Re: cracks question

Mike,

I am happy you got my point. I am not, of course, trying to justify the
pirated software, just to explain why, IMO, it will exist no matter what
security features the software manufacturers try. If we narrow it to the
Western world, than, just like you, I can see two temporary justifications:
1) a person trying to study the software, and 2) a person jump-starting
their business. In both cases, by the way, a software manufacturer that does
not have their head up their ass can come up with creative ways of letting
people try their stuff without future obligations. And I mean the real,
commercial stuff, not the 'student edition' that is incompatible with
commercial files (including tutorial files made by tutorial providers). To
me, the narrow-mindedness shown by most software manufacturers in this
regard is stunning. Yes, a certain number of licenses will be put to the
inappropriate use this way, but the broadening of the legitimate user base
will more than offset these losses (provided, of course, that the software
in question is worth using).

On the other hand, until the Third World is closer to the West in the
standard of living as well as many other aspects, there is literally nothing
that can be done about piracy (unless, of course, you consider sealing the
Third World off completely a viable possibility rather than a paranoid
delusion). It is very much like trying to fight terrorism: you can take a
defensive position (which is what 'security features' really are) and hope
for the best, but you have to fend off EVERY attack to be successful, and
the opposing side just needs to get lucky ONCE. Or, you can try to deal with
the problem at the source. Which then becomes the business of the USA and
other Western countries, through massive properly targeted economic aid,
political pressure, even military actions sometimes, to engage in currently
much-despised 'nation-building', which is really the only true way out. That
is the true measure of the problem a bunch of morons in the software
industry are trying to solve with 'security features'.

That's it. I'm off the soap box.
-- 
Alex Shishkin

http://home1.gte.net/res025wf/index.htm