Re: What is "piracy" and is it ever justified
 

In that case I'll go away again.

A coherent, legitimate discussion I'll participate in. (difference in pay models, what developers should or shouldn't or could or couldn't do, etc).

Fruitless bantering I won't.

You aren't going to stop hackers from cracking DRM, or pirating software, by ranting on a backwater nobody forum. Even if this were somehow an official Pirate, or Anti-pirate forum where it was on topic and noticed by people that actually maybe could potentially almost make a difference... it won't.

And to just up and quit software development because you finally realized that you won't stop piracy is equally silly... you know there are pirates - you know your software will be pirated.. just like as an SA I know my systems can be hacked.. and if I'm popular enough are likely to get hacked eventually.

The effort then is damage mitigation.. whether you can make enough money off the people that do pay vs those that don't for you sleep happily at night.

Re: What is "piracy" and is it ever justified
 

If they agree to the contract up front then why not? They have a freedom to choose another option so it is not a case of respecting their freedom at all. They are free to express their views as in free speech by choosing to not support or even to criticise the work, not to copy it directly without permission.

There is also a point of view that bashing people over the head and taking their goods and money is reasonable too but not one that I feel most people would claim as morally supportable.

Re: What is "piracy" and is it ever justified
 

Please feel free to start a new thread non that but this one has a specific title.

As an SA you are, I assume, paid for the work that you contribute to your clients. If your income was based on whether your systems sold to the general public that would be another matter.

I never said I was quitting software development. As a company however we will not be commercially supporting development on Maemo at present as we don't have a way of recouping substantial costs for development. We will simply persue other platforms as we have in the past to cover our investments.

As for knowing your systems can be hacked - All software can be broken eventually but I would hope you are doing due dilligence and trying to avoid that possibility unless he systems in question have no reason to be protected in the first place in which case is it really hacking?

The point though is not whether you can stay ahead in the 'game' but whether or not you should be having to do it in the first place!

Re: What is "piracy" and is it ever justified
 

I respect your right of opening or closing your software, so I also expect you respect my right of opening or closing sourcing mine. This mutual respect of what I don't see happening in the software world.

My point is: is we are talking about freedom, then I am free to do with my software whatever I want with it, like making it fully propietary or making it fully GPL compliant.

Since I am not coercing people into using my software, the only thing I would ask from them is to respect the rules by which I release my software, being them open or closed.

The problem here, is that many people use the argument of freedom to not respect such rules. There is, off course, people that use the propietary system to preserve knowledge secret, when it would benefit more people if it was shared.

I think there is where the patent system was supposed to help: you work hard, you get a breakthrough, and you get to enjoy the perks of it (propietary), and after some time, you are supposed to release the advancement for the common good (open).

Re: What is "piracy" and is it ever justified
 

That's a dreamworld right there. The honor system doesn't actually work.. you know ;).

Re: What is "piracy" and is it ever justified
 

The trouble with arguing based on what 'most people' think is that an awful lot of people are completely fine with the idea of 'pirating' software, which is why it happens so much and so casually.

People like to share, to support each other, and we generally teach children that sharing what they have is the good and right thing to do. There's certainly an economic case to be made that government imposed restrictions on sharing are a necessary evil to promote useful creative work, but it's much harder to claim that preventing sharing is an abstract moral good.

Re: What is "piracy" and is it ever justified
 

The point exactly I was trying to make and I suppose the whole point of why this thread started in the first place!

Re: What is "piracy" and is it ever justified
 

I thought we also taught them to pay for what they use and that reward for effort expended is reasonable too?

the debate over release model is defiantely one that is worthy of attention but I thought the title of the thread implied that given a specific model had been chosen, was it right to by pass the given agreement.

Re: What is "piracy" and is it ever justified
 

Just to put more logs on the fire as this thread has entertained me today...

Google released chrome a while back accidentally left some verbiage in the EULA that essentially said absolutely everything you viewed or did through their browser became the property of google.

Now.. google did get a lot of flack for that and they fixed it.. and google would never dream of actually using that in a practical world.. but I just wanted to make sure that you are ok with the fact that I can write a browser.. distribute it and in a very lengthy and wordy EULA that nobody reads anyway say that any and all materials, and sub-materials, and any related materials - to any web page or access done through my browser.. is owned from that point forward, by me.

So all those people that don't read the EULA.. and download and use my browser, and then access their bank page (sending me all their information).. and via wordage in my EULA.. essentially turned over their bank accounts to me..

And I am now legally rich.. because hey - I can release my software under any aspect I deem necessary. A lot of people will complain I'm sure eventually.. but unlike Google I'm not interested in being nice.. so I'll continue to offer my browser, with that EULA, for download to everyone who doesn't read EULA's or google search.

I'm liking you...

Re: What is "piracy" and is it ever justified
 

Well obviously they would have to own the rights to be able to grant that too you in the first place so there might be a few issues there! But i do like the business model! :D

As for turning over the bank account, mmm, no, they would potentially give you access to their security information as the bank account is a seperate entity.

Does make a sensible point about the daft language needed in the first place to make things work for the lawyers. Does however come back to the point that if people didn't try to copy software in the first place these things wouldn't be needed in the first place!

Ooh - maybe this is an arguement for the Hollywood buffs - DRM is only there because of the pirates! LOL (No, I am not serious about this!)