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 The open source software industry hates piracy. There is nothing worse for us than someone pirating proprietary packages. What you are saying when you pirate a package is “Hey I don't want to pay these licences fees”. Now we agree with you – don't pay them.
The solution however is not use an illegal copy of a proprietary package, but to use an open source one. By pirating a package you are not avoiding the fees you are simply deferring them, worse you are burying yourslef into the proprietary trap. Everytime you enter a set of key strokes, every time you send out a file in a proprietary format you drive the vendors standard so that no only you get involved but also your workgroup and your community. You bury not only yourself, but everyone around you. You are on a march to captivity. See Wayne Flint explain Software Piracy on TV You may be able to cheat and avoid paying licence fees now, but as you get bigger and involve more people that eventually becomes impossible to avoid. The only way pout is never to use the packages in the first place.
Whoah Whoah Whoah – thats not what I see in the adverts. They keep telling me that Piracy is ruining the economy what is that all about?
That is what we call FUD. Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. It is a favourite trick of the large software companies. Just look at the facts. How can it possibly be good for the economy to pay over licences fees. It is a well known fact software companeis are some of the most profitable businesses on earth. Often over 50% of all licence fees are immeadiately paid off shore. So what you have is economies with youth unemployment rates of 5% telling economies with youth unemployment rates of 50% that it is good economics to pay over licence fees so that the low unemployment economies can carry on working producing software for us. That my friend is FUD.
Here is the kicker. Do you notice that anti piracy campaigns are always delivered by some non descript “Piracy Body”. You don't get Company A coming out and saying if you pirate Product A we will sue you. It is always caged in non descript terms, so as not to upset you. The reality is that proprietary companies would rather you pirated their products that used open source products. Open source leads to freedom, piracy leads eventually to purchase. By egging you along they are just trying to speed up that purchase.
But can open source really work is it as good as proprietary products?
Let me give you an example. Companies like Google, Facebook or Linked In. These are the success stories of the last few years. These are companies that could never have existed without Open Source. They are all built on massive farms of servers. If these had been built on paid for servers, then there would be no sich thign today as free email, free searches or free chat facilities. The freedoam that opens source gave these companies allowed them to expand feely without having to keep looking over their shoulders.
So there is no doubt that open source delivers quality porducts that are open, easy to controibute to and inviovle your entire community in the benefits of the product. Licence fees are not paif offshore and remain in your community.
So what do you do if you don't want to pirate software?
The difficulty is how to actually find open source software. Because opens source software is given away free, it is not accompanied by expensive ad campaigns You have to go looking for it. Fortunately it is there if you want it.
Lets say you are looking for an accounting package go to google ad search for “Open Source Accounting” - You will find TurboCASH. If you want a Spreadsheet Googel "Open Source Spreadsheet" will lead you to Open Office.
So there you have it. If you really want to help your economy, don't pirate software use an open source product and in doing so you will keep licence fees in your own business and you will start to bring freedom to all around you who will go don't the road of communicating in open standards.
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