#Brilliance Dongles Ship!
84 messages in this thread
Yep, thats right, paint fans! Brilliance is dongled at the joystick port.
This should work real well for users of Real-3D and Toaster systems with
GPI cables on Joy2. Worst of all, Digital Creation does not have the
honesty to list this as a systme requirement. My response to receiving
their package…….
***************************
4 August 1993
Digital Creations Marketing Director
160 Blue Ravine Road, Suite B
Folsom, CA 95630
Re: Misleading Advertising
Dear Marketing Director;
As the proprietor of an Amiga based graphics and video production firm I
am constantly on the lookout for packages that can increase our
productivity or the quality of our output. I made the mistake of thinking
Brilliance was such a package largely due to your misleading
advertisements. I am looking at the one in the August issue of
AmigaWorld from which I placed my order with you. NOWHERE IN THE AD DOES
THE REQUIREMENT OF AN AVAILABLE 2nd JOYSTICK PORT GET MENTIONED! Now, you
may consider this a professional package, but since it decreases
productivity immensely, I consider it to now be relegated to creative game
or amateur's learning tool.
Here is the situation you ask us to live with. My machine is already
dongle-ized to the point that I had to get a second I/O card to get a
serial port for a modem and a parallel port for a printer. I also have a
adapted analog pointing device I use in the joystick port. Now, I
recently obtained Real-3D which donglized that port – gone was the
pointing device and I'm back to drawing with a mouse. Now, picture me
trying to use Brilliance to create a texture map for Real-3D.
First I would have to power down, put in the Brilliance dongle, power up,
make the map, power down, put in the Real-3D dongle, power up, create the
models and render a test scene – oops – need some texture map adjustments,
save scene, power down, put in Brilliance dongle, power up make adjustment
to the map (are they right?) power down, put in Real-3D dongle, power up,
re-render – oops, still not right – power down . . .
You see, professionals do not consider individual tools as ends in
themselves, but items that must integrate seamlessly into an integrated
work environment. The way that you have chosen to protect the product
makes it seem that you have the arrogance to assume that Brilliance is an
end in itself and not just another tool in the tool chest. A paint
program that prevents multi-task usage with an animation program is nearly
useless and certainly not worth the price you are charging considering
that Brilliance is not all that much more capable than DPaint IV-AGA.
It is with deep disappointment in Digital Creations that I return my copy
of Brilliance unopened and unused for a full refund plus refund of return
shipping. Had you been honest enough to mention the dongle in your
advertising, I would not have ordered it and you would not be in the
position of loosing the amount of return postage. You are also loosing a
future sale of your slot box product since it seems you have become a
cynical anti-user company. I would now assume that there was some gimmick
built in to force me to use only DC products in the box, and I won't take
that chance.
Having made a living as a software engineer (and been run out of one
company for turning them in on software piracy) I can sympathize with your
desire to protect your products. I would have much preferred a code
wheel/manual look-up scheme as it would not have prevented me from
multi-tasking the product without restriction. It is the dongle that
broke my Amiga's back and is on a product that is not a one-of-a-kind so
that I can get the same capability from a non-donglized package from
another vendor. I will also be advising clients I do DTV/PVP consulting
for that this product in particular and possibly the entire new line of DC
products are not worth considering in a professional environment due to
awkward, non-transparent, non-advertised product protection strategies.
With regrets,
Wayne M. Cole
Proprietor, IHP
**********************
I know piracy can be a problem, but vendors need to realize, if the
protection scheme is too resource intensive they will loose sales too. I
hope DC is receivein many unopened, unused returns in response to the
dongle.
BTW, I should add that they were very pleasant and gave me no hassles
regarding a return authoization for a refund.
FOR SALE: Real-3D 2.0 with upgrade to 2.035 (latest version) dongle, and
docs – complete package, $475. (I need the port for a GPI cable to drive
the AmiLink/Montage/Toaster combination and the CPU is moving under a
bench where accessing joy2 will be a hands-n-knees job.)
wmc – via Autopilot!
Thanx for the Dongle info for Brilliance Wayne. I HATE Dongles too. I
refuse to buy any software that is dongelized. Now if the Dongle was
something useful as in the "Toaster Dongle" I'd have no problem. I guess
they don't realize that it's relatively simple to Hack the code that
checks for the dongle out of the Software. There's already Dedongelized
Versions of Real 3D floating around according to rumours I've heard. What
makes Digital Creations think their Dongle won't be defeated?
Peter,
I agree. A dongle that does something useful for me (e.g. the toaster, or
turn into an automatic joystick switcher on joy2 for multiple devices, or
a printer buffer/spooler on parallel that is also a dongle for some
program) I don't mind. If it can't be userful to me as a user then it
should at least be transparent and this means both in resources and
physical placement of the machine. Otherwise it becomes a nuisance and
you will likely not use the program so why buy it!
Anyway, my copy of Brilliance went back to DC about 2 hours after it
arrived – long enough for me to see it, call them, write the letter,
re-pack it and drive to UPS.
wmc – via Autopilot!
I've made one exception, Scala MM200, which is good enough to warrant my
acceptance of the dongle. But no more than that. Dongle-minded companies
should do what some on other platforms do: Offer a non-donglized version
for a bit more cash. That seems fair to me.
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
I've yet to try Scala so I dunno wether I'd be happy with it's dongle or
not.
I sure as heck won't cave in to extortion!
Dale Larson
– An Amiga Software Engineer with some time on his hands.
I hate dongles.
That said, you might want to get a 9-pin ABCD switchbox to at least let
you toggle between four dongles/joysticks.
Dale Larson
– An Amiga Software Engineer with some time on his hands.
I've already got two sitchboxes to deal with the AmiLink dongle and the
fact that Alink and PSFC do not allow you to use other ports.
And if PIVs editor is undongled and roughly the equivalent ot AmiLink,
that will be sold off right quick too.
wmc – via Autopilot!
Good letter. I wonder, though, if SmartPort or another of those
twin-joystick thingies (the kind that add an extra joystick port intended
for games) could be used to deal with extra dongles.
