Warez or no Warez?

[Smith6612]

Who doesn't? Honestly us college students can't afford to shell out hundreds of bucks on Office and other programs necessary for school. Sure we could all use Wordpad, but teachers want assignments emailed in .doc form

All software will be free one day, it's just inevitable. Gotta put ads in software to get the money.

That's what OpenOffice is for . But personally, I don't like Warez one bit. The only things I really buy are games and operating systems, but besides that, when I want an Office Program or the like, I use OpenOffice. For video editing software, I use the stuff that comes with my OS regardless of it's stinkyness until I find some better software to use, and more. Sure Warez may be good to some people, but they're only asking for problems in the long run. For example, when you download or upload anything using the BitTorrent client, your Internet IP address is released onto a client IP pool to see what peers are downloading/uploading, and all of that information is public information. Your IP address is basically like a roadmap to your home. Giving it away, regardless if it is a dynamic IP is never a good idea. Since your IP address is tied to your home's account, all that needs to happen is for your ISP to get called up with an IP that you've used recently or have had and tell your ISP that you need to be shut off because you're pirating and it's all over. ISPs keey records of your IPs for two years.

Also, I'm dead serious as to why you should never give anyone your IP, even if it changes hourly. All that's asking for is trouble since hackers can break into your computer, and if you've ever seen the way Google Maps pinpoints you, it's usually no more than 10 feet from your location. I'm not kidding. One time when my Internet IP changed, I grabbed my iPod Touch, opened up Google Maps and pressed the locate me button. Within 3 seconds, a 2 minute old IP tracked down to my exact spot in my house D: .

EDIT: Also, might I mention, when sites get shut down by the RIAA, MPAA, MediaDefender, etc, they're asked for their traffic logs. These contain everything from activities and stuff accessed on the site to the IP addresses of the clients. Heck, right now Viacom is in the middle of suing Google for having copyrighted videos on YouTube, and Google has to hand over a 3TB dump (seriously! 3TB!!!) worth of log files for YouTube.

 

[scorch94]

1) IP rarely shows actual location of person. My IP actually leads to Belgrade and it's not the place where I live. Potential danger can also be registering with x10. Hackers might break your security and take our personal data. Sophos has found security hole even in Facebook. So not always IP leads to home.
2) Exposing IP can lead to attack on your computers, no doubt. Only thing you can do is taking all anti-malware pre-cautions. You can also use some IP hiding software, there are plenty of those on Internet available for free (not warez ).
3) My contract with my ISP says that they guarantee that they shall not open my logs unless some national force like police makes them do it, and it ain't gonna happen here soon

That's from me!

See ya later

 

[Zdroyd]

Even though I find that (as a future profesional game designer/developer) you should not be "stealing" other companies programs and files with turrents, etc. But because many things (like Flash, Photoshop, etc.) are to pricy to buy, I use P2P.

I also like to watch Heroes episodes on my PSP.

So in the end I am a hiprocrit. But I have no other alternitive... So to get good Karma out of it, with movies I NEVER sell or redistribute them. As soon as I am done watching them I DELETE them. And that goes the same with programs and music.

So yes, I am against P2P, but until I start getting money, I will use it only when its completely needed.

What is everyones favorate turrent program and site? I use Uturrent.

Your not going to send the FBI or the CIA to my house are you?
Because they will not find anything anyways. All my "files" are in one folder on one PC that I can delete in a second, for security.

 

[Zangetsu]

Your not going to send the FBI or the CIA to my house are you?
Because they will not find anything anyways. All my "files" are in one folder on one PC that I can delete in a second, for security.

that still wouldnt matter unless you run a strong magnet over your HDD the FBI or the CIA have software that can recover files you may not believe it but its true, but why would the FBI, CIA confiscate your hardware anyway, unless your a damn good hacker that hacked the Pentagon or something

 

[peejay]

Warez is theft, plain and simple.

Anyone that thinks software will one day be free is living on cloud cuckoo - but sadly, there are too many people that expect to pay nothing.

To put it into perspective, my site is one where I distribute games I have written - while they may only be simple affairs by today's standards (due to the nature of remaking old software), I still have tens of thousands of downloads and many magazine appearances to my credit. I do have a donate button on my site, to "buy me a beer" (which is actually more to buy me updated software) yet, in nearly 12 months of having a donate button, I have received less than 20 UKP (which is one reason why I am now using the excellent free hosting here!) So, you do the maths on just how viable "free" software is .....

