I just saw elav's post and frankly the things I have to say do not fit in a comment. So, I leave an article with my opinion here.
Here in Uruguay we have a closed mind, and we are a very traditional country. An example is the one I saw on the website of the Electoral Court (entirely developed in Genexus, LET'S GO UP THE CELESTE !!!). Looking at the regulations for the 2009 electionsI found this in the general considerations in the annex on candidate payroll on computer support.
«You must have a PC with Excel 97 or higher to carry out this work. It is worth clarifying that this is strict and that there are programs similar to Excel, within the "Open Office" software, which despite having a high degree of compatibility with Excel, they are not used to carry out this task. "
I clarify: those forms contain macros. If it weren't because my dad uses excel macros and other functions and formulas a lot, he would be using Libreoffice quietly (I don't see it ready to use Linux).
Meanwhile, use Mozilla and SRWare Iron as browsers (except for the diabolical and insulting DGI web forms, designed for Internet € xplorer), and VLC as a video player, to watch the episodes of Breaking Bad. that were downloaded from some download site that I don't even know about. And my brother, is a gamer who uses the Skype or Whatsapp and play a lot online (Not now because the machine doesn't work for him and he has to use dad's netbook until he buys a new one), so with him less.
The most paradoxical thing I've ever seen (for me a very pleasant surprise), is that the last time I went to the Ministry of Public Health (My dad is a Pharmaceutical Chemist and I take the balance sheets of the pharmacies where he works there every quarter), I saw the computer that the one who attended me used (a Windows XP) and I couldn't believe it. I WAS USING OPENOFFICE.ORG 3.3 AND NOT THE EXCEL !!!!. I have no idea if it is able to run the macros without any problem, but after so long using Excel I stumble upon this and was shocked.
As for my personal case, I have two things to mention. First i am Genexus analyst and I work with Genexus. Developers they will think badly of me for using a tool that does not only generate code (making development lose its grace), but in addition to being exclusive, it is CARA y almost impossible to find hacked (I don't know what happened to the project Altagracia that it was going to be the free alternative to Genexus and that it was stagnant for 3 years), but what you save in time, mistakes and learning curves is priceless.
The point is that for my first job, the version that I used of Genexus was pirated wherever you see it. I think the only time I have bought genuine software was when I did the Genexus analyst course (It actually came with the Course, which was around the U.S. dollar 150, with exam and assistance by tutors).
The second has nothing to do with computer science but with piracy. I am a fan of leo masliah and I have all his discography in mp3. Alone a of those records I have it original. Now that I have a job where I get paid more, I could buy the originals, but it would still be impossible. There are records that are literally discontinued. Records that were recorded for record companies that ceased to exist and that were bought by other record companies, and that are somewhat reluctant to reissue records by local artists.
It's a shame. Then they say that piracy leaves artists starving, when in truth it's the record industry that takes away their bread.
Ready, I finished commenting. By the way, I want to send a greeting to the Pirate Party of Uruguay that already knows me and I commented on the blog Desdelinux.
In my opinion, there are several reasons why software is pirated:
Because people refuse to try something different, a very close example my sister one day asked me to install libreoffice on her notebook because they used it in the accounting study where she worked, it didn't take 1 week that she told me to install an office for her because not I understood libreoffice, I explained to him that if he was unlucky enough to be caught with pirated software in the studio, he would have to pay a nice fine (if I don't remember correctly, the fine is 5 times the value of the software license).
They also think more about using an application that everyone uses (they will keep in mind that it is fashionable if they all use winamp chrome office and a long etc. they will be cool or they will not tell them anything) without stopping and thinking if what they are using really serves them or if they can find other alternatives.
At least in Argentina they pirate even in the universities ¬ ¬, the same professors gave me a visual studio dvd and no xpress version, it was very complete.
There is no general education about what things are worth, it seems a constant that the worse the product is, the more people buy it, causing prices to rise and those who cannot afford it acquire it in other ways.
There is no awareness of what one needs.
With the multimedia content I am going to tell the truth and hack, but there is something that catches my attention as some people with few resources and with complaints that make them download the contents every 2 x 3 they make you get what you want when you want and however you want, while companies that have all the legal rights to the necessary products and resources do nothing. Legal content services such as Netflix - I did not use it but they told me - that it has old things and that all new content is not all in hd or in the appropriate language. And it is more something much more intriguing in this case is that when a chapter of a series comes out the next day it is already with subtitles in Spanish while if you wait for the cable you have to endure a minimum week. Turning to games, how many times did I hear that pirated games were better than those with drm, for me the games that piratie did not fail me and I was able to play coop through hamachi, while many games like, for example, some from ubisoft did not they could be played for a while because the authenticating servers were down.
