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Years ago I used to be a pirate, pirating movies, software, games, and music. I quite a long time ago for serval reasons:

1) I have better Ethics now: People who put a out a good and useful products deserve to get paid for their work.
2) The increase risk of malware and ransomware. I got bitten hard once and almost twice by ransomware.
3) Since I only use Linux and is especially an Linux only gamer, being a pirate(s) will kill the Linux Gaming Scene hard and fast.
4) Speaking of Linux, having scores of pirates using it will get Copyright holders to try to legally ban Linux and FOSS at least for desktop use. I don't know how likely this would be asking for trouble.
5) At the software level, there is plenty of FOSS applications available now even for Windows that is no need to pirate software.

I refuse to pirate anymore and haven't done for so for many years now. I even buy my music from Amazon now.

OK. Want a cookie?

You are something else man. If I'm ever in the area you should let me buy you a beer. I have a feeling it'd be the most entertaining time ever.

jackbomb wrote:

OK. Want a cookie?

Yes please, thank you.

2 types of pirates exist these days.
Software Pirates and Media Pirates.

Software Pirates are slowly disappearing for many reasons main ones being DRM and malware. DRM having the software check in can be broken but then you never get updates. an con artists tacking malware onto the installers just make it not worth it.

Media Pirates are still out there. always will be.

I'm not a media pirate... but only because I don't consume media.

Netflix for the kids, but I can't remember the last time I saw something on cable. Probably was Battlestar Galactica series. Last movie? Inception. Last album? Hell, I don't know, probably Straight Outta Lynnwood.

Piracy is, in a weird way, a form of support. I'd rather starve the beast. What limited time I have for entertainment is mostly taken up by freemium MMOs and working through random games I own and haven't even installed yet from Steam.

jackbomb wrote:

OK. Want a cookie?

I hope you brought enough for everyone.

boredom strikes again

There's little reason to pirate software. It's available at a reasonable price for the content. In the vast, vast majority of cases anyhow. Biggest reason to pirate might be to avoid overly restrictive DRM, but even that's getting better. For games Steam isn't bad, and GoG is DRM free. For other software there's usually a free version that's just as good or nearly so. There are rare exceptions.

Media though...that's often not the case. Some TV shows you can't get without cable which is expensive and inconvenient. Some books aren't available in electronic format unless you pirate. Often both can be significantly overpriced. And a lot of the DRM here is much more restrictive than game DRM. I mean, it's getting better, but it still isn't pretty, imho.

I'm just old enough to remember the hippies of the 1960s.
They were like, down with the man, power to the people, free stuff for all, let's all get together and unite, burn-baby-burn.
Then they grew up, cut their hair, got establishment jobs, inherited a wad of dough and a business from their parents and they became, The Man!
It seems life is about the cycle of emptiness, identity, rebellion, acceptance and inheritance.

whm1974 wrote:

I got bitten hard once and almost twice by ransomware.

Like someone said, this is why software (as opposed to media) piracy isn't just a matter of ethics, but basically system survival.

Don't do it. It's not just wrong, it's a really, really bad idea.

whm1974 wrote:

Having scores of pirates using it will get Copyright holders to try to legally ban Linux and FOSS at least for desktop use.

wut.

whm1974 wrote:

5) At the software level, there is plenty of FOSS applications available now even for Windows that is no need to pirate software.

If you are pirating the paid equivalent of FOSS programs, wow, that's stupid in a completely different way than braving the inherent dangers.

(to be clear, I am saying that the paid software worth pirating doesn't have a real FOSS equivalent)

derFunkenstein wrote:

boredom strikes again

yup... Friday afternoon and a long weekend here... office is dead.

Glorious wrote:

If you are pirating the paid equivalent of FOSS programs, wow, that's stupid in a completely different way than braving the inherent dangers.

(to be clear, I am saying that the paid software worth pirating doesn't have a real FOSS equivalent)

Hmm, I am trying to think of examples of this. Windows and Photoshop come to mind first. There are some other examples besides games, I'm sure, but I am not sure I could even think of 10 applications without an equally good or better FOSS equivalent that aren't super-specialized.

And games are pretty darn cheap if you just wait for them to get on sale.

Drachasor wrote:

Glorious wrote:

If you are pirating the paid equivalent of FOSS programs, wow, that's stupid in a completely different way than braving the inherent dangers.

(to be clear, I am saying that the paid software worth pirating doesn't have a real FOSS equivalent)

Hmm, I am trying to think of examples of this. Windows and Photoshop come to mind first. There are some other examples besides games, I'm sure, but I am not sure I could even think of 10 applications without an equally good or better FOSS equivalent that aren't super-specialized.

And games are pretty darn cheap if you just wait for them to get on sale.

Big one is Microsoft Office, Project in particular.
The FOSS Project knockoffs tend to be clunky.

Talking to people who actually Photoshop, GIMP still is too far behind on some features.

I gave up piracy after they started sending the Navy SEALS after us.

That container ship full of knockoff handbags was just NOT WORTH IT.

Heiwashin wrote:

You are something else man. If I'm ever in the area you should let me buy you a beer. I have a feeling it'd be the most entertaining time ever.

You sir, have an odd concept of "entertaining".

Arvald wrote:

... an con artists tacking malware onto the installers just make it not worth it.

It's almost like....criminals do criminal things! Holy crap!

OK, agree on all the above stated points. But "archival" has a strong overlap with what is technically piracy. For example, trying to watch an episode of a low to mid-popularity TV episode that aired years ago and never saw a DVD release, and the TV network's not responding to requests for a copy, so... all hope depends on the existence of a torrent seeded by another fan who dearly loves the show.
There's a real risk that before the date when they would become public domain, lots of valuable media might be lost forever due to contingencies. And media "sharing" is a powerful force for mitigating this risk. You might think of this as insurance against modern-day "Library of Alexandria"-type scenarios (corporate mergers/instability, indefinitely delays of legal releases/re-releases due to red tape, etc).
So I guess you could consider adding the following amendment your no-pirating ethical code: Try to buy it first, but if it can't be bought then it's time to "share" / "archive" / "pirate" it.

Arvald wrote:

Talking to people who actually Photoshop, GIMP still is too far behind on some features.

I still use Photoshop mostly just because that's what I know. I spend enough time during the day thinking "how does this work?" without having to do that while getting the prep for the real work out of the way.

Wonders wrote:

OK, agree on all the above stated points. But "archival" has a strong overlap with what is technically piracy. For example, trying to watch an episode of a low to mid-popularity TV episode that aired years ago and never saw a DVD release, and the TV network's not responding to requests for a copy, so... all hope depends on the existence of a torrent seeded by another fan who dearly loves the show.
There's a real risk that before the date when they would become public domain, lots of valuable media might be lost forever due to contingencies. And media "sharing" is a powerful force for mitigating this risk. You might think of this as insurance against modern-day "Library of Alexandria"-type scenarios (corporate mergers/instability, indefinitely delays of legal releases/re-releases due to red tape, etc).
So I guess you could consider adding the following amendment your no-pirating ethical code: Try to buy it first, but if it can't be bought then it's time to "share" / "archive" / "pirate" it.

Well that I can agree with. And I understand the desire to preserve things that part of our culture or had a heavy influence on it.

I don't pirate, but if someone pisses me off I just won't use their products. And plenty of them do; I have an extensive blacklist thanks to my, shall we say, rather inflexible views on DRM, industry corruption and certain political shenanigans. Sometimes I'll also hide behind the first sale doctrine and buy used CDs.