 

[scorch94]

that still wouldnt matter unless you run a strong magnet over your HDD the FBI or the CIA have software that can recover files you may not believe it but its true, but why would the FBI, CIA confiscate your hardware anyway, unless your a damn good hacker that hacked the Pentagon or something

I've got that kind of software (to recover deleted files)... needless to say, FBI can probably find files that were 100 years ago on my PC LOL!
So, yeah, that's true. You need to physically destroy the HDD to COMPLETELY remove the files.

 

[Twinkie]

There is no way that you can get in any sort of legal trouble unless you unintentionally admit that you were the one who downloaded the crack it. Lets say you invite a cop over to your house and you start showing him how to crack, you would go to jail. Otherwise, they would have no way of proving that it was physically you who downloaded the crack no matter how compelling the evidence. It is like arresting you for having a cancer causing weed. There's is a big legal difference with computers. As for hackers, there is always the risk. If you feel uncomfortable, you can just avoid torrents and download cracks from warez sites using an anonymizer or secure proxy. I think that the most secure way to get cracks is of web sites because there is a larger number of viruses, but they are all small Trojans barely worth existing. You get BIOS overriding viruses from web sites very rarely. If someone goes through the trouble to hacking into your computer, you know your not going to get your files back. So, with a computer equivalent of street smarts, and a good anti virus, you are at hardly any risk of using cracks.

 

[mattura]

Someone I know has 'acquired' versions of popular Adobe products, which are too expensive for this person to buy off the shelf, even with student discounts. However, this software has allowed the person to be very creative for the last 3 years and I would say has been life-changing.
This person would like to pay for the service and when he is in a better financial position, will purchase the next versions of these products.

This person does not generally approve of acquisition of software, and will put up the cash in most situations, but with the above software, this person would have seriously missed out, had the software not been acquired.

This person might or might not be me.

 

[fempower]

If the software is no longer available for purchase and the company would therefore get no further profit for it, then I think it may be OK as abandonware. Well, maybe there'd be a problem with future compilations... But otherwise, it's stealing to take something without paying. If necessary get a freeware or open source analog.

 

[peejay]

I'm afraid the idea that expensive software is beyond the reach of most is no excuse, either. I would love to drive an Aston Martin, but can only afford a Skoda - does that give me the right to steal one from the garage? Of course it doesn't!

The fact that a company no longer makes money from previous versions is also no excuse for piracy - after all, if someone uses an older version for "free", it could prevent the sale of the current version of the software that the company is changing for.

If you can't afford the software, you should go without - plain and simple - why should software be different to anything else?

 

[Soki]

I'm afraid the idea that expensive software is beyond the reach of most is no excuse, either. I would love to drive an Aston Martin, but can only afford a Skoda - does that give me the right to steal one from the garage? Of course it doesn't!

The fact that a company no longer makes money from previous versions is also no excuse for piracy - after all, if someone uses an older version for "free", it could prevent the sale of the current version of the software that the company is changing for.

If you can't afford the software, you should go without - plain and simple - why should software be different to anything else?

I think that is a load of you know what. Nothing is free. You just need to work a little harder at getting it. You may not pay which is "wrong", but you sure re spending an extra few hours downloading what you want and risking your computer instead of getting it right away in front of you and is secure. I do however use warez, but only to get photoshop which I didn't like. So, I just deleted it. Don't argue with the photoshop thing, I just like PhotoImpact better thats all which came with my laptop already. Wait, actually I did download Pocket Tanks when I was younger as a warez, but ehh not much going on with me. Unless you include the friend sharing with .mp3s Then I'm guilty there. I copy off of Cds all the time, but only losers don't.

 

[peejay]

I think that is a load of you know what. Nothing is free. You just need to work a little harder at getting it. You may not pay which is "wrong", but you sure re spending an extra few hours downloading what you want and risking your computer instead of getting it right away in front of you and is secure. I do however use warez, but only to get photoshop which I didn't like. So, I just deleted it. Don't argue with the photoshop thing, I just like PhotoImpact better thats all which came with my laptop already. Wait, actually I did download Pocket Tanks when I was younger as a warez, but ehh not much going on with me. Unless you include the friend sharing with .mp3s Then I'm guilty there. I copy off of Cds all the time, but only losers don't.

