58 per cent said they just didn't care
I don't. But that's because I don't rely on it. So I am indifferent about it. I bet that if I was actively using pirated software, I would have an "opinion" about it.
For The Cure, Friday was a day of love, for most of us it is the gateway to the weekend - but for pirate-haters it is the best time to shop employers using unlicensed software at work. This is the latest statistic from the Ministry of Silly Numbers, aka the Federation Against Software Theft, whose latest research states 34 per …
Most of the stuff that requires licences here are for tools I absolutely abhor anyway. The only one that I can think of that would be a problem is Oracle (which I also abhor having to deal with), the rest is what I deem 'administrative pish' in the non-sysadmin usage of the word.
I would say I'd welcome us to be done for not having licences and them being taken away; It's more likely that we'd just end up with a more woeful alternative or a hastily-cobbled home rolled version. Change is seldom for the better.
How did the "illegal / pirated" software get there in the first place?
Where did the cracking exes /serial numbers come from ?
How do most people, the non IT crowd, know the difference between legal / illegal software ?
There are a lot of facts missing from the article......
I know I should report any criminal activities by my employer - to the police, though, not to some stupid private organisation - but using unlicensed software is probably not criminal, so what's the legal situation if I were to report it outside the company? Would I be breaking the law by doing so?
(My interest is purely theoretical as my currently employer is very careful not to break that sort of rule.)
...it's time to recount the Ernie Ball story Rockin' on without Microsoft
In a peculiar kind of way you've got to have some respect for organisations that stitch up the public sector with their "there was no choice" (see comments) strategy, are light on their feet with their corporation tax policies and then get the state to pass laws and create enforcement bodies to carry out their revenue collection and protection systems. not.
...Monday. "Do I want to work on this crap all week or should I make a quick call?"
Though most won't want to shop their company. If the place gets shut down, how will they get paid?
Probably the majority are on Friday as, for most, its the last day of their notice period.
It is reasonable to assume that most computer owners have InterNet and therefore the connections are a reasonable indicator of computer numbers.
The problem is FAST/whomever (often an MS employee) claims there are more pirates than there are computers.
The question is: How are these non-computer owners using the allegedly hot software?
More mystery numbers.
Copyright is an artificial constraint manufactured by society. Information wants to be free. There is no such thing as "stealing" software.
That having been said, if the evil software corporations want to manufacture the idea that a copy of their program can be considered "stolen" ... then the only proper response is for the entire world to switch to only 100% open source software.
There can be no other way.
Stay Legal? Stay Fucking Legal? Is that what they call it, the cunts? That's some nerve. And they even get the police involved? Makes *them* look like another bunch of cunts, to be honest.
At most I might be breaching a private contract, which is itself of dubious enforceability in the first place. Give us a break!
Really, not that I care since I'm all FOSS, but they do have some nerve the bastards.
Most piracy in the workplace is people using the T1 line etc for their "uber torrent" seeding/leeching rig.
Normally this is carefully hidden behind the coffee machine or some other innocent looking appliance, in the form of a quad core headless laptop with "SilentFan" (tm) tech and some clever software to make it look like the MFD down the hall when Mr Network Admin goes a'scanning.
AC/DC