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
> those twin-joystick thingies <
I haven't seen one of those with MANUAL switching for quite some time now
– can a dongle cope with the AUTOMATIC joyport switchers? As far as I
know, these work by detecting any signal from either port and
automatically switching to it. Now, I would see a problem if you have a
joystick and, for example, a mouse connected to it – each time you knock
at the desk on which the mouse rests the switcher switches to the mouse
and if you're playing a game this could well mean a lost life… :v(
As for dongles – your program looks for its dongle but unluckily the
switcher has the other dongle/joystick/lightpen/whatever switched on –
your program won't work (some 'dongle-ized' programs even hang your
machine to punish you for using a presumably pirated copy…) and there's
NO WAY of making the switcher switch to the dongle (except there was, for
example, a pushbutton on the dongle which sends a signal like 'fire button
pressed'…
// Chris coming in from Germany
\X/ on AutoPilot 1.06………..
Don't know about auto switching compatibility. However, note that Scala's
dongle passes through. So, presumably, if you're a real masochist, you
could stack another program's dongle atop it! I plug my mouse in behind
the Scala dongle, no trouble, except that the mouse jack sticks out a wee
bit.
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
Ron,
I'm sure there is a solution if I'm willing to put up with extra expense
and extra work. Why should I? I doubt Brilliance is all that much more
special than DPaint so why should I compromise my efficiency and take on
additional expense 'cause someone is under the illusion that this will
keep people from pirating th software. All ou gotta do is send the
original disks to that company in WI (forgot the name) and they will break
it for you for $59. But why should I go through the hassle.
Dongles are like the grade school teacher who keeps everyone after school
cause he can't figure out who threw the spitball. Its punitive and
insulting and in the end probably looses as many sales as they would to
piracy. Especially when competing with a similar product with established
reputation and no dongle. Some marketeer at DC made a bonehead move.
wmc – via Autopilot!
I surely don't like dongles, but I'm equally sure DC and others didn't
decide upon them just to be obnoxious. They're hurting from piracy. Sure,
they might've come up with a less annoying form of protection. But those
who blame them for protecting their work ought not to complain as well
about other Amiga software houses that are going out of business.
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
False. *I've* purchased thousands of dollars of Amiga software. *I've*
got every reason to complain when a software company assumes that *I* am a
pirate.
I can complain all I want to. 🙂
Dale Larson
– An Amiga Software Engineer with some time on his hands.
Dale, if I lock the doors when I park my car, I don't assume EVERY person
that happens by is a thief. I'm not trying to offend anyone; it just makes
good sense to lock the doors. Why presume that Digital Creations or Scala
or whomever think you, personally, are a pirate?
Like I said, one way to ease these feelings would be to borrow a page from
the MS-DOS market, where some dongled high-end programs comes with an
upgrade option: Send in a bit more money for a non-dongle version. The
company presumes that pirates wouldn't even do that, but it leaves an
alternative for people who are honest. True, you have to pay more. But so
what? We all already pay more for software because of piracy, just like we
all pay more for food or clothes because of shoplifting.
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
Ron,
I've never bought the argument that we all pay more for software due to
software piracy. Follow me:
You typical "career" pirate, and I've met quite a few, obtains his
warez from several sources, usually pirate boards. He doesn't have a lot
of money, and quite frequently is young, in his teens or twenties. All of
his money is spent on his "neato" hardware, not the software. If all
software were dongelized it would make absolutely no difference to this
brand of pirate. He would either break it, his "friends" would break it,
or he would not bother with the software at all. In any case, if he does
get the software working on his computer, he will only use it perhaps half
a dozen times, if that. In any case, the software company would never
have made a sale to this individual, period. Therefore, the software
company has not lost any sales and therefore no money.
Now, for the other kind of pirate, the "middle-class" pirate. His
typical reason for pirating software is that he is continuing to work on a
particular item from the office. As such, why should this individual pay
an additional fee to use the same piece of software on a different CPU?
Especially if the software has a relatively high cost. It is, after all,
the same work generated by the same piece of software, but in two
different locations at two different times. Or at least, that is the
typical rationale involved. In any case, if the software were
unbreakable, this individual would almost certainly not buy the software
for his home machine, but instead defer the work until his return to the
office. Again, no sale would occur.
The _only_ case that can be made for lost sales is to corporate
customers or home-users within a particular niche, and of the latter, only
if it is differentiated from their main work (primarily games). For this
latter type, there can be a case made for lost sales, but I frankly don't
think they amount to much, at least in relation to corporate sales. As
for corporate sales, I think they need to monitor their own installations
more carefully, but I believe that the legal system is slowly sorting that
out.
My basic point comes down to this. The supposed lost sales that are
reported by many software houses should be heavily discounted. The
figures cited, especially for the packages such as WP, Lotus, and such,
take into account sales that never, ever, would have occured. Most of the
software that I've seen pirated has been used once and related to a
forgotten disk in the back of the disk drawer, never to be used again.
The opposite case where a user is using a copy of the software from the
office is also a sale that would almost certainly never have occured.
Given the price of many software packages, the worker could never
rationally justify such an expenditure for what is, essentially, unpaid
work.
Of course, this ignores the whole issue of game software, but this is a
long enough message by itself.
Brian
P.S. For you software houses out there, before you flame, keep in mind I
firmly oppose piracy. I am only examining the economies of such.
Brian
Unfortunately, you'd be truly amazed if you knew just how many illegal
copies of software are used in many large companies. I've had the
experience of being told by a manager to just copy the software that I
needed rather than trying to put in a P.O.
The numbers may be exagerated, but consider this — *one* company with 255
computers which uses $1000 worth of software on each (and that is a small
amount of productivity software) which only pays for 5 copies of that
software has stolen a QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS.
Dale Larson
– An Amiga Software Engineer with some time on his hands.
RRRR III GGG H H TTTTT SSSS A III DDDD
R R I G H H T S A A I D D
RRRR I G GG HHHH T SSS AAA I D D ,,
R R I G G H H T S A A I D D ,,
R R III GGG H H T SSSS A A III DDDD ,
DDDD A L EEEE !!
D D A A L E !!
D D AAA L EEE !!
D D A A L E
DDDD A A LLLL EEEE !!
Problem is, the software co's don't crack down on'em if such a case is
discovered, they (the pirating co's) usually just have to buy the number
of original packages they should have bought in the first place to have a
legal installation and they're off!
// Chris coming in from Germany
\X/ on AutoPilot 1.06………..
Dale,
right-o. I work for a subsidiary of a major bank. A recent software audit
has found unlicensed copies of software in *** 85% *** of the machines. And
they didn't bother looking for games; this is productivity software we're
talking about.
Blaq!