Now for some personal experience ...
Basically I hacked windows and some applications because windows did not allow me to remove components (not for the good ones) that I did not use and I always had going around and consuming resources, it was always to deactivate something and then at the same time realize that what you deactivated was actually active ¬ ¬, also for the versions with stupid cuts like windows 7 basic without aero or windows starter being able to run a maximum of 3 applications at the same time. I am also amazed that when you buy a pc and it comes with windows, the copy you can actually use is the one that is backed up to a partition full of useless programs that decrease the performance of windows. In summary, if I wanted to use the software for which I had paid and exploit it 100%, I had to get my hands on third-party programs and if I wanted to have a clean installation, I simply had to hack windows even if the serial stuck on the pc.
When did I stop pirating software?
When I tried libreoffice and it covered my needs, making cracking office a pain for me
When I tried vlc and I liked how simple but powerful it is.
When I started looking for games for my tastes and that they did not have drm.
But the most important thing when I realized that my pc is mine and who does not like that I do not use it.
To think of free software as free and anti-piracy measure I see it wrong, because people are not taught what the real value of it is.
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Interesting. Here the most I've seen is that they use Fedora (8 maybe, it has Gnome 2.x) in supermarkets to bill. And the laptops that come with Canaima, I've never seen one.
Other than that, I don't recall them using it publicly.
I don't see the macros problem. Libre and Open Office run them without problems. I can attest to that. The only thing that could cause problems is that you have to save in Micro $ oft format because the rest of those who use the file do not have Free / Open. This almost always causes problems. It's not that they can't be solved, but the common user doesn't want to have to deal with it.
But you run macros ... they run!
What is Genexus? I saw your page but it doesn't tell me much.
It is a tool used to create business applications. It has code generators for several languages (.NET, Java, Visual Basic, C) and it works with several DBMS such as SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, Access, I don't know if postgres.
as who says for pirate developers! because relying on a tool to develop software clearly indicates that you are not a complete developer.
It's really for analysts, not developers.
We stop hacking when prices go down!
LOL !!
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the truth is that not even like that.
Well, all the windows software that I have to format and fix computers is pirated and many of my colleagues who use linux, the client uses windows and are forced to pirate software, due to the prices. It's a way to earn a living. At least here in Guatemala we pirate even the hardware.
It's like being a carpenter is another profession and as long as the original is expensive, piracy will continue to be profitable, like drug trafficking while it remains illegal, more money is earned that simple.
Question: How is hardware hacked?
Ask the Chinese. But what can be done can be done!
That such.
"Piracy" is quite a topic and with different points of view. I agree with the author of this post since the manners on the one hand and the lack of desire to use something "different" is the rule and not the exception. For example, I am an IT consultant and many (if not all) of my clients use Windows and its applications. The truth is quite an oddity in terms of time to make a rescue (in case of damage to the system for whatever reason) of information and re-installation of everything they had on the PC. I have offered Linux customizing it to the point that it is almost identical to Windows (XP, Vista or 7) and they still don't want it. You talk to them about reliability, quality and security and even then they don't accept it and you have to put the mentioned Windows on them.
It also influences that when a person buys a PC, it has Windows by default (if not forced) and another operating system (except MAC) is never offered as an alternative or option to the user.
If alternatives were offered (I think and it is my personal opinion) many things would be different, to what degree, I don't know; What I do know is that there would be a culture of alternatives that could be chosen and consequently, more expensive or cheaper payment options. Perhaps the purchase price is not a factor, but the downtime, system failure and of course productivity would be a factor.
The difficult thing is the alternative, as for Genexus there is a detail I am also in Uruguay and I use it, personally it is a good tool for mass production, but for that reason it has its pros and cons (I personally don't like it). I use Linux and I prefer other languages but hey, it's what's on the market, I'm not going to be inventing as a revolutionary if I get a job. But here I have seen something with the Ceibal plan, many children have their laptop per child and as far as I understand they use Linux so you have to see the good side of the coin not only the ugly, the people who ask you to do maintenance on it. PC or is it a pirate I tell them if you do not want problems, go legal, if you want windows buy it, all its components and you will not waste time installing it or making potions to serve it, you want it pirate you will have it but more than once it will send you a mess or another and I will charge you for the failures generated by a program that is not activated. I think that the way the client is speaking will understand they will want windows and illegal good will pay more for it but they do not realize it. You want to have private software, buy it for something, you pay and they give you support, you don't want to spend a penny on open source and enjoy it. It is more here for a software to pay it is more expensive than in the United States which seems absurd to me but people want windows and that demands that they do it, if linux has not been their forte, the desktop has always been server and it is well done for the desktop it is very good but people who are used to it is very difficult to get out of that habit.
Greetings.