Good post, indeed.

Fortunately we don't always have to choose between those two evils.

We can also screw the seller, don't buy his sxxx and go to free software.

hahahaha......

Ok... that made me chuckle.

I just found commercial N900 software being distributed illegally.

This really makes me doubt whether I should continue with my N900 app.

Again the answer is you do not have to use the software.

Plenty of people have donated their software to the floss movement.

If the software you want is not available in that movement then the argument that it has no vaule is bunk.

It clearly has enougth value that the author is not willing to give it away.

If your religion wants to proove otherwise. Then feel free to write your own version and put the people selling it out of business.

There are plenty of developers that will help if your software idea is useful to them.

Heck if its of use to me and I have valid input Ill even help.

You have no excuse to pirate. And any argument you make about its value being marginal is invalidated by the fact that you have been unable to work with others to produce a competitor at marginal cost.

If the only thing stopping you using it is piracy protection. Then stop using it. this is exactlty what we need to give these companies the smack they need for making life harder for customers. No customers. Not an in with the lawmakers stating it must be of value or why are people stealing it.

You are creating your own problem by using the software.

You can also find plenty of commercial software which originally had very restrictive (and probably expensive to implement) DRM, so that's no panacea. I'd have been amazed if you couldn't find it anyway - expecting all N900 users to be paragons of virtue is being hopelessly optimistic (and the inability to legitimately get a copy doesn't help), and it only takes one person to upload it. If your program is good enough then a number of users will be happy to pay for it - whether this is enough to cover your costs or not is another matter, and one that's nearly impossible to predict (especially in such a new market).

It depends on you. I think you should build in a system for verification, because N900 doesn't have a DRM system built in.
When program first starts give a user field to enter a key. Generate the key through IMEI on your server and tell it to the user after he pays. Maybe allow some functionality before asking for the key.

I think there is no uncrackable system. With enough time/money everything can be cracked.

And i would rather not work on and release software in the first place if i feel i have to view my would-be customers with distrust such that it requires all that extra effort and headache for both them and me to ensure i would get whatever i consider to be a reasonable renumeration for my efforts.

After all the back and forth on this thread about whether piracy hurts the availability of software, etc etc so forth, all the hypothetical arguments...

Your obviously sensible advice given the many sketchy, inconsistent personal ethics revealed in this thread, and my response to it without really thinking about the grand scheme of things--just the hard realities of a plan of producing a significant product--mean: Q. E. D. Sadly, but clearly.

While corporal punishment isn't enlightened, some form of discipline is indeed in order for children much more often than is politically correct these days. Anyway, sort of off topic except it's clear a lot of people grew up without being imprinted with any greater sense of ethics than self interest, which reflects a lack of parental direction.

Alright, i (a moderator) created this thread. I disagree with the most prolific posters in it, all of whom have been faced with the inconsistencies of their ethics and worldview time and time again in this very discussion and gone blithely on in their deliberate ignorance to rail against the very system that has enabled in toto the very discussion being held. If ever there was a time for a moderator to ban users or lock a thread, it's when pathologically selfish and ******ed people are stalking a forum...

But, that's not the policy here, and it has not happened. At some point the thread may be locked just because it has degenerated into nothing but insults, but it will not as long as it remains a free exchange of ideas and stays clear of the few rules we have here.

I just want to make that clear because i don't think your "us-vs-the man" stereotype that included the gatekeepers of this forum is fair or relevant. I realize you may not have been referring to this forum, but just in case...

You post seems to have confused me.

Just like Pirates are living a dream world claiming "free everything, anytime"... you as a developer would be living in a dream world if you don't think you should have to pay attention to security for your apps.

Everyone is distrustful. Start there.. work your way.... down .