Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Are Pirates No Longer the Enemy?
Software industries continue to view computer pirates as enemies. However, the article titled, “So You Want To Be a Pirate?” offers a different perspective on computer pirates and how they function in the online world.
Pirates enjoy finding and collecting new software programs that are found on the web. It is thrilling for them to “crack programs [and] race to see who can be the first to upload the latest version.”
They deny committing computer piracy even though their ‘job’ seems to be just that. Instead the author claims that computer piracy involves “the copying and distribution of copyright software (warez).” This form of piracy is not conducted by these so-called pirates because they share software programs that are found amongst each other. That’s right. These pirates are a part of a large of people who share similar interests in warez. They share software programs like warez so that each of them could learn from it and provide feedback to other pirates within this group. Pirates collect this information and disperse it on the web so that it is made available to the masses. These “experienced pirates” compare themselves to tutors because of their ability to help those who may have purchased warez. They even consider themselves to be excellent promoters of a software company’s merchandise because of the information they provide regarding the software systems they had ‘cracked.’
But the software industry may refuse to “acknowledge” their so-called “contributions” especially since they lose over $4 billion dollars annually because of computer piracy.
They, in fact, “challenge the claim that pirates cost software manufactures any lost revenue, and will argue that they spread the word for high quality products.”
Despite this evidence, the author continues to insist that pirates are not bootleggers or criminals. The author reassures that pirates are people who do not engage in selling stolen merchandise for their personal gain.
Pirates enjoy finding and collecting new software programs that are found on the web. It is thrilling for them to “crack programs [and] race to see who can be the first to upload the latest version.”
They deny committing computer piracy even though their ‘job’ seems to be just that. Instead the author claims that computer piracy involves “the copying and distribution of copyright software (warez).” This form of piracy is not conducted by these so-called pirates because they share software programs that are found amongst each other. That’s right. These pirates are a part of a large of people who share similar interests in warez. They share software programs like warez so that each of them could learn from it and provide feedback to other pirates within this group. Pirates collect this information and disperse it on the web so that it is made available to the masses. These “experienced pirates” compare themselves to tutors because of their ability to help those who may have purchased warez. They even consider themselves to be excellent promoters of a software company’s merchandise because of the information they provide regarding the software systems they had ‘cracked.’
But the software industry may refuse to “acknowledge” their so-called “contributions” especially since they lose over $4 billion dollars annually because of computer piracy.
They, in fact, “challenge the claim that pirates cost software manufactures any lost revenue, and will argue that they spread the word for high quality products.”
Despite this evidence, the author continues to insist that pirates are not bootleggers or criminals. The author reassures that pirates are people who do not engage in selling stolen merchandise for their personal gain.
