[comp.sys.amiga] Pirating and backups

dpz@paul.UUCP (04/08/87)

> From: sean@ukma.ms.uky.csnet (Sean Casey)

>It's my policy now to never run from an original copy of anything.  I strongly

Good idea - one of the first things I always do when I get a software
package is to hit the paranoid button and make a few levels of backups.

>endorse pirating of all copy-protected software.  Perhaps when they realize
>that copy protection doesn't stop it, they will change their asinine ways.

YOW.  I don't think this is the way to do it, and it hasn't worked in
the past.  What *has* seemed to work (at least more than pirating) is
to place direct pressure on the company to kill the protection.  Look
at Microsoft.  Look at Borland, who got the hint even before putting
something on the market.  Pirating the program will have about as much
effect as mailing them a play-by-play description of how you broke
their copy-protection.

Lucky for MicroPro and the add-on program writers that MP didn't get
fed up by the widespread copying of WordStar and put copy-protection
on it.  It now has, through the wonder of illegal copying, an base of
over a million and a half (or so) WS copies out there.  Extrapolate as
you wish.

>People need to be able to make backups.  Especially on an Amiga.

Especially on any computer.

					dpz
-- 
David P. Zimmerman           rutgers!dpz           dpz@rutgers.edu