[Gllug] Priracy.

[Chris Ball]

>> On 4 Mar 2003, Peter Childs <blue.dragon at blueyonder.co.uk> said:

   > Linux is never going to replace Windows until people start
   > replising that Software Piracy is a real crime and is exactly 
   > the same as Stealling.

   (From wordnet, dict theft/stealing:)

        1. (Law) The act of stealing; specifically, the felonious
           taking and removing of personal property, with an intent
           to deprive the rightful owner of the same; larceny.

        Note: To constitute theft there must be a taking without the
              owner's consent, and it must be unlawful or felonious;
              every part of the property stolen must be removed,
              however slightly, from its former position; and it must
              be, at least momentarily, in the complete possession of
              the thief. See {Larceny}, and the Note under {Robbery}.

So, well, it's not exactly the same as stealing, is it?  You're not
removing the object from the possession of the original owner.  Giving 
a label like stealing, theft or piracy to the idea that you're removing
something abstract (a possibility that you might have given an author
payment for something) just confuses the issue.  Let people work out
what it is and how much it registers on their moral richter scale on
their own.  :)

I also wouldn't say that Software Piracy is ``a real crime'' and
``criminal'' (as you do later); it isn't punished criminally here
(except in very large quantities and where reselling is involved) 
and only breaks civil law, not criminal law.  The police wouldn't 
be involved.

RMS would also point out that if you have to label something ``piracy''
to try and get your message across - directly compare it to stealing
ships through force - maybe people are having problems resolving it as 
a bad thing on their own.

   > If only becuase a good copy of windows is very difficult to prove.

I don't believe this is true.  Microsoft require registration of product
numbers (in XP), and could easily check whether a machine is using a
product number that's already been registered (and not to them) when
given physical access to the machine.

   > In short although Linux is free and Open. we still have to do
   > battle with Windows becuase many people "Think" windows is free too
   > (Just not Open Source which means nothing to most people)

If it doesn't mean anything to them - even after a little thought - they
are unlikely to find the main features of Linux to be a more attractive
option anyway, unless they can be persuaded on technical merit alone.

- Chris.
-- 
$a="printf.net";  Chris Ball | chris at void.$a | www.$a | finger: chris@$a
|  "A sendmail buffer exploit?  That must be a glitch in the matrix."


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