Surprise! I agree with you, mostly. I think site licenses make more sense
than dongles, and good marketing is going to overcome piracy better than
copy protection. But not every software product is equal. It's very clear
that software in general is overpriced. I say in general because for small
software houses, it's probably UNDERpriced, given a small market share. In
any case, the reason "competitive upgrade" copies of Wordperfect and so
forth now sell in the computer stores for $99 is that the makers have
realized that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Wordperfect has been
heavily pirated. Should an employee be able to take home a copy of WP from
the office? In my mind, it's illegal and unethical unless the company has
a site license. But it also happens a lot.
The Amiga is a far more delicate market, of course. Tell you what, if
Commodore met its promise of providing a standard CD-ROM system, the best
copy protection of all would consist of huge programs with huge on-line
AmigaGuide help files stored on read-only CD-ROMs. But a lot of little
programs like utilities and such cannot profitably be marketed that way,
unless it's via a magazine format.
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
You can't have it both ways – you complain that software producers are
incorrectly estimating lost sales, yet you're arguing that you somehow have a
magic 8-ball to discern what real-world-with-CP sales rates would be. I think
both sides agree that a LOT of piracy occurs. What upsets me the most is that
I've seen inside several very large software companies, including prominent
members of the Software Publishing Association, and casual piracy is still
ignored at the grass-roots level. Hypocritical, yes. The problem comes down to
individuals. There are people who know piracy is wrong, yet continue to do it
for any number of reasons: "I'm only using this program once in a while, I'm
just test-driving it, it's too expensive I'll buy the next version, etc."
Microsoft and Borland can stay alive because of the larger numbers in the PC
market, but piracy bites small markets the hardest. It raises the bar for
small companies. We need to jump higher, and if we can't, then the viability
of that product is impossible.
Your analogy doesn't apply. I don't want to have anything to do with
their car sitting in the parking lot — they can do what ever the heck
they want with it. When they start messing with my car, it's a different
story.
When you spend money, you support the practices of the company whose
products you buy. It isn't practical to make every buying decision based
on political correctness, but if you feel very strongly about something,
you should put your money where your mouth is. I won't spend a dime for
productivity software which is copy protected in any way, and I sure as
heck won't spend *extra* money for non-dongled or non-copy-protected
software.
Does someone have Digital Creation's address or Fax number handy? I need
to write and let them know that I own DPaint, , and Animation Studio and
that I won't consider Brilliance as long as it requires a dongle or
keydisk or has an extra charge for non-dongle and non-keydisk copy
protection, and that I'd be darn unlikely to buy any productivity software
which is copy protected in any way.
Dale Larson
– An Amiga Software Engineer with some time on his hands.
Dale…
Does the Brilliance dongle pass through?
Jim
I have no idea, 'cause I ain't buyin' one either way.
Dale Larson
– An Amiga Software Engineer with some time on his hands.
Dale…
I see. Well, I don't want to get into any kind of argument here, but…
I really don't give a damn about dongles. I have a Scala dongle, and will
have a Brilliance dongle too. If I end up having more dongles than my system
will handle, then I will be upset. However, if it works out that I don't suffer
any inconveniences (my Scala dongle has not inconvenienced me in any way) then
I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.
It's a tradeoff. People want Brilliance because they like how it works, and
want it's functionality. Now, if it comes down to doing without or having it
around doing work for me, and having to stare at a dongle, why should I care
that it's there?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a dongle fan. But I have to laugh at these folks
who would say they prefer a lookup-type code wheel or a key disk. These folks
obviously have more patience with these types of things than I do, because I
sure *hate* manual lookups and code wheels, and I sure as hell would hate to
have to insert a floppy everytime I wanted to use my paint program.
Nope, the dongle suits me just fine. I'm not going to dismiss the product out
of hand just to joing the ranks of those who would do so, for whatever reasons
I can't figure out.
Over the past couple of years I've heard folks complain about dongles and how
they will never buy a product that has a dongle. I can't help but wonder who is
the *real* loser in that arrangement.
Getting back to Scala, if you are into Multimedia, you simply *have* to have
Scala. It's the Video Toaster of Multimedia software. If Brilliance ends up
being the "gotta have it" paint program, I suspect some of those out there who
are now scoffing at the idea of having a dongle in their machine will turn tail
and buy a package, forever coveting their precious Brilliance dongle. And well
they should, if the product is worth having.
Anyways, 'nuff said. My Brilliance is on the way, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
I loved the demos I saw of it last December.
Jim
Dale,
I think that dongle protection *can* be doable, at least IMO.
Martin Hash, I think, had the right idea. Basically, he used a key disk
protection scheme out of the box. If you wanted, for a nominal fee, he
would send you the latest version (and Martin used to upgrade his software
quickly) with you name, address, and other vital information (I've heard
tell of credit card info, but not sure of this) embedded in the app. The
"personalized" version was, of course, no protected.
I can deal with this, but its far as I can go. I know of two users that
have use for both Scala and Brillance, but have bypassed them due to the
copy protection scheme.
//Jonathan,
\\//via AutoPilot
Jonathan…
It's a real shame that someone would dismiss a product out of hand, even if
it's the best in it's field, just because it has a dongle. Actually, there are
other words to describe that sort of attitude, but we want to keep the forum
rated G. <grin>
Jim
Jim,
I think that the sentiment here is that by voting with purchasing dollars,
users might be able to influence vendors into a more enlightened approach.
Some folks will simply not be able to use certain apps due to conflicting
dongles – I have seen this happen over and over on the PC, when someone
has tried to use too many chained parallel port plugs; or, they have run
into interrupt problems when installing more ports expressly for use with
dongles. Truth is, that dongles cause problems.
I would, however, stipulate, that users should appreciate the problems
with selling software, and meet the vendors half-way. Of course, that
will take some cooperation from the vendors, and I think that is what all
the negative talk here is trying to inspire 🙂
//Jonathan,
\\//via AutoPilot
Jonathan…
I understand. If I were in the position where I had dongles coming out of my
machine, all chained together, I'd be worried also. Fortunately, I don't have
that problem.
I guess my stance is, it's NOT really a problem for Amigans right now. It may
be in the future (and I have no doubt there are some Amigans who do have this
problem right now) but I simply can't understand why someone would pass a
product by even if they aren't coming close to having this problem.
I've heard people say they'd never let a dongle touch their precious
hardware. Again, I can't help but wonder who really loses in that situation.
The only tangible that I can see in that scenario is that user X is living
without software Y which he/she likely wanted otherwise they would not have
considered buying it, and all because of some strange intangible philosophy
that prevents one from sticking a dongle into their computer.
