Pirated Software

lol Not for nothing but maybe a less judgmental approach to the questions would help get balanced responses. I am going to venture a guess and say your thread is leaning in the direction of you NOT in support of illegal downloading. Not that there's anything WRONG with that.

Illegal downloading reminds me of the early medical marijuana argument: Both have negatives and positives. A simplified version of the relation?

Illegal downloading gets things to people in places where these things are not available to people generally. Information is important to have. However, it seems as though what is happening more often is that people have found a way to get something for free that they would otherwise have to pay for. They clearly have no interest in paying for it so they illegally download it.

Medical marijuana helps people in need of this help. However, it seems as though most people with medical marijuana cards are abusing it as a recreational drug.

 

I am a fan of pirated software, but I do not use it all the time. I just don't like the prices that some companies want you to pay for their products. Some products are not even worth it after you actually get it and use it you feel as if it was a waste.

 

Pirated software and movies are readily available in my country, and to be honest, I buy them since they're quite cheap. But I do buy the original ones like cd's and dvd's if I really, really like the artist or the movie. But for those that I don't like that much, then pirated can do.

 

Pirated software comes bundled with malware. I at one time downloaded a cracked version of DAP and didn't scan it. I realized soon after that it was infected. Good thing is I use Deep Freeze so I only had to switch off my machine and once it was back on. . .the virus was gone. From that time, I never try to use pirated or cracked software. It's damn too risky.

 

I think the main reason anyone pirates software is to save money. Some software is really expensive. However, for me, this type of act is too risky. If I have to go to jail, I don't want it to be over something silly like pirated software.

 

It depends on where you live. There are some places in the world where you can download pirated software with abandon because there no one [the govt.s to be precise] cares that much. So, while the copyright laws are selectively applied then there's nothing anyone can do about piracy or cracked software.

 

I use pirated software in two cases:
1. The software isn't available for sale due to 'regional restrictions' in my country.
2. It's incredibly expensive, in which case I pirate it and use it for about a month, then I remove it and either buy the software or look for a cheaper alternative if it's not worth it.

 

Almost all of the software I use is open source. I pay for Adobe and Sony software too. Pirated versions of software are usually dodgy and littered with trojans. Plus, there is issues with updates. If you buy the software you get free updates and supports and support the developers.

 

I sometimes get pirated stuff, but usually my main motive isn't "being cheap", sometimes I can't find the English version (which I prefer) available in my country, and sometimes I can't justify spending hundreds of dollars on something that might not be exactly what I'm looking for, and since demos and trial versions are becoming a rarity nowadays, my only option is to pirate it in order to try it and see if it fits my needs.

 

I've never had problems with viruses in pirated software. At least I hope not. Besides games any other type of software I can find for free that suits my needs. There's a lot of great open source software now. I can use pirating as an excuse for the lack of demos and being able to return games to online stores but, it's easier to watch a stream for me most of the time rather than waiting for a whole game to download if you're planning on buying.

 

Whoa! Whoa! To begin with, most software's are really expensive, and some us don't have the money to pay them off. Before, I did use pirated software's to make my assignments and projects in school, why? Because I'm 16 and I can't afford them. But now that I earn a decent amount of money, I pay for them now, like an adult, fair and square. But the thing is, it depends on the use you have for the software, I used pirated software's for projects that I get zero commission out of. I don't use pirated software's for commercial use, I use pirated software's for personal use, I treat it like an extended trial version of the product. And besides, you're only one individual, unless you make a million dollars a day by using pirated software's then I guess you deserve some jail time, but if you're just some broke dude who wants to earn a few dollars to get through the day, would you consider that a loss for a company that earns millions of dollars every 5 hours? It all boils down to this, if you can afford it, go pay for it. And besides, do you think people will pirate stuff if they can actually afford to buy them? Of course not.

 

I use pirated software whenever I feel like it. If I find the software to be useful enough down the road, I may purchase it, if not I won't. I think of it more as an "extended trial" personally. There are some programs, such as Microsoft Office, which I use on a daily basis and I find very valuable. And there are other specialized programs that cost an arm and a leg, but really only do a limited amount of things that don't justify their costs.

For example, I happened to be looking at a few plugins for Excel that help you manage your Google AdWords pay per click campaigns. Two off them cost over $250 a piece, and this was an "annual" cost - meaning you had to pay it each year to keep using their plugin. That is freaking insane. They're not even standalone applications, they're just plugins for an existing program. I could buy the whole Office suite or Windows itself for the price of these plugins. I'm not getting equal value for my money. I understand they may have a limited customer base and need to keep the cash flow coming in to justify the development of their product, and don't have the luxury of selling it to the masses - but come on.

 

I prefer using free programs rather than pay/pirate the other one. I feel as if paying for most software is not necessary, then again I do think that the producers of that software have the right to put what ever price tag they want to on it. It's their work and they get to choose the price they think is appropriate... I wouldn't do my work for free either.

While I'm against the idea of pirating software, I do it once in a while IF a free program is not available. But I much prefer to support free software such as open office, gimp etc.

 

I use them but not always. My best source for such software must be torrent sites. I normally go there to checkout new softwares that people are sharing. But if you are going to use a software in an organization or business, then I suggest you buy the original software. You can never know when they will strike and get you using pirated software.