61% of users feel that free/open source software reduces their pirating

[seopher]

This time last year I asked the readers of my site whether they felt open source (and free) software helped to reduce their need to pirate commercial applications, and 51.8% said yes.

I've done the same survey this year and found that 61% feel this way. That's a 9.2% jump on last year so it'll be thanks to the big projects like Ubuntu, OpenOffice, GIMP etc that have raised awareness.

It might be slightly academic asking this in the Ubuntu forums but do you feel the same way?

Article - http://www.seopher.com/articles/does_open_source_and_free_software_reduce_your_pir ating_61_say_yes

I'd really appreciate a Digg if you feel inclined too - http://www.digg.com/software/61_of_users_feel_that_free_open_source_software_re duces_their_pirating

[adam.tropics]

...
It might be slightly academic asking this in the Ubuntu forums but do you feel the same way?
..

Well yeah, because nobody would pirate free software, and anyone who has already switched (completely) would have no need for windows/mac software. That said, small improvements are improvements none the less, so all good.

I bet the same couldn't be said for music and movies by the way!

[seopher]

I dunno mate, I think Radiohead did a good thing with their latest release by letting users decide the price they want to pay (if any).

Also, I'm under the impression there are a few Windows users knocking around these parts...

[adam.tropics]

I dunno mate, I think Radiohead did a good thing with their latest release by letting users decide the price they want to pay (if any).

Also, I'm under the impression there are a few Windows users knocking around these parts...


Radiohead did, yes, although I think you had to pay something, even if it was token. But I mean you're talking a very small number of pioneers, not near mainstream by any stretch, and with the online industry being so valuable, the odds are that the status quo will remain for a while yet.

And yes again about windows users....they're welcome too!

[seopher]

As I understand it something like 1 in 2 people who downloaded the Radiohead album didn't pay anything at all. They still made a few million dollars from it though.

[adam.tropics]

As I understand it something like 1 in 2 people who downloaded the Radiohead album didn't pay anything at all. They still made a few million dollars from it though.

Was a bit strange, since even if they paid nothing for the album, bargain, they still had to pay 45p credit card handling fee (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/shanerichmond/sept07/radiohead.htm)....go figure!

Would be an interesting model if applied to software....what would you pay for Photoshop....

[kopinux]

count me in.

in my country the enemy is not MS, its piracy. 71% are using pirated softwares.

though the government at least is doing something now.

[seopher]

Was a bit strange, since even if they paid nothing for the album, bargain, they still had to pay 45p credit card handling fee (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/shanerichmond/sept07/radiohead.htm)....go figure!

Would be an interesting model if applied to software....what would you pay for Photoshop....

I'd happily pay £50 for CS3 (Photoshop, Dreamweaver etc, the important ones). But it's a lot more than that.

[FG123]

I've tried to reduce my reliance on pirated software because I figure it's unsustainable. I can't live my life entierly on pirated software, for both legal and personal reasons, so moving to Linux and getting used to free software will help in the future. I also have no qualms of purchasing certain programs at reasonable prices, but come on, no wonder Photoshop gets pirated to hell. Adobe won't bother selling it at realistic prices because they know it gets pirated at the consumer level, but get people hooked and it becomes an industry standard and as such, you then pay for it at the business level.

If there we more reasonably-priced commerical packages around, eh, maybe there'd be less piracy. Wouldn't reduce it entirely, but it would make a lot of people feel better.

[tehet]

According to a /. posting 1.2 mln people downloaded it. 38% paid for it, with an average of $5~8 resulting in a total rev. of $6~10 mln. Makes me wonder how much they would have gotten the traditional way.

On topic: No more software 'pirating' for me, but still the occasional movie. Overall I'd say I do far less cold blooded thievery then I used to.

[AndyCooll]

Open-source software (and the awareness of it) has definitely reduced my need to pirate, indeed it has halted it completely.

When I was using XP I finally bought a legal XP licence and then sought out other free apps as I realised that I didn't need to have the best known version of an app for the tasks I required. Indeed many lesser known versions of an app were as good if not better. Through searching I came across open-source and eventually Linux.

As time has gone on I've now begun to apply these same principles to all aspects of my computer use, right down to my music collection etc. I have removed any music file that I don't either own a legal copy of or haven't been granted permission to download.

Learning a new approach to software and OS's was was quite a transition and a challenge. Taking a new approach to my music collection and seeking out new sources for my music has been too. All in all it has been quite exhilerating.

:cool:

[Iceni]

I think photoshop is a good example of something many people almost have to pirate.. It is the industry standard and probably millions of students needs it - but they are students so there is no way they can afford it. So they pirate it.

I don't pirate software anymore and I'm very happy with that. I download music but I also buy the music I like. I buy a movie if it is good but no way am I paying the overpriced cinema prices we have today.

