A survey about ....

[valley]

Just to add myself to your statements, I took the survey. i dont think its particularly clever, but I doubt one can make a realy clever one, no matter what. I not give much on the results, as i dont give much on any surveys result.

Surveys are extremely hard to do properly, but no matter what, a survey should never have leading questions, or make assumptions.

A question such as "do you believe it is OK to use commercial software without first paying for it? Yes, Sometimes, No, Undecided." Is probably OK.

By contrast the same question rephrased as "do you believe it is OK to steal software?" is poorly posed, since it specifies theft, or the intent to permanently deprive. Someone who uses cracked software by way of an extended demo, may not have a permanent intent to deprive. Someone who uses unregistered abandon-ware also may not see their actions as theft since they have no intent to deprive. Putting aside the morals of the subject, the question itself, presented, as it is, as a way to understand another's POV, leaves no way to give an honest answer.

At its worst, this kind of sloppiness often turns up in surveys as "I do not believe it is necessary to pay for the software I own (agree/disagree)" which is so clearly busted on so many levels. It makes no distinction between lawfully or unlawfully free software, and offers only binary answers, for example. I'm always amazed how often I see surveys mistakes like that though.

A good survey can be a very useful tool, but a bad survey is no better, and usually worse, than no survey at all.

[biss]

Piracy is not a problem and it never will. In fact, it helps companies.
They invented it.
This is how it works: I own a company, I make a software and what I want people do? Buy it.
Wrong!
I want they HAVE it!
Some people buy it (like me or you guys) someone else uses the cracked version. The fact is that people who use the cracked version, well, they were not going to buy the software anyway, were they? So, I give it to them anyway. Then one day I try to change my copy protection and see if some of them will buy it because maybe now they can't work without it.
I hope I express the concept well, this is not my first language, but I think it is easy to understand.
Of corse my opening statement is a provocation, just to get your attention. Using cracked software is stealing, it is just wrong, end of story. But my explanation gives you a reason of why (at least in part) copy protections exist.
Trust me, I am not talking as a musician. This is not just an opinion.

[phazed]

Piracy is not a problem and it never will. In fact, it helps companies.
They invented it.
This is how it works: I own a company, I make a software and what I want people do? Buy it.
Wrong!
I want they HAVE it!

What you describe is in fact part of the game when it comes to big players like Microsoft. Windows or Office wouldn't have gained 1% of their current popularity if they had a non-breakable copy protection.

But consider it's a different thing when it comes to smaller companies like LinPlug. They don't think this way. As a developer it's completely unrealistic to prevent privacy. Trying this is a waste of time. The question is mainly, can a company live with the situation and are there still enough honest customers around that enough income is guaranteed. On the other side every audio software developer should know that he's not working in a business where the big money is made.

I always try to convince people of what they gain by buying a license. I typically tell them:
- You get competent support for the product quickly
- You're able to bring your own ideas into further development
- You can always get the latest updates without searching "somewhere else"

If they really use the product for their daily work they appreciate my advice. If they just have the product installed beneath their 500+ other plugins they don't matter. But in the latter case they are no customers anyway.

[biss]

Phazed your right. And I think Peter is right. At the end of the day it only depends on you and how you feel with yourself. How you want to live your life. Other than that, there is really nothing to do for someone like Linplug against piracy.
So, maybe the guys who hate dongles are right. They would be customers anyway.
I don't know. The only thing that really matters to me is good support. I see it here from Peter, but I don't see it very often around. And when you buy something and the vendor doesn't care if you have problems, well, maybe that helps piracy. The only time I sit down and I ask myself "why have I bought all this stuff instead of using cracked versions" is when I don't get support. That really pisses me off.
Another thing: a lot of big software companies try to force you to upgrade your software even if you don't want. With any kind of trick. I hate that, and sometimes I am tempted to use their cracked versions, or at least I can see a reason to do that. So, maybe someone else sees it too. They use cracked, they solved their problems.

I know is not a nice thing to say but, even though I have all original stuff, I think someone deserve to be cracked.

[IMSTA]

[quote="Peter from LinPlug"]Just to add myself to your statements, I took the survey. i dont think its particularly clever, but I doubt one can make a realy clever one, no matter what ........... quote]


First and foremost I would like to thank everyone who has added a comment here.

The survey questions were suggested by IMSTA member companies. These are the questions that music software makers wanted answers for. IMSTA tried to keep everyone happy and include as many suggestions as possible.

There are several places in the survey that you can add text. If a particular issue is not addressed, please feel free to type your opinions in these text boxes.

All the best to everyone,
IMSTA

[Klemperer]

I answered the survey, a nice opportunity, thanks for letting us know, Peter. Concerning my opinion I strongly agree to Teksonik . In my case, I owned Albino from day 1, CronoX 2-3, and sold both as the syncrosoft dongle was chosen as future copy protection. After linplug - greatly - changed their minds, and went back to our old and trusted serial numbers, I bought CronoX3 back . You can say you disagree, but I have the right to decide what's on my PC and what is not (besides only having 3 usb connections on my laptop, and usb hdd, kore2 and my soundcard all dislike USB-hubs ))).

The idea behind this website is a good one. There are many things people can do. It wouldn't be too bad a thing to at last recognize why so many indifferent art and "I follow every stylish thinking" people use cracked software. We, at least in Germany, have a time since 15 years in which it was fashion to bash and diss people who care for social questions, in our language it was common to bash "Gutmenschen". Being good was thought of as imbecile and stupid. Yes, universities, art scenes, intellectuals favoured cold neoliberal market-thinking, and laughing as soon as a discussion arose. We see the results. So there might be a change...but not in our system as it is today. The world is not KVR with many who actually DO buy 100% of their software, even if they are slightly poor like I am at the moment.

I like the IMSTA way of trying things, but reality must be taken into account, moral "you should not..." is more of a "hey let's party and laugh about them" starter than it would change this kind of cold society we live in, and the indifference of (mostly postmodern nowadays) intellectuals in this world.