I can understand the long term goal of not supporting such copy protection
schemes by not buying the software, but I really don't think it's worth the
effort. Much like trying to write letters to companies like Word Perfect,
Commodore and others to get them to treat the Amiga "right", I suspect that the
"masses" who don't buy dongled software will be sending a message in code, that
will be impossible to understand. That is, people who don't buy dongled
software aren't necessarily sending a message that they don't want dongled
software, the developer is more likely to read into it that the Amiga platform
is not a very profitable one (hey, no one's buying this great software we
wrote!) and will turn tail for the PC hills.
Jim
Dale: Gasoline is a sort of "dongle" for your car. Without it, you can't
go anywhere. You have to pay for it. Better that our cars would run on
free air, but face it, we're at the mercy of the oil companies. We don't
have to like it, but we have to deal with it. I buy gasoline all the time
from companies whose policies I dislike. Do I have a choice besides riding
my bike or walking? Nope. Am I making a political compromise? Sure am. I'm
a pragamtist.
That said, I respect your right to make a no-purchase software decision
based on the dongle issue. Me, my policy is "never say never."
DC's fax number is 916-635-0475.
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
Thanks for the fax number!
I respect your right to "never say never." But could you come up with an
analogy that works? Auto designers didn't create the need for fuel —
physics did — they just choose gas as the fuel. Dongles are an entirely
artificial constraint and software could easily be designed without it (in
fact, it takes extra work and expense to design with it!).
Dale Larson
– An Amiga Software Engineer with some time on his hands.
Dale…
You want an analogy that works? Ok.
A bank is a dongle for your money. If you don't want it ripped off, or stolen
by a thief, you have to put it in a bank to protect it. Every time you want
some of that money, you have to go to a bank machine or the bank itself and
withdraw. This means that without your bank card (dongle) you can't access your
funds.
It doesn't *have* to be that way, but it's protection for you and for your
money. It's your choice to protect your money that way.
By putting your money in the bank, you are protecting it from all potential
perils of thievery, just as a dongle does. Sure, there are ways for
unscrupulous bank employees to get at your money, just as there are ways to
defeat a dongle. By and large, however, the bank protection is enough to deter
99of the potential people who would want to steal your cash, and the dongle is
likely just as effective against the casual armchair software thief.
Jim
Well, Dale, I tend to think of computers in general as "artificial
constraints," seeing as how I'm chained to one more than I'd like. <g>
Here's a better analogy for you, perhaps: your car key. Now, THAT'S a
dongle. You have to pay for it, too. Wouldn't it be nicer if you could
just climb into the old flivver and drive off without fumbling for that
key every time? <double-g> Point is, there are lots of inconveniences in
modern life. Some, naturally, are more inconveniencing than others. I do
tend to believe there are better software protection schemes than dongles.
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
Ron,
Your car analogy is incorrect – that is like the power switch to a PC.
Some ARE keyed. And cars originally had a footswitch starter (after the
crank went away, that is). Too, the key protects ME from SOMEONE ELSE
whereas I have to pay for a dongle supposedly to protect SOMEONE ELS from
ME with no real proof that such protection is necessary.
Also, the ignition key does not degrade the car's performance or
functionality. It doesn't prevent you from adding a turbocharger, or
oversized tires, or airconditioning, or recaro seats…
The two dongles I have degrade my existing systme by preventing me from
using parts of it. I can't use a printer with the Amilink dongle
engaged, and I can't use an alternate pointing device with the Real-3D
dongle engaged, and in fact, I couldn't engage the brilliance dongle with
the Real-3D dongle engaged. So I wold bee force to shut down to
refonfigure hardware to use one program or the other in a multi-tasking
machiine – Dumb, no?
Now don't tell me you have to turn off the key, and remove it from the
ignition in order to roll your windows down!!! :^}
wmc – via Autopilot!
Ron,
Your analogy is off. Suppose you rent it to me, then give me a dongle
that goes in the cassette tape slot in addition to the key so that I can't
play my tapes which your ad led me to believe was included in the rental?
That is a more realistic analogy. You would be taking my monye after
advertising a rental with tape player not mentioning the other security
device that prevenbts its use.
wmc – via Autopilot!
Well, my advice to you is Caveat Emptor. I always carefully check out
stuff before I buy it. Sometimes I am disappointed, but I've always been
able to get my money back.
You should know that the music industry is working very hard to put serial
copy protection hardware into new tape decks, so you can't make copies of
audio cassettes. I find this abhorrent. However, I also find it smart on
their part. I further find that the many millions of folks who make copies
of music tapes for their friends guilty of violating copyright law. It's
not surprising the music industry is trying to curb this lost revenue. It
should not surprise folks that software companies have similar motives.
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
Ron,
Ans I would be all for hardware keys built into a machine (the public key)
and private keys buile into the software that modify the install disk so
that the software can only be installed on and run on one machine. It
would be hard to break, and even if you managed to get decrypotd memory
image for cross load to another machine, a simple paging schem could
prevent you from getting it all at once. Modest trade fees for disk
swaps if you buy a new machine would be alright by me, but you still end
up with one software set per hardware set. You could still make back-ups
but they also would be encrypted to your machine only. If you want
multi-machin use, pay for a multi-use license and get another set of disks
for each machine yoiuwant ot run it on for a nominal fee. Now, if the
software developers can prevail upon hardware makers to put hardware
encrypt/decrypt keys in the machines…
Course it gets to be a hassle upgrading to new machine if you have 60
packages… :^<
wmc – via Autopilot!
My biggest worry re dongles is that the dongle will die and then for some
reason (e.g., the company has gone belly up) you can't get a new one, so
your software is dead. I didn't say I liked dongles, only that I
understand why they exist. And in a couple of rare cases, I've liked the
software well enough to take such risks.
I love the elegance of the Autopilot shareware registration scheme. It's
shareware. You can use it without registering but to be ethical (and to
get full use of its features) you must register by mail. The Autopilot
people then send you a binary E-mail message. When you download that
message using the unregistered version of Autopilot, it automatically
converts Autopilot and inserts your registration number. This could easily
be applied to commercial software.
