Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Jordan
Well, finding a cheaper alternative or not using it is what they should be doing, if they can't afford it. Looking to steal it isn't.
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Piracy made Windows the #1 PC Operating System, and M$ the most powerful software company in the world. Now, M$ wants to increase profits, and those awful pirates will have to pay. IMHO, pirating Windows is illogical, because it just isn't very good, but- I sure hope Microsoft's protection schemes become more and more Draconian. Because it will drive users to find better and cheaper solutions.
Software validation schemes and the like hurt legal users, just like DRM. And we always hear the "piracy excuse" given to justify these schemes. I don't buy it.
I purchased an XP license last month for a computer that I had "downgraded" to XP from Vista- it wouldn't activate. Brand new, out of the mailing envelope, and the software wouldn't activate with the numbers provided. Took me 45 minutes on the phone to fix that. yes sir, I feel real sorry for Microsoft- I have had to downgrade most of the Vista machines we have purchased during the past 9 months because Vista is so unstable. So we pay the cost for the Vista license sold with the computer, and then I spend another $130 for an XP license. All of our software is legal, so why are we being punished? I think the "rat out your employer if he uses illegal software" ads on the radio, and other efforts, are pretty effective in making sure businesses pay for their software. But do we have to pay twice? Do we have to deal with crappy "validation" schemes?
You bet we are trying alternatives- I just rolled out our first OS X and Linux desktops last month. In 3 years, most of our desktops and servers will be non-M$(half the servers already do run BSD). And Adobe doesn't cost me any more for the Mac than for Windoze....