SAB121@PSUVM.BITNET (11/10/89)
While I agree that piracy is terrible, and while I agree that passive copy
protection is a slightly more friendly scheme, have you ever tried playing
a game when you have to look through 200 pages of manual just to be able to
play it? A PAIN IN THE A**! Especially if you are like me and can never find
the manual when you want to play a game. (OK, so I'm a LITTLE disorganized!)
I however like InfoCom, especially their older games because I can plug
in the disk a play! No problems... While I can't load it onto a hard drive, I
can make backups of it. (And seriously, if I had anything less than a 40 meg,
especially with my GS, there is no way I'd be albe to fit all my games on it.
That would be for the important stuff like utilities, word processors, and the
like.)
Besides which, if you don't like that protection scheme, all you have to
do is buy Copy II Plus, a program just about everybody and his brother has (I
finally bought it and don't have to go over tofriends to make backups). Their
latest version has parameters in the bc3.system that allow you to un-protect
disks, and on some of the passive copy protected programs will even get rid of
the passive protection! (I know it works on Vegas Gambler because a friend made
a backup of his disk with it and it works, 100%).
Note: This is from a poor college student. If I can't buy it I use
freeware instead. That's what God created these programs for, eh?jib@prism.TMC.COM (11/14/89)
RE: Archival copies of software vs. piracy
I agree that this forum should not waste bandwidth with messages on
copyrights and piracy. (Try misc.legal).
However the information that Eric Mcgillicuddy is posting as authority is
not accurate. Nonlawyers should not give legal interpreatations.
ArCHIVAL copying of software is allowed by the copyright laws REGARDLESS
of any scarely license agreements to the contrary. It is not clear that
any portion of those license agreements is enforcable for ready-made (as
opposed to custom designed) software.
I am a lawyer, but even so, don't rely on this information.
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Jim Block jib@prism.TMC.COM
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