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
GREAT POINT, I also Loved Autopilots way of doing things, almost fully
functional Demo, and then if I like it Register ONLINE and get the Full
Version within a day or two. I registered Autopilot within a week of DLing
it I believe. GREAT Software well worth $69.95
BUT, as we all know Dongles COST the company $$$ and are NO protection
from Pirates. The only piracy that Dongles stop is the Casual type where
two people know each other and one says Hey I got…..,want a copy?
Now that Brilliance has ship[ped I wouldn't be surprised if theirs ALREADY
a Hacked copy out there that no longer needs the dongle.
I have Already heard tell of Real 3D 2.0's that have been Dedongelized.
Hello Peter…
You're right man, I've already got a copy of Real 3D 2.0, cracked. I erased it,
of course, because I have the original… Dongles are no match for the real
pirates… Oh, and software companies are wrong when they think CD will stop
piracy, because I've heard of a trackloading system for the Amiga that will
copy a CD onto a HD, using compression, and so the you'll have the CD on your
HD… H.R.P.
Now thats a new one on me. Never heard of Trackloading. Anyway, hopefully
someone will cut off the Hands and Gouge out the Eyes of all Pirates so
companies won't even CONSIDER Dongles.
Yeah, that system of copying CDs really surprised me… Here in Brasil the
computer software market is one of the biggest in piracy, not only because
we're poor, but also because a severe CULTURAL problem. People here grow used
to getting the "latest" without paying, for example: kids grow in school
swapping games with their friends. Then, on his next step, when he needs a
costly software, he won't think twice before copying it from somebody else…
To make matters worse, piracy is kind of "institucionalised", because we have
HUGE shops around here, selling pirate copies of almost every stuff under the
sun… Do you want the latest AutoCad? Just drop by with your disks and get it
copied for something like 10 or 15 dollars… This is what makes me disgusted
with this country. People here have no sense of what's wrong or right… Now it
seems the stuff is getting better, because we now have the change (sorry,
chance) to buy original software, still in expensive prices, but not so long
agoo, it was almost impossible to buy originals… I hope that in the next few
years the piracy rate will decrease here, even if the government actually don't
give a **** about it… See ya all! H.R.P.
HRP,
quick question. If they really had to pay $795.00 for the package, how
many copies do you think would actually be bought? I think about zero.
Brian
Brian,
I'm sure a $795 package won't sell so bad as you imagine around here. The
brasilian market is HUGE to say the least, and THERE ARE some companies who are
buying originals. It all depends on the usefulness of the package… You
shouldn't expect the average brasilian to fork out about $800 on a package
he'lbarely use. The average price for software (PC of course) is around the
US$200 mark, and it is still quite high for us, but if the price is high in the
US, there's nothing we can do around here then… Just a little note: it was
realised last month one of the biggest fairs on computing in the whole world,
in the city of Sao Paulo. It was the FenaSoft. It gathered thousands of
expositors, and the spirit was of general 'deja-vu', because of the increased
sales, even on our recession, See 'ya! H.R.P.
CD-ROM IS going to stop piracy a great deal because what is a pirate doing
with a hard disk full of of the compressed data a one CD? How will he
distribute it? This will really be good-bye to the times you could go to a
'trader' with a pack of floppies and got things copied down for you…
// Chris coming in from Germany
\X/ on AutoPilot 1.06………..
Yeah, it will surely stop in a great deal, but that still doesn't mean that CDs
can't be copied… Oh, the compressed data on the hard disk CAN BE RUN just
like from CD… Anyway, if C= releases a big enough floppy, then the chances
are the pirates will use… But I still don't get the point of spending
zillions of disks in something without manuals, support, etc… I think that
everyone who have at least one good original soft will never use a pirated soft
again, just because of the support you have from the company… Bye!! H.R.P.
Chris:
I agree with you 100%. I think that CDROM distribution of software,
especially games will greatly reduce the amount of piracy going on. Of
course the other thing CDROM games could do that is hard to do now is to
have better sounds (no need to have a small sample with questionable sound
when you can have a much larger sample with great sound!), have larger
sets of scenarios, etc. Of course even if the games themselves weren't all
that large, there should be ways of having extra datafiles, etc on the
CDROM just so that pirates wouldn't know exactly which 3 megs of files
were ones used by the program, and which weren't needed at all (this way
you could fill the disk with something like 300megs of data, even tho only
1 or 2 or even 10 megs are really needed.
// -Mike Schiller
\X/ AMIGA! On AutoPilot in sunny Fort Lauderdale
Mike,
I don't think it will even slow down the spread of pirated copies. As
modem speeds increase, especially once a fiber optic network is in place,
the costs of transferring that quantity of data will decrease
significantly. One only has to look at the declining costs for higher
baud rates to appreciate that.
A secondary factory you all seem to ignore is the read/writable CD's
are on the horizon, although not readily available. Once these become
readily available to the high end market, you might as well hang up the
protection by using CD-ROM. One thing I've noticed is what the pirates
don't spend on software they all too readily spend on their hardware.
They had 9600, or higher, baud modems long before the became a regular
feature they are today.
Related to the previous is the possible arrival of holographic memory
chips. They aren't that far out, maybe 3-4 years, and they will easily
contain the same amount of storage as a CD-ROM. At that point, we may
have to seriously reconsider our methods of data transfer and usage
rights.
Brian
Hey, we're all forgetting the 21Mb floptical… It is a ser contender for
pirates, to copy CD software… Oh yes, US ROBOTICS should thank the pirates,
because large quantities of their DUAL STANDARD was sold in Europe, to pirate
ards… See 'ya!
Of course it will reduce piracy, OK maybe not for ever but certainly for the
near future. CD's will eliminate playground disk swapping and before the
hardware you mention is low enough for the average user.
Mark
Mark,
given how rapidly prices fall in the computer industry, aren't you
making one heck of an assumption? If anything, the price of hardware is
exceeding the normal power curve (x2 power, x1/2 cost, both in 1 1/2
years).
Brian
Mike,
GREAT idea, the 'dummy' data files! ;v))
Of course, with the writable CD CD-ROM CAN be copied, BUT what's the price
for a CD-ROM recorder? what the price for each medium? At least now,
they're in a price range where you could buy several original (music) CDs
for the price of one copy. As far as I know, 'consumer' products in the
digital audio (i.e. CD, DAT, etc) have a hardware copy protection which
lets you make only ONE digital copy of a digital master. So either a
pirate gets real 'PRO' audio (i.e. studio level = VERY expensive) hardware
or he is the only source for copied CD-ROM software for only the ORIGINAL
CD can be copied. I doubt that the data of a CD-ROM would survive an
analog copy… SO eat your heart out, pirates!!! :v)))
// Chris coming in from Germany
\X/ on AutoPilot 1.06………..