[seopher]

I think photoshop is a good example of something many people almost have to pirate.. It is the industry standard and probably millions of students needs it - but they are students so there is no way they can afford it. So they pirate it.

I don't pirate software anymore and I'm very happy with that. I download music but I also buy the music I like. I buy a movie if it is good but no way am I paying the overpriced cinema prices we have today.

I agree; when I was at university we needed good applications and coding IDE's, and it just so happened that the version we were educated to use in labs was £300.

Cheaper IDE's were available (free ones say) but as young students learning we needed consistency... Same goes for things like Photoshop. You CANNOT be a web designer without using Photoshop because it's the best, most widely accepted application available.

Same goes for things like InDesign.

[adam.tropics]

I agree; when I was at university we needed good applications and coding IDE's, and it just so happened that the version we were educated to use in labs was £300.



Same experience here too. I think just about every student in the department had the entire then Macromedia suite. Hardly used it! As for coding...we're talking back in the day when the first language taught was Pascal, so basic text editors and such were just fine.


...You CANNOT be a web designer without using Photoshop ...

Not sure I agree with that though.

[seopher]

It's the industry I work in, you'll find it difficult to function without professional things like Photoshop. GIMP is good but not good enough.

We put out £100,000 websites here and there's no way the work would be good enough using paint.net or whatever.

Just my opinion - obviously.

[thx11381974]

It's brought me down from 100% to 98%.
I don't know why they call it pirating, I mean pirates are cool. Who doesn't want to be a pirate? You would think they could come up something demeaning or undesirable.

[bobbocanfly]

I only pirate things that arent available on Linux like Photoshop (Gimp just isnt as usable as Photoshop yet) and SynthMaker. I still download movies (though not indie movies, or ones that i think are actually art) and music (I feel no need to pay for vibrations).

[happysmileman]

Was a bit strange, since even if they paid nothing for the album, bargain, they still had to pay 45p credit card handling fee (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/shanerichmond/sept07/radiohead.htm)....go figure!

You only had to pay the handling fee if you used a card, I paid nothing for it at all.

[x0as]

You only had to pay the handling fee if you used a card, I paid nothing for it at all.

Same here, they never had my credit card details so they can't charge it.

[sloggerkhan]

I guess I'd say linux reduced my priracy... I never was much given to software piracy outside of games, and even then, I usually just DLed to demo them or for lan parties. Now I don't game anywhere near as much as I used to, and my other piracy habits are much the same. (I will not support the recording industry until the get their act together.)

[tlages]

Yarr!
But seriously, with the GNU project and all of the associated software, my piracy has been reduced dramatically.

[ghostcrab]

Now that I took a complete switch to Linux I been useing it for a bit over a year now. free/open source software is the best IMHO
everything I needed to do is here. So as far as my pirating sound's like window'z user's not Linux users

[kellemes]

You only had to pay the handling fee if you used a card, I paid nothing for it at all.

Am I the only one who paid the 40 pounds for the diskbox?
I actually don't think so.. as I understand it most visitors of there site didn't mind pay for a fine album (+ more).
For me it's the same with software, I don't mind paying for Photoshop or Dreamweaver (to name a few) since there pretty fine products. For those I still haven't found a free/OS alternative.

[prizrak]

I feel about the same way as well. For one when using Ubuntu it's very hard to pirate software as most of the piratable stuff is for Windows ;) For two when a free/open source application does what I need why should I bother installing something illegal. Especially considering that for the most part people tend to get Photoshop to do some very small photo editing task that would be much easier/better performed by a small photo editing app. It also helps knowing that you can get all the updates without having to worry about cracks from unreliable sites.

[RedMist]

I don't pirate app's anymore either since my switch to Kubuntu as my main OS. I have found that practically everything I need is in the repo's in one form or another. Sure, it might not be as flashy as the commercial stuff but it gets the same job done. As others have said above, the only exception to this in my experience has been the Adobe software. Photoshop, Dreamweaver etc.

[FG123]

Unfortunately I have not been able to entirely eliminate my pirating habits, for a couple of reasons:

(a) I run Windows in a virtual machine for the odd program that doesn't have a LInux alternative. For example, I need to run Nokia PC Suite to gain access to my phone for the purpose of manipulating its internal memory and uploading applications, so I simply CAN'T get the job done in anything other than Windows, because there's no other tool available. I also much prefer Photoshop to anything else out there, and it's useful as a backup for anything else that might crop up, since we still live in a Windows world. I have not purchased a legit copy of Windows since Win 95, and that won't change.

(b) I've reduced my usage of pirated software, but I still download two or three TV shows per week (plus the occasional movie), and I refuse to give that up. At least it's not chronic I suppose.