Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?

Lets take a view on software and software piracy for a while.
Companies state that they are loosing money on software piracy,
but what some of them (not, SOME, not all) doesnt tell the
media is that they are in a way also benefiting from the
piracy that flourishes on the web. This is where the
stalwart exclaim “THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE, IT IS LOST REVENUE”
But hear me out please.

Lets take an example in a product that we all KNOW
is being copied high and low and you can find on
almost every torrent site and DC hub there is.
Adobe xxxxxxx. I will be using it just because
it is named as the standard DTP program and most
people know an inkling of what it is.

No harm on Adobe, quite the
contrary, they have developed both a marvellous
piece of software (the thousands of downloads confirm that)
and they have also built a reputation for being the
leading software engineer for desktop publishing.

Companies that are keeping their own designers
and illustrators generally have xxxxxxx as a stock
application installed, why is that? Well, to some
extent it is that the company knows that the software
is good, BUT here comes the kicker, usually those
types of firms wants someone with experience WITH
those types of software. So, how does a teenager
afford to learn the type of xxxxxxx techniques that
companies today require without having very rich
parents that can buy a license for xxxxxxx?

Ok, you say there is a demo version? Yes there
might be, but demo is a nasty word to younger
generations, to an extent they mean “incomplete
and lacking functions” wich means that the young,
aspiring designer doesnt want to touch it, much
less use it for learning purposes.

There are also student licenses, of course, correct
me if I am wrong here, but arent those also to an
extent time limited and lacking functions?

What do we have left?

Well, theres always the internet, and trust me
its not even hard, heres a tip for you.

http://www.google.se/search?hl=sv&q=softwarename+torrent&meta=

See? That was really really really hard, wasnt it?
I mean, everyone these days uses google or a different
search engine, and just by putting in the words xxxxxxx torrent
in google, I found where I can download it.

Ok, that was a little on how to find it, lets get back on
track. We have this talented teen who manages to download
a copy of xxxxxxx and more or less perfects is technique
and skill in using it. There are always more tricks, but
at this stage he has earned enough of a name online that
companies are starting to notice what he does. So, they
want to hire him. Fine, they hire him for design purposes.
I will give you 1 guess at what his first question will be.

Will I be able to use XXXXX?

If the company already owns a license, fine. If not
they will either A: buy a license or B: see the
guy walk off to another company, or C: wich is the worst.
Tell the guy that he can use another software in the
meantime while they wait for a xxxxxxx license.

What that will accomplish is that they will get a worker
that doesnt have the knowledge that they expected because
he will be operating out of his comfort zone, things that
normally take just a day will take a week because he simply
doesnt know how to do certain operations in the new software.

So, the company that hires him better either HAVE or should
be purchasing a license. In the extension, what will follow
is that when new versions comes out, this young man will
want to try new versions and hopefully the company will listen
to him and purchase more licenses.
That might generate a pretty steady income. The company
will also notice that adobe products keep a high class
and are easy to introduce to new co workers, wich in
turn might generate more license.

What is my standpoint on software piracy?
Well, I dont play that many games, I play Starwars galaxies
wich is a pay per month MMORPG, I play DiabloII online
on battlenet wich requires a purchased set of discs,
and I play a MUD, wich is free to play. So games isnt
really my cup of tea so to speak.

Regarding production software my philosophy is simple
and I tell anyone who asks me. I will gladly download
a piece of software to learn the basics of it, and if
i like it, I might keep it. I will also be letting
people know what I think about it, good aswell as
bad comments. If I ever make something WITH the software
that I make money on, I will purchase it.

It is as simple as that.

Now, here’s something that not many standard computer
users know about. If there is a popular software, chances
are very high that there are open source software that
does and behaves almost exactly the same. Case in point:

Adobe xxxxxxx -> The Gimp
Microsoft Office -> Open Office.org

Ok, the programs capabilities and behaviour isnt exactly
identical, but what you use the most is similar enough that
the transistion is close to seamless.

But really, if some companies have their way, copying
and using open source will soon be considered piracy
aswell.