About a year ago a CD writing machine (one-off) sold for about $8,000
new with each writeable CD costing around $30. I'm sure the cost is
lower now and will be even lower tomorrow.
Actually, the cheapest CDROM writer for the Macintosh is about $3800, but you
get what you pay for.
I've seen Writeable CD machines in Computer Shopper Advertised as low as
$4995 and $20 per recordable CD
Again, bearing in mind that I don't like dongles either:
Saying a company shouldn't consider dongles or other forms of copy
protection because some pirates will just get around them is like saying
we shouldn't raise taxes on rich people because some of them will just
find loopholes.
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
Ron,
funny you should say that, but the same laws that apply to software
piracy apply to taxes. If people find that for x number of dollars they
will pay y amount of taxes, but if they pay y-n number of dollars to the
government after using an accountant and some writeoffs, they'll go with
the y-n option every time.
It is a very simple law of economics. If you are better off with your
next best alternative, people will generally do it. Raise the marginal
tax rate and more people will start using accountants to reduce their tax
burden (it seems to kick in right around the 32% marginal rate). The same
with software. Raise the cost of the software, either with dongles or by
price, and people will generally choose the next best alternative, either
a package without a dongle or piracy.
Brian
People say, "Oh, don't raise taxes on companies because they'll just pass
it along to us." Reducing that to its logical conclusion, companies should
pay no taxes, because then products will be as cheap as possible. It
wouldn't be equitable, and it almost certainly wouldn't even turn out that
way, but even if it did, the consumer market that the government is going
to turn to to make up those lost revenues then would be able to buy less.
It's a zero-sum game.
Also, those same people who think higher corporate taxes are always and
fully passed on to consumers also tend to believe in marketplace
competition. Well, either companies paying more taxes are going to raise
their prices or they won't. If they find a loophole, then we can eliminate
the loophole, just like there are ways to minimize piracy. But as a matter
of principle, saying we shouldn't do it because people won't like it isn't
much of a policy, espeically if it's the right thing to do.
Back to software: You're right on one score. If Scala loses sales to
competing packages, it'll probably drop the dongle. But if there IS no
comparable package, why shouldn't Scala keep the dongle? If they're
selling the software and making enough money to suit them, it is a
rational decision on their part, isn't it?
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
Ron,
in my opinion, companies paying taxes is pretty silly. They DON'T pay
them, we the consumer/citizen do. You're also slightly off base on the
tax shifting between producer and consumer. If the tax base were entirely
based upon the consumer directly, I really believe we might see a much
reduced government as a result. Instead, much of the tax burden is
"invisible" to the individual citizen, instead hidden in every purchase he
makes. Another factor, if the corporate taxes were reduced, our
industries would be decidedly more competitive in the world market place,
something our government makes noises about, but does quite the reverse
when put to the test.
I also think you are missing something on the passing of the taxes to
the consumer. You seem to think that they aren't passed entirely, well,
perhaps, but I actually think a case can be made that they are more than
passed. Any marketplace operates by using the price system. Something
that seems to have been overlooked, at least from my forays into the
subject, is that no information system is 100% accurate. Given that, then
any tax increase, say an increased gas tax, is going to be reflected in
the market price of goods and services at an inflated factor, i.e. at a
price higher than "what it should be" taking into account 100% accuracy of
price transmission.
How did you guess I believe in the marketplace <g>.
Brian
No Ron – they THINK they MIGHT be hurt by piracy. Remember, brilliance
has never shipped till now, and DC has all dongled products – DCTV,
Kitchen Synch, SuperGen, SuperGen S… did I miss any?
The difference is that the dongles that shipped with the other products I
named above also enhanced system operation rather than degrading it. If
they can make a tranparent dongle or one that adds some performance to the
system then I wouldn't complain.
Point 2 is that I'll bet they never thought that they may be loosing more
money to the costr of the dongles plus lost sales as compared to any
piracy. Dpaint seems to do O.K. with no dongle. Why should Brilliance be
different?
wmc – via Autopilot!
I agree, mostly. But consider this: Dpaint isn't copy protected. We can
readily assume there are many pirated copies of it out there. However, the
only reason DPaint prospers is because it owns market share and is highly
regarded as an Amiga must-have paint program. It's a standard, now, and
sells in sufficient quantity that piracy is irrelevant. EA makes a profit
on it, or else it wouldn't keep getting upgraded. But not every newcomer
can assume that a competing product will be as successful.
So, if you were Digital Creations and trying to make Brilliance the next
paint standard, how would you overcome DPaint's lock on the market? Add
more features, for one thing. But it's also true that piracy is more
advanced today than it was when DPaint arrived to ekk out its niche. I'd
like to think Brilliance could survive on solid sales. But what if only
one copy sells for every copy or two or three that are ripped off?
Brilliance could be "successful" and yet dead in short order.
I think there are less annoying alternatives than hardware dongles, such
as copy-protect screens that pop up, or key disks. In any case, if I buy a
product like Brilliance, it may well be in my interest to see copy
protection to the extent that it helps the product survive. Then, there
may be a better chance of continued upgrades and tech support.
Your point about DCTV's "dongle" being OK in that it enhances a system is
well taken. I suppose the Video Toaster could be seen as a similar kind of
"good" dongle, along with Opalvision and Opalpaint. Note that DCTV Paint
is no longer being upgraded in apparent deference to AGA and Brilliance.
My main beef with Digital Creations is that it apparently doesn't intend
to offer a DCTV Paint upgrade that's consistent with newer features in
Brilliance. I guess the concept is that DCTV Paint is sort of a Brilliance
for people without AGA.
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
I doubt there is that much DPaint pirating by people who have other than
just tried it. I know of one case and after fooling with it they bought
it cause it was so feature rich that they realized it was useless (nearly)
without the docs. So I doubt there are any pirated copies of Dpaint in
serious, frequent use. I mean, can you imagine trying to do dpaint anims
without the manual, for expample?
If Brilliance is a feature rich as Dpaint, then I think owning a manual is
the best protection.
wmc – via Autopilot!
