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For the record:
ANY software sold ANYWHERE can be bought in ANY Russian "CD Market" for 60
to 70 Rubles (about $2.00 - yes two dollars) per CD. If its Microsoft
Visual Studios NET on 7 CD's then there is a discount so it will cost you
US$10.00. However this beggars the question, "why pay retail when you can
buy at "pirate" prices BUT then again why pay a "pirate" when you can
download the same software for FREE?" IF you know how and you have a
high-speed net connection any (well almost any) program then you can
download it for free. Below is an e-mail that I sent to a trading buddy a
few months ago:
......., the "CD market" which is actually a outdoor flea market with 200+
vendors ANY CD regardless of what is on it is $2. It seems that everyone
here wants to be a programmer, as programmers make more money than a doctor
or lawyer. The programmers can tap into the international labor pool, and
since the cost to gain this knowledge is minimal - there are a lot of young
men teaching themselves programming. .........., This goes back to what I
was saying two years ago, that MS if they are expecting future profits on
the international market are setting themselves up for a lot of
disappointment. For example, when MS came out with their new operating
system the XP this summer, it was supposed to be impossible for people to
install it on more than one machine. However I can buy it for $2, and all
of the MS anti pirate/copy features have been by-passed! The whole world is
using MS programs, however MS is only receiving income on a small
percentage of there software. Another reason there are so many good
programmers here in Russia is because a lot of American companies in an
effort to improve their security have posted "rewards" for any one that can
"crack" their security. Some of these rewards are over $200K, so as a
result there are a lot of programmers that are "gunning" for these rewards.
Here and I guess in many parts of the world $200K is a LOT of money! The
consequence is that these companies that offer the rewards improve their
security, however they are the reason there are one of the very reasons
that their is an ever increasing number of "crackers". I do not see this
changing any time soon.....,
In regards to these software programs being somehow "crippled" that is not
the case - anyone that really argues this case really has no real
experience in this matter. The only "crippling" I have seen is in the help
files are often missing (allows the pirates to put more programs on the
CD.) Can software be protected from "pirates"? Perhaps. Do I care? - No. If
the software vendor is not smart enough to figure this out then so be it.
Do you need the best and most expensive trading programs to make money
trading? No - it is only a tool. My feeling on the subject of pirate
software is that if you are "trader" and because of money considerations
you feel the need to buy "pirate software" then you should not be playing
the game. If the "tool's" that you use to earn your daily income are
"bought inexpensively" then in all probability the quality of your work
will be "inexpensive" - has nothing to do with the actual cost of the
software (or tools) but in the psychological reasons why the "inexpensive
primary tools of the trade" were bought cheaply. This is as true for a
carpenter or a trader. The quality of a persons work is based upon their
behaviors while working, and a person's behavior is a reflection of their
beliefs and values. A person that believes that the tools (hammer, or
program, or data feed) of their "trade" are too expensive and therefore
justifies buying stolen or "used" tools will not produce the quality of
work that will enable them to earn a high quality of lifestyle. In the end
it is not the "tool manufacture" that is cheated but the person. A good
trader becomes his system, and all of the computer software, hardware is
nothing more that a tool.
With that being said should a person pay 'n' thousands of US dollars to buy
some software to only discover that it is a piece of shit? Would a better
alternative be to have all software sold like shareware i.e., try it for
free and then if you like it then pay? Should shareware not be available
then don't you think that perhaps a "pirate" program could be tested then
if the customer likes it then he could buy it? After all it is in the
customers best interest if the software business stays in business.
In the end it all boils down to one thing - persons integrity, and those
that have no integrity will in the end lose all of their money - either to
software vendors, or to the market.
Best regards,
John
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