ARE WE SOFTWARE PIRATES?

I was a bit hesitant in writing this post because in one of my previous posts I myself had said that I would give you software cracks if you need. But I decided against it and thought I have to admit my mistake. In a few months, I will be a software engineer myself but I do not know how many days it will take for a programmer to develop a software. Why i say this is because, just if you think for a minute the number of original software's you have installed in your system you will get the answer. Piracy is everywhere; movies, songs,games and even software. So are we doing justice?

What is software piracy, exactly?

It is the unauthorized duplication, distribution or use of computer software — for example, making more copies of software than the license allows, or installing software licensed for one computer onto multiple computers or a server.

Its so prevalent here that almost no one pays for software and hence the SW companies do not have revenue motive to localize their software for India. A further study revealed that 63% of all PCs in India ship with pirated Windows!!!! A person who is ready to use a pirated OS, will surely not pay for any other software he installs on that box. So this can lead to millions of dollars lost in revenue for the SW companies.

Its so bad that frankly till date I have never seen a home user using a legitimate copy of Windows. Even I don’t have one. I think that this is because of the economy of our country. Also, what I think when I download a software from internet is, “why should I buy a software because already I am paying for the internet access?”. And we don’t want to spend on software's when we have lot of other things to spend on.

This is not only my perception, most of us think that way.

Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) is really a very good initiative to encourage people to buy originals. As the name suggests it has several advantages. I think business giants should bring more commercial software markets in India and sell original software's at lesser price. This not only gives direct access to software but also is an alternative for today’s online purchase.

My resolution :

I have resolved that next time when I buy a laptop or a PC, surely I will install an original operating system and at least have 30% of my software's original. So, what do you think?. Will you also take the same resolution? Say what you think about this?

Posted under Software