> …useless without the docs… <
Many BOOK publishers make a living from pirated software!!! They publish
books that start from zero and take you all the way through a program and
that first point ('start from zero') to my eyes is the problem. If you
have a pirated piece of applications software and get stuck without the
manual you just buy a book on it (which in some cases is even better than
the original documentation) for maybe 20-30 Dollars and away you go! And
all you're missing is the possibility to upgrade to the next version (but
heck! – the pirated version of it will be around even before it's on the
market, as is often the case).
>> ILLEGAL COPYING IS THEFT AND ENDANGERS THE AMIGA!!! <<
// Chris coming in from Germany
\X/ on AutoPilot 1.06………..
Hey, sorry to say, but the pirates HAVE DOCS available for them… I remember
some time ago that I got a disk FULL of manual(mostly for games), but in the
middle of the disk was things like the COMPLETE AD Pro manual, Pro Page ,etc…
What the damned bastards do is simply use a scanner on the manual, and then
make some "edits" on the text… What's left now for them to do, copy the
original stickers that comes with the original disk?? H.R.P.
1) I doubt you'll see a Brilliance book anymore than you saw a DPaint
book.
2) Some software houses produce useless manuals on purpose (MicroSoft is
an example) so that development team members can write books, make extra
money as a benefit and make it look as if EVERYBODY is using package X.
Then they sell more of package X (and more books…).
3) If everyone here turns in one pirate to the FBI (your legal obligation)
then I, and other like me who HAVE turned in pirates and lost jobs because
of it, will not have to be punished by dongles. Piracy goes on not
because it is exciting, it goes on cause VERY few people who witness it
will turn in the perps – they are more content to yak back at people with
legitmate complaints of software protection schemes that lower their
productivity and render the package less useful then advertised. Less
risk than making your buddy who you know is stealing package x mad at
you, right? 'Fess up, you don't DARE to turn anyone in so your making
yourself feel better by trying to make my arguments seem unreasonaable,
right? :^}
wmc – via Autopilot!
I'm also opposed to Orwellian tactics. I'm opposed to piracy just like
I'm opposed to illegal drug use, but I think it'd be pretty fascist for me
to call the police everytime I found out that someone had lit a joint or
copied a disk.
I can set an example by doing what is right. I'm not about to force my
idea of "right" on everyone else like some TV evangalist.
Dale Larson
– An Amiga Software Engineer with some time on his hands.
There's a difference: A guy smoking a joint is screwing himself (or
having himself a good time, depending on your point of view). Someone
stealing software is screwing you! Wouls you decline to turn in a cat who
robbed your bank in order to avoid forcing your idea of right on him? You
know, most sinlge person bank robbers get only a few hundred a robbery –
about the same profit as a software pirate. Equal is Equal in my book.
Send the &@$+@^ds up!
wmc – via Autopilot!
Dale,
Your comparison of turning in someone smoking a joint to someone who has
copied a disk is an inaccurate, even painful, characterization of the
problem.
The question is, would you turn in someone if you saw them stealing from
the till of the local grocery store, or would you consider that
"orwellian" and "fascist"? That is a comparable crime – not doing drugs…
doing drugs at the level of "lighting a joint" is a socially defined,
internally directed crime, not a commercially defined, externally directed
crime.
Setting an example is great, and is appreciated (at least, by me and the
rest of this company). More can be done, and reasonably so, IMHO.
–Ben
…via AutoPilot
Wayne,
exactly! I've done my part.
Brian
Point well taken. Not many people would take time to photocopy a lengthy
manual. It'd cost almost as much as the program! Secure software houses
realizing this would encourage the spread of slightly crippled demo
versions, to relieve the pirating urge. And in fact some companies do just
that. But to each his own.
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
Ron,
it seriously depends on how many of those "ripped off" packages
represent real potential sales? If the sale would not have occured
anyway, then the loss is potential, not real.
As for Wayne's point about the dongles on his other packages, they
added value to the product, and therefore did not represent an increased
opportunity cost of using the product. For him, they were postive factors
in using the product, not negative.
I think this last point sums up his objection to the Brilliance dongle.
It also sums up my reaction to the same. I'd never buy the package,
period, unless the dongle added something to my system.
Brian
This reply is to nobody in particular….
Is the Brilliance dongle a pass-thru type? I really want to use this program at
work, but would obviously prefer a pass-thru dongle.
I personally really hate dongles. We're having problems with the dongle for our
4D database file server. It takes me 5-10 attempts to boot the thing each time
it's taken down. The dongle doesn't always get recognized. Their tech support
is lost in space.
But I understand the position companies are in, and no matter what you say,
dongles do help. If you knew how much Scala's sales went up when the dongle was
added… It's enough to make me want to add one to… no, we'd never do that.
Don't worry, just joking.
But I was really pissed when TypeSmith 1.01 was on pirate BBS's within hours of
being released. And when PageStream 2.2 was on pirate BBS's within hours… We
do so much work and then these absolute ******* ******** steal it, and in the
next breath tell their wonderful yuppy kids not to shoplift. And then have the
gall to call our tech support asking for help. Oh, registration number, um, um,
click.
Michael @ Soft-Logik Publishing Corp.
No pass thru on thier dongle.
Ben, Leigh's Computers
Micheal,
I hope you reported the BBSs to the FBI. Make life miserable for the SOBs
and feel no guilt!
How about an exposer virus. Serialize all copies, and have some logik you
guys can activate to determine the original source of the illegal copies
and the prosecute the SOB. As long as it doesnt hurt they'll keep doing
it. And the pirates are not stopped by dongles.
The reason Scala sales went up may be because they started marketting it
themselves instead of through GVP, came out with a significant upgrade
that made it more stable and desireable, and provided a product for a
niche were there was no other. But a paint program? Be like you guys
putting a dongle on PageStream. Gold disk would start selling more
ProPage and Pagestream sales would fall.
Here is the story from another board: DC was demoing the product a month
before release to the FAUG (I think that is in the SF area). The rep
asked how many wer planning to buy it. 10 hands went up, while some
people in the crowd next to the president of DC said they'd just get a
copy from a freind. The product then delayed an extra 3 weeks while the
dongle was added. Sounds like a guy who closes the doors to his retail
business just cause he heard someone say they were going to shoplift at
his place.
wmc – via Autopilot!
Wayne:
One problem with prosecuting the original source, you have to prove that
the original source GAVE AWAY a copy of the program, rather than they were
the victims of theft that they didn't even know about. I don't know about
you, but if I buy some program for lots of money, I'm not about to give it
away to anyone!
