Re: Is it okay for a student with limited financial resources to pirate software?
 

A lot of discussion about one person's petty justification to get something for free that costs so very little to them.

Autodesk gives you their software if you're a student. Adobe charges basically what people would already spend a month on beer for their creative suite. And what's odd... the OP was one of the people talking about buying a spare N900 (I think) and yet they can't purchase the software to support their education?

Just sad.

Re: Is it okay for a student with limited financial resources to pirate software?
 

Photoshop CS5 is 699 USD. You drink a lot of beer.

Creative suite non upgrade (basic) is 2300 EUR. You have a drinking problem :P

I'm sure we are talking about different things.

Re: Is it okay for a student with limited financial resources to pirate software?
 

HAHAHAHAHA! Thank you for perhaps the best laugh all day.

When I was taking refresher courses, Photoshop (pre-CS series) was like 99 bucks for the academic version. It's now $199 for the Extended Version via places like JourneyEd. I was talking about the academic versions.

And it's free for all Autodesk software.

And I'll be attending those AA meetings from now on...

Re: Is it okay for a student with limited financial resources to pirate software?
 

Something interesting to quote here is that many universities have academic alliances for students to get discounted/free licenses to software. I know Microsoft does that, and I use a lot of Microsoft products for free because my university is a part of the Microsoft Academic Alliance.

But to answer you original question, piracy is piracy, whether its done by a student or whoever else it is! :)

Re: Is it okay for a student with limited financial resources to pirate software?
 

For the record, I have never pirated software in my life and never will. I use a lot of open source software though, and always prefer it -- not because of the cost, but because of the freedom.

Nevertheless, I think it is okay for people with limited financial resources to pirate software, and I voted accordingly.

Lots of good points in this thread, but I liked most ndi's arguments. My own points were already stated in one form or another, but here they are compiled:

• "Okay" is not the same as "legal" -- so clearly it can be okay yet illegal.
• Laws have nothing to do with morals, we can only hope (and fight) for the laws of the country we live in to be at least compatible with our own moral beliefs.
• Pirating may not be the same as theft, but it leads to missed profits, so it is a cause of economic loss for the owner of the copyright, as theft would have been.

Before intellectual property products could be replicated and propagated so easily, those who created them could not reap the same profits as they do today. Now, that the possibility has emerged for anyone to replicate and propagate someone else's IP, we are back to the original situation when the profits are impossible unless we have laws to guard the IP. Thus, laws were created to maintain industries that have only existed briefly. With the current economic models, those new industries are dependent on the new laws in order to maintain profitability.

Enforcing these laws will be only practical as long as the benefits from them for society as a whole (not just for the industry reaping the profits) are higher than the cost to enforce the laws. We are currently witnessing how patent fights stall development, how FOSS gains recognition, how new companies seek novel revenue models based on distributing IP free of charge (while not being evil).

I firmly believe that at some point within our lifetime guarding IP will become prohibitively expensive. So, for all of you pointing fingers, get off you high horses and realize how ridiculous your arguments will look when the current IP laws are discarded -- be it 5, 20, or 100 years from now. The ones that break those laws today may well be celebrated as revolutionaries tomorrow.

I refuse to cast a stone.

Re: Is it okay for a student with limited financial resources to pirate software?
 

I'm still curious to hear if every single anti-piracy advocate here that took the time to giddieup on their mighty high horses have ever had a pirated piece of software (app, game, music, movie) in their possession and/or enjoyed someone else's. It doesn't really matter when it was or why it was - if you did it you really have no right to ram your dubious morals down anyone's throat as that person may well be in exactly the same situation (age, financial situation, etc) as you were then.

For the record I'm against software piracy myself but I downloaded music and movies years ago so there would be too many glasswalls for me to start throwing any bricks due to me now being in a situation where I don't have to do so. Doesn't give me any right to judge others.

Re: Is it okay for a student with limited financial resources to pirate software?
 

Since you asked, I'll be honest. I still have stuff from the Napster days I've yet to listen to... I got that much stuff. But I've pirated. And justified it because I was younger, not in that field... stupid... oblivious to what it meant to make your own software.

Then I grew up. Then I became the software developer myself. I have almost always purchased software - music not so much - but there were a couple of items I didn't pay for; but I got them through other means. I beta tested for Microsoft since the Windows 95 beta days. I still do. And I keep up my MCSE and I'm active with a Microsoft Certified Partner and have access to MSDN/Technet. I've beta tested for Adobe, Macromedia, Corel, Fractal Design, VMware, MetaTools, Electric Rain, Discreet and Autodesk... and was "blessed" enough to find a ton of bugs during the beta days, get free software that support my design side too.

Then I got into the Linux world... even paid for Kylix. I've bought or received over 90% of my software... pirated less than 5% and I've gone backwards and actually paid for those.

But yeah, I've pirated. And I've come to understand that it affects a lot of folks directly and indirectly. It also can be avoided. I've written companies, asked if they had a program where I could test their software or use it as a hobbyist. Toon Boom Studio responded, as have others... and it's pretty cool. I didn't make a dime from their software, but I sure as hell learned from it.

So to be honest... in the past, yep. Did it. Now? For the last 12 years, I have not pirated software. Music though? Hell yeah... I have. But I also have an over 1000 CD collection that I purchased, and have been slowly transferring them to MP3's... so much so that I don't listen to what I stole while I was being stupid during my Napster days.

If you want the software, I'm quite sure there are SO MANY ways to legally get it. All you have to do sometimes is ask... surprising what it does for you.

Re: Is it okay for a student with limited financial resources to pirate software?
 

So if you have ever stolen you aren't qualified to say that theft is morally wrong?

I guess that means if you've driven drunk and killed someone in an accident while drunk, you would have "no right to ram your dubious morals down anyone's throat" by trying advise someone else not to drive while drunk.

The original poster sought opinions I don't recall any qualifiers to that request.

Re: Is it okay for a student with limited financial resources to pirate software?
 

I am afraid I still do not understand what you mean by that. It is mere semantics from the standpoint of the content creator/owner in what sense? Do you mean they are similar because both acts are considered a violation of the law?

Going back to the analogy I gave at a previous post: Slander and rape are both unlawful. Yet nobody would even consider saying that from the standpoint of the victim, the difference between them is only semantics.

Re: Is it okay for a student with limited financial resources to pirate software?
 

It's an interesting argument but the facts don't change. I can't speak for other countries, but here in America the education system does what it can to make sure that a student has the resources they need to do their coursework, either through student labs or appropriate discounts, so there is simply no need for students to steal.

Now, your assertion is that those who have pirated in the past aren't one to judge. There's a difference between condemning actions and condemning people. I think discussions have been generally civil (certainly not out of hand as things can easily go on the internet). I see nothing with an exchange of ideas, that is in fact why the question was posed, was it not?

I used to back-in-the day, before the days I bought PKZip, so I understand why people do it. It doesn't mean though that its right or that I should encourage or condone it.

You can disagree with someone without judging them.