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Why don't "Warez" sites get shut down? <more text>
I too was a BBS sysop and junkie. But I could only afford a modem when the 2400 baud''s came out.
I recently talked to a developer who found their product on a warez site the day of it''s release. The site was hosted by one of the free hosting networks. The developers contacted the administrators of the network and were told that they would not shut down the site until the developers could prove ownership of the software, which required a lengthy process.
From what I have heard, this problem is not uncommon, and added to what''s already been stated, explains why warez sites persist.
From what I have heard, this problem is not uncommon, and added to what''s already been stated, explains why warez sites persist.
Foofightr: Now thats a very interesting paralell. However, i don''t really agree with it. Reason? Software is an entirely different concept than material items. I see the lack of a demo as the refusal of the company to let me try out the product.
I mean, I disagree with warez, (but who hasnt pirated anything before? heh, I pirated Doom and all those other types of games at one time. and you know what? I eventually bought them all. In fact, the only game i''ve ever pirated and never bought was Abuse, which i cannot find anywhere. [robably because Crack went out of business.) but we, as game programmers, must face the fact that it exists, and will always exist. Im not promoting it here, but we also must look at the fact that it is not such a terrible bad thing that people hype it up as.
I know music isnt software, but I''d like to point out that record sales have been increasing steadily over the past 2 years, even though the RIAA claims that MP3''s are destroying their profits. Lets also look at the VCR. Remember when the MPAA when apeshit over that, and claimed it would be the end of all Video profits forever? Foresight indeed.
Since software is such a new concept for society, software ownership is a very difficult concept to grasp. Sure, in order to use software you should need to buy it right? It doesnt end there though. Many people try to ''justify'' pirating by saying "its not hurting anybody". Okay, but the person who poured their heart and soul into the product deserves some money for their efforts.
Lets take a look at this from a few different sides.
Case 1) Legitimate computer user.
This person needs software, and based on several (biased) computer magazene reviews (and yes, all magazenes are biased), he goes out and buys a piece of software. What happens if the software turns out to be a piece of crap? can he return it? Of course not, you gave up that right when you opened up the cellophane. The other possibility would be that the software was okay, and there were no problems.
Case 2) The inquisitive ''hacker''
This is just the average person, who thinks he knows more than the system, but really doesnt feel like cheating the system. He wants to try out software that doesnt have a demo. So he proceeds to pirate the software to try it out.
Is this wrong? Is it ''more right'' for the software company to release a piece of crap and not allow a disgruntled customer to return it?
Case 3) the ''war3Z K1dd13''
This is our worst nightmare. (besides the warez distributors... who''s entire life is warez). Just a little kid, who downloads everything just to brag to his friends. I don''t think this is excusable.
What brings up the controversy (for the most part) is case 2. Have you ever read software liscence agreements? they are incredibly convoluted and complex.
and they basically say that the company that made the software is not responsible in any way for bugs, missing features, or damage to your system that it causes. How is this any different than pirating? Bad software is basically pirating MY hard earned money away from ME. Of course, since i opened that package, there is nothing i can do.
I think its time for software companies to take responsibility for THIER actions.
By the way, i was pissed off that Half-Life wouldnt even install if i didn''t have an internet connection (the warez version removed this ''feature'' quite easily, so i don''t see how useful it is). Why must they assume that everyone has internet access? I don''t have access for 5 months out of the year, and i happened to buy it on my first month on non-access. I eventually found a software crack in order to play my own hard-bought software.
Call me a communist (many people do), but i think its time that the consumer is given some rights for once.
A man said to the universe:
"Sir I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."
I mean, I disagree with warez, (but who hasnt pirated anything before? heh, I pirated Doom and all those other types of games at one time. and you know what? I eventually bought them all. In fact, the only game i''ve ever pirated and never bought was Abuse, which i cannot find anywhere. [robably because Crack went out of business.) but we, as game programmers, must face the fact that it exists, and will always exist. Im not promoting it here, but we also must look at the fact that it is not such a terrible bad thing that people hype it up as.
I know music isnt software, but I''d like to point out that record sales have been increasing steadily over the past 2 years, even though the RIAA claims that MP3''s are destroying their profits. Lets also look at the VCR. Remember when the MPAA when apeshit over that, and claimed it would be the end of all Video profits forever? Foresight indeed.
Since software is such a new concept for society, software ownership is a very difficult concept to grasp. Sure, in order to use software you should need to buy it right? It doesnt end there though. Many people try to ''justify'' pirating by saying "its not hurting anybody". Okay, but the person who poured their heart and soul into the product deserves some money for their efforts.
Lets take a look at this from a few different sides.
Case 1) Legitimate computer user.
This person needs software, and based on several (biased) computer magazene reviews (and yes, all magazenes are biased), he goes out and buys a piece of software. What happens if the software turns out to be a piece of crap? can he return it? Of course not, you gave up that right when you opened up the cellophane. The other possibility would be that the software was okay, and there were no problems.
Case 2) The inquisitive ''hacker''
This is just the average person, who thinks he knows more than the system, but really doesnt feel like cheating the system. He wants to try out software that doesnt have a demo. So he proceeds to pirate the software to try it out.
Is this wrong? Is it ''more right'' for the software company to release a piece of crap and not allow a disgruntled customer to return it?
Case 3) the ''war3Z K1dd13''
This is our worst nightmare. (besides the warez distributors... who''s entire life is warez). Just a little kid, who downloads everything just to brag to his friends. I don''t think this is excusable.
