Bootlegging

For games, I use torrenting as a free trial and I buy the game later on. Software, on the other hand, can be SO overpriced. For instance, Coda (a web-dev IDE) costs $75, and don't get me started on the adobe suite. Someday I hope to buy one of adobe's products, but for now, I'll be using pirated Flash.

Finally, I think pirating is great if you are pirating software from a big company that doesn't need your money anyways. A small indie developer on the other hand...

 

Feel the same about big companies.I hate pirating but a lot of times now you look at what you are paying for and you know its just not worth it sadly.

I almost bought a WWE ppv but didn't and watched it for free.They jacked up the cost for seats and ppvs. So even though less people watched it from the year before they still made more money and broke records.

 

I'm done with pirating. I hate, hate, hate, hate it. The product I've always gotten has been lackluster due to leechers and many accesses to the file. With entire programs, the thing crashes many more times than if, say, you actually bought the thing. The other thing about torrents is that you never know if it has a virus in it.

Here's the thing: Nothing is free. Ever. NO-THING. Even torrents. The price you pay is quality. So I don't get how people can be all happy and joyful with a lackluster product that they didn't pay for, when, if you actually saved and shelled out a few bucks, you

1. Have a much better quality product
2. actually feel like you've accomplished something
3. Have a hard copy that literally feels nice. THIS is what people are talking about.
4. gain more of a sense of money management.
5. Have contributed to the economy and got some cash flowing in it. Give yourself a pat on the back for that. No, seriously. That's well-deserved. That kind of stuff is what this country needs. Not money hoggers.

Some of those are great skills, assets and lessons learned that can be applied to jobs and families, not to mention the rest of life itself. It's impossible to torrent life.

 

I can't say I've ever felt that kind of erection.

Seriously, piracy is usually fine, IMO. I avoid pirating from small indie bands, for largely obvious reasons, and apart from that, I pirate everything. Photoshop can cost about £1000. There is no way I'd ever pay that. In fact, there are very few things I pirate that I'd buy if I couldn't pirate.

 

Yeah, but Microsoft products suck anyways. Just go with LibreOffice.

 

I try to use free software for most everything, even if it's on Windows.

But where I can't or don't (for various reasons) - I own the software via some legit mechanism. I have a Microsoft TechNet subscription, for example, which gives me legal rights to evaluate, for an indefinite period, MS products. I'm happy to pay for that, not because I like MS, but because even though I might be bending the license a bit in my use, since it's a purpose-restricted license, I am actually paying for it.

Here's my question on Adobe software - what's the need? For example Photoshop, GIMP can do most of what you need it to do. If it can't, and you actually need Photoshop, chances are you're making significant amounts of money from your work, or you're a student, in which case Adobe gives discounted pricing anyhow.

In terms of students, the absolute best I think is Autodesk (and I'm sure there are others like them). The student versions of their software (which have all the same features as the professional versions) are absolutely free. Need a copy of AutoCAD? Go download it. Want to play with Maya? That's fine too. Microsoft I think has a similar program.

 

Free software (open source) is a good thing. It's been years since I bought any software new, and frankly I've felt few limitations. My only gripe: there is not the ideal word processor (fully featured with features I'll use, but light weight, fast, and stable).

Another option is buying a used copy of older software. Yes, Adobe has power. But do you really need the latest Adobe CS?

 

If I would not buy the software otherwise, I'm fine with pirating. Otherwise, you deny yourself value, and they STILL don't get the money. But as a game design aficionado myself, I feel obliged to support developers whenever I can. I don't pirate what I can buy, but what I CAN'T buy is fair game.

 

it is stealing, regardless how many rhetorical hoops you jump through trying to explain it away otherwise.

 

I have a hard time calling it that. The person being stolen from loses no money or property from software pirating, unless of course somebody who would have paid otherwise chooses not to. I'd rather have somebody enjoy my ideas for free than steal material things I paid to produce.

 

And it's worth noting that sometimes piracy actually helps a software developer. One example: it's been said that one early computer program (I think it was WordStar, a word processor) became a standard, and a top seller, partly because it wasn't copy protected. A lot of copies floated around, people became used to the program, and so sales were stimulated.

Note: I'm not trying to justify piracy. (All the commercial software I use is legally licensed...although I don't use much anymore. Why, when I can get most of what I need via open source, from OS on up?)

 

I pirate to an extent. If it's an ungrateful company/band who's burned me in the past with an overpriced, underwhelming product then I have no qualms with pirating their next product as a "try before I buy". Also, if they do something anti-GLBT and try to justify their bigotry then I really feel no guilt.

 

I agree with this sort of idea. I thought the creators of Super Meat Boy articulated this well in his blog post "Apathy and refunds are more dangerous than Piracy"

 

Well, I'm a pirate. Can't lie about that.

A rule of thumb I try to follow is that if you can afford it, buy it. But if you can't, I don't really understand why certain resources should be closed off to you.

Books: Torrenting books is kinda like using the library. However, I usually only download ones that are no longer being printed, or that would require weird amounts of shipping to get to me. If I enjoy a book enough, though, I'll usually buy it afterwards anyways.

Software: I try to buy when I can. Lots of programs I find accurately priced, and worth the money. My copy of Flash professional was totally worth it. It's not like it's a paint tool, you get back what you spent on it. But, tons of software out there is overpriced. If they're cheating us, why shouldn't we be allowed to cheat them?

As for music, well.. Really, who actually uses itunes?