However I know of at least one occasion where programs were copied from my
machine without my knowledge (at the time), because I have several friends
that also have Amigas, and sometimes they'll come over to help me out by
watching my daughter while I go out, usually they will end up playing with
my machine in one way or the other, and once one of my friends was
interested in a program I'd just bought, and so copied it to floppies (or
they might have actually copied the original floppies, I really don't
know), and after setting it up on their machine and deciding that they
liked it, they went out and bought their own copy anyway, so in this case
nobody was hurt, but the point is, Am I supposed to lockup my machine
every time walk out the door?
The original purchaser of the program isn't always the one to blame, I'd
say that probably it's usually the #2 person that should have the major
portion of the blame if they took it without the machine owners
knowledge.
Unfortunately my very words are more proof that dongles do serve a
purpose, however there could just as easily be software dongles, like many
of the disabled shareware that gets distributed on CIS. I hate dongles,
and I don't have any on any of my machines, but I think it would be wrong
to put ALL the blame on the original purchaser of the software.
// -Mike Schiller
\X/ AMIGA! On AutoPilot in sunny Fort Lauderdale
>>but the point is, Am I supposed to lockup my machine every time walk out
the door? <<
In fact, yes – you are. Most large corporations who have government
contracts that can be lost if piracy is picked up in an audit have a
policy that says that when you leave your desk, all manuals and disks
for COTS (Commercial Off the Shelf) software SHALL be locked up in a
locking file cabinet or drawer and the machine must likewise be
locked so that no copying can take place in the designated user's
absence. Also the person who signs the tool receipt is solely
responsible for the software. If it gets ripped off due to the user's
negligence (failure to follow policy) he may be held fully
accountable for the theft. If you follow the procedure and it it
still stolen (like the cabinet is busted open) you may be off the
hook if you convince them you had no part in it. And you can be
fired for refusing to sign an agreement to comply with such
regulations including unannounced audits and searches of your desk,
person and any personal property on the company premises (including a
care in a parking lot) with or without cause.
Piracy exists at its present volume because as a society it is
implicitly and explicitly condoned. It is stealing as much as shop
liftng or snatch and run of a 7/11 til when the store keeper is in
the freezer case. Yet everyone has the most inane arguments as to
why they won't turn in a pirate but would turn in a 7/11 til
grabber. The fallacy is that most people don't turn in pirates cause
they know them. And if they saw the pirate steal someone's purse
from an unattended desk, they would likewise not report him 'cause
they know him. Society condones and almost glorifies stealing.
A freind in NYC had his truck stolen from in front of his business in
broad daylight. He immediatley called the cops. Their reply was,
"Hey, people are dropping like flies from 9mm slugs and you want us
to try an find your f$%^*%& truck? Just call your insurance agent and
quit bothering us with this petty car theft sh&*.!" And they hung up
on him. Now in LA, most people put Lo-Jak in the car, and when it
gets stolen the cops turn on the interrogator, locate the car and
usually make an arrest within hours of the car being stolen. The
difference is one city that accepts it as "standard" petty vice and
another that still calls stealing a crime.
Dongles wont stop piracy. People being caught and paying a price
higher than the software they stole will put a dent in it. So the
best policy is, if you can't see yourself turning someone in (or
seeing that they flush illegal copies) is to allow no one else
unsupervised access to you machine. And to be strong and committed
when you tell people why it is off limits. And if you are a
manufacturer, serialize and track every peice of software and go
after the original owner if it shows up on a pirate board. Go after
the pirate board too! Even if you can only put on pressure and cause
discomfort witout actually getting any arrests, it sends a message.
I agree with everything you've said about corporate computer use. But
I'm not talking about corporate use, I'm talking about my personal
computer, the one that sits in the corner of my bedroom. I have a box
of maybe 100 floppy disks right above the machine, and another couple
of hundred or so in a dresser drawer right next to the machine. Am I
as a personal user supposed to install locks on my dresser drawers?
Granted I should know the people using my machine, and I do, I don't
have to worry about ANY of them installing a virus on my machine, but
like I said when they're babysitting, how am I to control what they
do with my original disks?
I'm really not trying to be snotty, but your acceptance of the
license when you opened the software does make you responsible to be
your brother's keeper (at least when hs is using your machine). Put
the other way around, you could be held negligent on your part of the
license aggreement if your software is being pirated.
I know, there is legalese and there is the practical world. But it
is wrong that a union laborer gets paid for every shovel full of dirt
he slings and every tasteless joke he tells, whils some hardworking
independendent software producer gets to go on food stamps cause
everyone looks the other way while thier buddies steal the poor guy
blind. Piracy is not morally right, there is no rationalization that
changes that, and it will not diminish until we, as users muster the
moral fortitude to take action against pirates, whehter it be to put
the cops on 'em or to shame them into destroying pirated software
they have. And just about every rationalization I've been handed on
the subject for doing otherwise is a smoke and mirrors for, "I don't
have the courage to stand up to my friends bad habits".
I'm not trying to be in anyway negative toward you or anyone else in
this discussion. But, I had to take a long look in the mirror before
comming to this point. And when I did I found that the ONLY reason I
would not follow the morally correct road on this issue was fear.
Every rationalization I came up with was a cover for that fear – he
won't like me, she may not like me… But that doesn't matter,
because now there is just one less place in life where I can hide
from myself.
Since you are a dealer you actually have a better reason than most to
give your freinds: its taking money out of your pocket the same as if
they picked your pocket. I'm sure if you explained it to them in
those terms, they would at least be sure to hide their pirating
activities from you.
(O.K. I'm turning the collar around now, black cassock goes into the
closet, Hawaiian shirt comes out… :^}
I agree with your feelings about union workers, and software
developers. I just think that some alternative method of software
control is nessasary.
Forget the license. Most people don't understand copyright. Anyone smart
enough to use a computer should understand that they're ripping off someone
else's work when they copy software. On the other hand, I've tried to hammer
this concept into my relatives over Thanksgiving dinner – even though they can
understand that *I* make my living selling software, even though at least one
of them uses pirated software to make money on the side, they still think it
doesn't hurt anyone when they copy software.
Darn I was goning to buy this program for my new company, dongle? Thanks
for the warning. I guess I'll stick with Dpaint a little longer.
<- James Scott ->
Automated with AutoPilot!!!! Version 1.6
Maybe if DC gets enough of these messages they'll also get the hint. BTW,
pass the word along to any othe bbs you belong to. Since they are not real
forthright in warning people, we users must spread the word.
wmc – via Autopilot!