What brings up the controversy (for the most part) is case 2. Have you ever read software liscence agreements? they are incredibly convoluted and complex.
and they basically say that the company that made the software is not responsible in any way for bugs, missing features, or damage to your system that it causes. How is this any different than pirating? Bad software is basically pirating MY hard earned money away from ME. Of course, since i opened that package, there is nothing i can do.
I think its time for software companies to take responsibility for THIER actions.
By the way, i was pissed off that Half-Life wouldnt even install if i didn''t have an internet connection (the warez version removed this ''feature'' quite easily, so i don''t see how useful it is). Why must they assume that everyone has internet access? I don''t have access for 5 months out of the year, and i happened to buy it on my first month on non-access. I eventually found a software crack in order to play my own hard-bought software.
Call me a communist (many people do), but i think its time that the consumer is given some rights for once.
A man said to the universe:
"Sir I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."
I also want to add one more this:
The amount of money that companies claim they lost due to piracy is outragous.
First off, they have n idea how many copies of their software are pirated, so they usually estimate extremely large numbers.
Second: They assume that everyone who pirated a copy would have bought one in the first place. This is NOT the case.
do you know how much money the companies claim to lose in the Orient? And do you realise that almost no one who pirates over there can actually afford it in the first place?
So the company is claiming lost money that they would have never got in the first place. interesting, no?
A man said to the universe:
"Sir I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."
The amount of money that companies claim they lost due to piracy is outragous.
First off, they have n idea how many copies of their software are pirated, so they usually estimate extremely large numbers.
Second: They assume that everyone who pirated a copy would have bought one in the first place. This is NOT the case.
do you know how much money the companies claim to lose in the Orient? And do you realise that almost no one who pirates over there can actually afford it in the first place?
So the company is claiming lost money that they would have never got in the first place. interesting, no?
A man said to the universe:
"Sir I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."
like i said, most people don''t understand what they''re buying when they pay for software. but thats normal since software is relatively new in the grand scheme of things. people have been buying/exchanging material goods for milleniums, and software only for a few decades...
it all boils down to this: when you buy a hammer you pay for the materials used in its production, the salaries of the workers who worked on it, and other expenses incurred by the company while producing the hammer. but when you buy software, you dont pay for the materials used (ok you do but it''s negligible), instead you pay for the right to use it on your computer. it seems simple, but very few people actually realize this. it will take time.
one can only hope that over time, things will change...
it all boils down to this: when you buy a hammer you pay for the materials used in its production, the salaries of the workers who worked on it, and other expenses incurred by the company while producing the hammer. but when you buy software, you dont pay for the materials used (ok you do but it''s negligible), instead you pay for the right to use it on your computer. it seems simple, but very few people actually realize this. it will take time.
one can only hope that over time, things will change...
Hi everyone,
I have a point to make on this subject:
I think Pirating software is similar to copying music, If a friends got the CD, you don''t bother buying it, you copy his.
Listen, over here in the UK, we pay 200% (on average) the price you Americans pay for the same music CDs. We also pay more for software. If the software companies want to screw their own market, then why the hell shouldn''t they get screwed back.
I''ll buy a lot more software (& music) when the prices are fair, but at the moment I simply can''t afford to.
Sorry, don''t want to piss anyone off, but it annoys me that companies (esp. American ones) feel the need to screw the overseas market for every last £ they possibly can. I reckon a lot more people will buy rather than pirate if the prices are dropped.
I have a point to make on this subject:
I think Pirating software is similar to copying music, If a friends got the CD, you don''t bother buying it, you copy his.
Listen, over here in the UK, we pay 200% (on average) the price you Americans pay for the same music CDs. We also pay more for software. If the software companies want to screw their own market, then why the hell shouldn''t they get screwed back.
I''ll buy a lot more software (& music) when the prices are fair, but at the moment I simply can''t afford to.
Sorry, don''t want to piss anyone off, but it annoys me that companies (esp. American ones) feel the need to screw the overseas market for every last £ they possibly can. I reckon a lot more people will buy rather than pirate if the prices are dropped.
Question: Who in their right minds would buy american music?
heh. No offense, but i detest american music, because it is so blah, unoriginal, and generic.
97% of what i listen to comes from Europe, and I have to pay 30-40$ for a single CD, because the music isn''t "mainstream" in america.
A man said to the universe:
"Sir I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."
heh. No offense, but i detest american music, because it is so blah, unoriginal, and generic.
97% of what i listen to comes from Europe, and I have to pay 30-40$ for a single CD, because the music isn''t "mainstream" in america.
A man said to the universe:
"Sir I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."
There''s alot of good music over here in America. You just have to listen to the lesser known stuff that isn''t as mainstream as all the other crap. Less Than Jake, MXPX, Suicide Machines and Operation Ivy just to name a few. it may be all punk, but then there''s alot fo melodic slow rock that is independant also. Check it out 
Peace Love Empathy
Kurt
E-Mail-ttlnirvana@aol.com
IRC-y2Kurt
AIM-MadeTheBedIDieIn
*Another day in a boring town with the same old crowd*
Peace Love Empathy
Kurt
E-Mail-ttlnirvana@aol.com
IRC-y2Kurt
AIM-MadeTheBedIDieIn
*Another day in a boring town with the same old crowd*
This topic is closed to new replies.
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