[olug] Windows XP SP2

[Daniel Linder]

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Jake Churchill wrote:
> You're right, but everything is crackable.

Oh great, I hope "Gates, Ballmer, and Company" don't find that little
tidbit in our archives... :) They already are saying that a machine
pre-configured with Linux is just a front for people/companies to pirate
other software and their OS.  I would bet that a fair number of those
pre-configured WalMart / Lindows systems which were sold to "Joe Sixpack"
were tried for a few days and then a well-meaning friend came over and
installed Windows and Office for them -- thus the assertion is right to a
degree. :(

(Stop reading now and/or hit the delete key at any time...)
<soapbox>
The "everything is crackable" mentality is disturbing and a very self
serving view.  Some will read this as "if I can make a copy, I should and
I *WILL*."  Fair use is one thing, but blatently giving out copies to
people really is something that gets under my skin.

Since I make a living from setting up and configuring systems for
companies, I can agree to a point with both sides of the argument.

On one hand, I'd love to be able to let all my customers install and use
the "full version" of any piece of software for a period of time.  They
will be able to test drive this in their environment with the assumption
that they will either purchase it if they like it, or remove all copies of
it if they don't.  What about those people who install the trial version,
then find a crack on the Internet to disable the evaluation period and
continue to use the product?  You can say that the product was too
expensive to begin with, but if the company took hundreds of man-hours to
produce it along with the back-end support, then the cost per manhour is
probably pretty minimal.  If the product is so great, why not hire a
programmer or company to write your own version of the software? (and GPL
it, of course!)

On the flip side, if we replace "software" with "audio CD", it starts to
get a bit hazy.  If I listen to a song and really like it for 29 days, but
on day 30 I get so sick of it that I delete it off all my MP3 players and
take the CD back to the store should I expect to get all my money back?
Is the artist (programmer) expected to return the food he purchased with
the money you plunked down 30 days ago?  (And don't use the excuse about
the big companies making all the money and the performers getting
'nothing'.)

People forget that everyone has to make some sort of living to survive.
Some choose programming, other choose music, others choose cooking or
auto-repair.

Most arguments for the unrestricted copying/sharing of digital media
(movies, music, programs, etc) seem to forget that there is a reason
people are asking for money from these products -- they have a family to
feed and take care of.

The end result of this is that only physical objects have value and things
like music, literature, photography, and other digitizable media are
inherently value-less.

That's a sad future for those of us who are trying to make a living in a
digital industry.
</soapbox>

Dan

- - - - -
"I do not fear computer,
I fear the lack of them."
 -- Isaac Asimov

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