How much pirated Amiga software did you have?

[Nostalgic_Amigan]

You see the pirating "debate" everywhere these days! Im getting a little sick of it! One thing for sure it does spark strong opinions. I figured I'd put my two cents (or pennys) in.
 
When I had my Amiga the first time round in the early ninetys I had alot of games! Well I had two to three hundred which compared to some in this thread isnt many. Like alot of people here I was young and didnt even think about it! If I had known it was wrong I still would have done it.
 
Ive been building PC's, for at least 11 years and I have never paid for a full copy of Windows, I have "owned" almost evey version that has been released. I know this is wrong I still did and do it to this day. I was however tempted to pay for Windows 7, its the best of a bad bunch but as it turns out I didnt and Im currently running Windows 7 Ultimate.
 
Lastly I have a harddrive full of Music, and Video. In fact I havent payed for music for years.
 
I make no excuses, I know what im doing is wrong even if other people can justify it in very creative and convincing ways. I will still continue to pirate(but not on the amiga market which needs support.)
 
That being said if a policeman smashed down my door and grabbed my computer I would accept what ever punichment they gave me.

[Nostalgic_Amigan]

This is a recurring argument, we don't have much money so we wouldn't have ought it anyway. Or they are charging too much, or sueing us wouldn't help since you wouldn't get much...or whatever...
 
And I see that, I grew up in a middle class family, and I have been a student. My only question is this: Is it ok then for poor people to do whatever they want? A pirated copy of Windows, MS office, thousands of songs, dozens of movies, dozens of games, etc... Is that ok? Would the courts see that as ok? If you put a significant amount of time and money into producing a product only for it to be copied and distrubuted without you so you can't make any money keeping you in a stupid low paying job. Is that ok?
 
All so that a group of people, who If they really put their mind to it could pay, can say arrrrrrgh!!!! I'm a pirate.
 
It's not about the money, you could pay if you wanted, you don't really make any distinction between a large company, and a starving artist, or MS and a lone wolf programmer. You want the content and you don't care about who produced it. You think it is cool to be a pirate.
pay hundreds for hardware but think its a crime to pay 50 for a game....The hardware is worthless without the software, so which is really more important?

First of all I could make the again "often used" arguement that being of a middle class background what right have you got to comment about so called "poor people".
 
Secondly, I really don't think a mature person thinks its cool to be software pirate or even a real life one. A Pirates of the Carribean fictional romantic stlyle one maybe, but not a real one.
 
They will never go after people who pirate software because A) They would be fighting a losing battle, and B) It would cost the world. So the go after the facilitators like Pirate Bay, and all the others all the way back to Napster.
 
The fact is people do it because they can, plain and simple. People will continue to do it as long as they are able. Some try to justify it, some don't. Some hide behind slogans like "information is free" others don't. At the end of the day its a morale decision.
 
The internet is the wild west and as they crack down on the internet and begin to police it more and more, which they will, there will alway be clever people fighting the good (or bad) fight. I dont know about you guys but that makes me warm inside.
 
End scene

[Nostalgic_Amigan]

Just not true. As I've said in a previous post, as a kid all of my software was pirated. This was because I came from a pretty poor background (to say the least), had no income and in the 90s couldn't afford £35+ per title. I agree, games are a luxury and my not being able to afford them is no moral argument - i should have just "done without".
 
But the point is, I certainly could not have afforded to buy those games anyway, and more importantly I would NEEEEEEEVER have been able to afford my copy of Real3D (which, iirc cost around £300) or 3D Studio Max which cost thousands. I honed my graphic skills on pirated applications as a kid and that enabled me become employed as an adult in an industry I love. Now that's a more moral based argument. Games you can do without, but productivity applications open doors to careers, careers that would be exclusive to only those children that came from families who could afford to buy them certain software titles. :/
 
Nowadays, EVERY item of software I own is legal. Not because I "can't" crack these software titles (I most certainly easily can) but because I can afford them thanks to my sort after skills (honed, largely, thanks to pirated softwrae)
 
Nobody lost ANYTHING through my piracy because, as has been pointed out by many in this thread, "our types" would not have been able to afford most of the software we pirated. But society HAS gain a skilled software user and a guy who can now afford to PAY for all the games and software that he and his family (children included) uses.
 
see, it's magic and just afterall.

Like I mentioned before people can justify it in many convincing ways. It doesnt change the key facts does it? A software developer makes a piece of software a price is decided and that software is sold. It is illegal (for want of a better word) to pirate that software! That is the way it works. I agree with what you say but that doesnt change that fact does it? Thats why I don't justify it! I do what I do and that is that! I to could use the same arguements as you but I dont.
 
When I said "The fact is people do it because they can, plain and simple." I ment in general, obviously every individual has their own story, point of view.
 
As for allowing you a future career thats awsome but software developers dont owe the youth of today anything, and surely you could have gained the same skills in say college/university. Please dont see that as a attack im just saying its never going to be right to pirate because there are laws in place against it and trying to justify it is pointless becasue it will never be "ok".
 
If you dont agree with a law you campain to change it, you dont just break it surely?

[Nostalgic_Amigan]

"I don't see your comments as an attack, I just see you as quite narrow minded and myopic in your steadfast adherence to "laws" which, in many cases, make no sense or reason to those of us living in the real world."
 
As Ive said more than once I do pirate and I don't agree with the law, well more with the way things are handled than the letter of the law, and quoting the stupidity of some old laws is meaningless to me it doesnt make your case.
 
Do you think yours is the only idustry with a barrier to entry?
Have you taken a look at the new conservative cabinet? Im not asking you to like the way things are, I dont. I just dont understand the need to justify what you did? You cant because it always comes back to that bottem line doesnt it?
 
I aggree with your point and think its great what you have achieved. Also storys like yours need to be heard because it shows people just how much change is needed.
 
You still made a decision to break the law people may think you are morally right (I do) but it was still against the law and just as many people will call you a crimanal and say you made a morally wrong disision.