: Seagate Baraccuda 7200.7, ST380011A; firmware v3.06

SCSI card type: NIL

Sound card and driver version: Integrated VIA AC'97, drv v5.50a in Win98/WinXP

Hardware rev.: 032

Monitor brand: Philips 105S2

CD-ROM Drive (make/model): Asus S520/A, firmware rev. 2.0L

Network card: NIL

Fax MODEM: Amigo AMI-2019E, (also called AM HW 3056) (PCI slot 3 of 5)

Driver Version: 3.37

Hardware revision: 001

IRQ settings and other devices:

-----------------------

Yet I have top 5 of the best systems in friends/family.

But since our public can't afford it, it doesn't mean that they do not have the right to live. Just for a reminder: Bill Gates himself lives in 26 room palace. We are doing no harm to him. If we encounter a problem, we don't just go running toward Microsoft/whatever other publisher, asking to rectify it. We have learnt to live with it.

People have no choices: There's no Linux distro available here. What's available, is pirated mandrake 9.0.

Buying decisions are not built on what you need or what you like.

Yeah but borrowing decisions are based on what we desperately need.

And we can't download things (etc. freeware, cuz that rarely comes in pirated CDs; point is: if it was freeware, why would it be called pirated?). It takes me 1hr 40min to download 10MB (Realplayer basic, for example). Our whole country has a bandwidth of under 170MB/s. 134MB/s of it is concentrated in PIE, the main router situated in Karachi. It failed 67 times alone in May 2003.

Okeez guys. Think I went too long in my woes.

P.S: I dislike piracy, even though I suppport it. Even we consider USA (where main publishers of software are registered, and consequently pay taxes to US govt.) as one of our enemies (no offense, anyone, that's what Gallup poll in April 2004 published), I don't find a justification to use stolen software. Plus, it is against Islamic teachings.

[sven]

this seems to end up exactly like the music industry's problem. when u rip people off, they will turn to other solutions that are worth the money. on the note of buying a program to use dor 3 months, its just like buying a cd for 1 song. piracy in every other domain happens for the same reason. i am a grade 10 student, i dont have 300$ to spend on photoshop and flash. my money is invested for my future. i have 1207 songs. if i were to buy all those on a cdm at 20 songs per cd, 18$, it would cost me 1,086$, and thats if the cds had no wasted songs. i dont even have that much money invested for the future. its the little people like me. the rish person who can afford to buy the cd or software should be punished. not the student like me who has those programs to do school work. from grade 7 to now i used photoshop and dreamweaver. i am a student, just wish to get ahead in the future. and if i must use a way im not proud of to do it, then shall, and you have 1 less person who has to borrow money because his savings were spent as a child.

[Denney]

A good example of prices here in Australia is that Windows XP costs upwards of $300 (3/4 of a standard pay week). Games are just as bad.. $100 for a game.

Now, add up the cost of food, bills, fuel, etc.. each week and you can see why so many people have pirate stuff down here.

I normally place a pre-order on my games at EB so that I can convert them to layby's if I haven't paid it off in time. If I have the bandwidth to spare, I download the game to play it until I finally pay it off.

The same goes for pretty much anything like games, software, music, movies... I mean, the USA already has a DVD version of Shawn Of The Dead whereas we're JUST GETTING IT in the CINEMA! I'm going to buy it when it comes to DVD but I don't want to have to wait for so long.

People are always asking me to copy things for them because they borrowed it from a mate or such (I say no most of the time). I'm not saying that I don't pirate stuff but I generally end up buying it in the end.

Like all my Microsoft products, I've downloaded a copy, trialed it and then bought it (eventually - when I have the money).

[Mr. Spock]

First thing i wonder why did the invent the burner for word docments of 700MB and why they even invented the DVD burner for your own home movies or vacation movies

secondly. Many of us who come on this page are people who are willing to learn a lot, students with small spending money a lot of us are not able to buy programs like Max3D or M$ visual basic studio, still if you really want to learn things about computers then you need them.

3. I pointed this out in a earlier topic if i would by a chair and the back breaks of in just a day, i can bring the chair back.

But what about M$ it's clearly that things not working as it supposed to be and all they do is come out with a update or a patch.

It's like they giving you a piece of sticky tape to repear your chair.

So yes for a person who works 40 hours the week as a procesoparator my weekly salery isn't in of to buy a M$ program, so it start's to look like that working with a computer starts to become something for the elite

While the most jobs already expect that your able to work with computers so how can you learn anything about computers if you can't pay the software, gaze at a black screen

[buletov]

That is a reason why the schools and colleagues should promote Linux, not Windows like they do.

And one of you said we should fight hackers; Let me tell you something:

Do you think that Robin Hood was a bad person and was doing a bad

thing when he was stealing for the poor ones without their asking for it?

Realize: Hackers are modern Robin Hoods, every one of them, Just

look at the Core, Orion, Razor, Paradox, Blizzard, Tsrh, Ecl and so on...

Why don't you read their stories and reasons in their releases?

They love each and one of us, as much as they love their "scene".

[Zilevoli]

Cheers buletov, you bring up a great point.

Schools are promoting the best software out there. Not only is this a waste of tax payers money ... it puts the students in a tight situation when it comes to finding other software to suit their needs. Usually if you start with a program and try to go to another ... it is difficult change over (well for me anyway). So one either has to get used to a new program, or pirate the software until they deem it necessary (if ever) to purchase that software.

So yes ... why arent we being taught the world of freeware?

Video games are a whole new category, along with music. Seriously do you need 1000+ songs or 20+ games, no thats just over kill especially if you dont own your favorites. If you find yourself going to a game or song over and over buy the **** thing, support it, tell the world that this is what the consumer really likes.