So your argument as to why piracy is right is that you are risking your computer and have to spend a couple of hours downloading it? So does that mean I could come and steal your car if I was risking getting caught and taking a couple of hours planning? Or I could break into your house and take a couple of hours stealing everything? After all, I would be risking getting caught, so surely that makes it right by your logic?

Piracy is theft - surely you cannot argue with that? More to the point, the people that write this software don't do it for the love of it - they do it for a living - if you remove their income - well - would you work for free?

Anybody that tries to justify piracy is grasping at feeble excuses - and I would have much more respect for someone who says "I use illegal software" than someone who says "I do but it's okay because ......." and then comes out with nonsensical twaddle.

 

[cmosbob]

Actually, if you REALLY think about it, piracy isnt truly theft. If I download something that I cant afford to buy, the publishers arent losing a sale, because I wouldnt have bought the software anyway. Using photoshop as an example, the average person can not afford to buy it, thus may download it, get experience using it, and then possibly get a job where some other software like photoshop is used, but because they are used to photoshop, they may suggest to their employer that photoshop is better, thus adobe gets another sale from someone who has pirated their software.

Bob

 

[techmagazine]

I think that P2P networks are ok, it's like borrowing a movie from a friend, i don't think that a copyright issue

 

[peejay]

Actually, if you REALLY think about it, piracy isnt truly theft. If I download something that I cant afford to buy, the publishers arent losing a sale, because I wouldnt have bought the software anyway.

So going back to the real world, stealing a Ferrari isn't REALLY theft, as I couldn't afford to buy it, so they're not losing a sale? Like I said previously, it's nonsensical twaddle, and yet another pathetic excuse that a pirate uses to try to justify what he does.

 

[kkenny]

Who doesn't? Honestly us college students can't afford to shell out hundreds of bucks on Office and other programs necessary for school. Sure we could all use Wordpad, but teachers want assignments emailed in .doc form

All software will be free one day, it's just inevitable. Gotta put ads in software to get the money.

Ill be quite honest. I use Cracks, and Warez. As a student, I cant afford to be shelling out $1,000 for Photoshop, which is required in my Graphic Design Class. If Companies were to be SMART, and lower the price, then I would pay for them, but since they are greedy, and want all that money for ONE copy, I figure they deserve to lose the business.

HAve you guys ever heard of a student rate to buy stuff? I'm pretty sure if you contact the company, they will lower their prices for students (adobe for sure, office by microsoft i'm not so sure) Either way~

I think Warez is ok, as long as it doesn't get to the point where the user burns a cd of the file and cracks and keygens and sells it for real money. Warez is only OK to my morals as a personal/family use, but shouldn't be done as a business.

 

[peejay]

So again, it is okay for me to steal a Ferrari as long as I don't sell it or let anyone else drive it? Oh, and Wordpad will save stuff out in .doc format (Word 6) - while not being bang up to date, it does far more than is essential for any dissertation. Oh, and if a Graphic Design class requires a piece of software, then I'm sure it is available at massively discounted rates.....

 

[zen-r]

Peejay I almost (*) totally agree with you.

I think you are wasting your time arguing with sokii & the like. Whilst you are using reason & logic to explain your point, the point made by your "opponents" is only justified by their wish for their point to be right (ie. they have a wish for free cracked software, therefore come up with any old lame excuse to make it acceptable to themselves).

I think the point is quite simple. Is pirated software legal. No. End of.

(*) = However, laws are made to be broken. Some more so than others. Just don't start whining if you get caught!
.

 

[kkenny]

So again, it is okay for me to steal a Ferrari as long as I don't sell it or let anyone else drive it? Oh, and Wordpad will save stuff out in .doc format (Word 6) - while not being bang up to date, it does far more than is essential for any dissertation. Oh, and if a Graphic Design class requires a piece of software, then I'm sure it is available at massively discounted rates.....

Actually Adobe is VERY generous in offering discounts. My friend taking a photography major at Stanford got a 50% discount off Photoshop CS3 and Lightroom.

 

[mattura]

All these people who use the stealing Ferrari example seem to have missed a couple of things:

If I steal a Ferrari, I am denying somebody else use of that Ferrari. Copying some software, however, does not deny the original user the use of that software.

If I borrow a Ferrari, I will cause wear and tear. If I borrow a film/music/software, I will in all likelihood not cause any damage to it.

So stealing/borrowing software/music/films etc is not the same as stealing something material. It may cause loss of sales, but not loss of the product itself.