Since the bronze day of Computer usage in the home. You had Piracy a simple problem where friends would share floppies, or hard discs. Now you have servers devoted to the issue occurring where millions of dollars worth of software is shared among peers. Now the simple pong battle of morals play a bold role. Or at least mentally. Some blaming the high price of games, to the old term “sticking it to the man”. One thing is certain, it is a complex matter more then others one lopsidedly can address. While I personally support a product that is awesome. I to like to try before I buy. However the developers have pushed it to the point where some of the fancy stuff requires you to just buy it.
Costing even a student eight hundred dollars to perhaps never use the said product again. So where does that student come down too? You guessed it, bootlegging the item. Why does these products cost so much? When the product at points feels like just a update to a older copy that does the job as well, such as Adobe after effects. While you do have many options to have a clone of that software more affordable. It still sets you back one hundred and fifty or more dollars. Understandable that the software companies do have to eat. Pirates speak with a double edge sword on terms. While they say if they enjoy the product truly, they would simply buy it. While most cases this is true and people do go this route, some just exploit the usage and never pay.
The video below is from The Computer Chronicles. This certain episode is from 1985, featuring elements of what we still see today.
While big corporations thrive on smaller companies to use there products under a agreement, or a license. Which of course is purchasing the product, how many times required. Where is the balance in all this? The cost of production, the people who worked on it, and the over all in between are noted, however at a point where a independent company could produce software almost the same as big name brands, for free. Then where does the point of spending so much for something that is free else where. Customer support? From a guy in India to save the company money. So that $$$ you spend is pretty much draping there living rooms. If the items cost a fraction of the cost from other then being a name sake then I would assume piracy of that product would trim down. Even so much you would have the Pirates who state “If I like it, I will buy it.” Would happily toss out 80 bucks for some quality video editing software.
However, where I see elements of offering customers a option of a trial of the software is also there. Granting students, and home users the ability to try the product without stealing it with a cracked generator, or the easy to find serial number through forums. Even You tube now-a-days. Where honestly is felt, it is also smoke and mirrors to save grace. For those trials offering fourteen days to try before you buy I think honestly mostly that is a fair time to see if you would buy half of this stuff you go out of your way to mask your IP to be able to steal.
While yes, the software can be borrow to later be purchased in legal terms. What stops that person to download new versions every year. Nothing. While the most downloaded items on the net is music,movies, and assorted applications, as games,art programs and movie editors. One thing is certain. Some people are too rich to see the point to become less rich, while the others do not see the point to spend a dime on something they have no way in a few years to buy out right. The the end of the day, one side has more rights then the other to issue out there work, while the other has the right to feel like there money is well spent.
