Re: Cnet Article on Abandonware

["Paul Grammens" <grammens@svn.net>]

Ernest <ernestls@home.com> wrote
>
> I'm not saying that piracy is right but it does have some positive
effects,
> in some situations. I believe that in the case of vintage computer
> collecting, piracy may do more long term good than bad only because it
gives
> people a reason not to toss their old computers into the trash, and it may
> encourage the next generation to take a look at some of these old systems,
> like the Apple II -thus keeping the user communities alive and growing,
and
> maybe some of these new users will give something positive back to the
> community. Who knows?
>

Yes, it's a difficult concept for the limited vogon mind to grasp, but it
seems clear that piracy can be a positive thing not only for the platform,
but also for the firm who's software is being pirated.

For example, Microsoft's programs don't even check to see if they are being
run from their cdrom.  Using limited vogon thinking, Microsoft should have
been put out of business by pirates, yet they not only survive, they thrive.

Contrast that with the Apple II. I have a hard disk, but it's almost like
"What's the point?" A large percentage of my legal software has to be booted
from it's copy-protected floppy.  Because of that obsession with
anti-piracy, the Apple II platform died off. What is the motivation to
increase the speed and graphic capabilities, when the software is required
to fit on and run from a floppy? Hence the Apple II got left behind.  Vogons
and their mindset killed the Apple II.
Piracy is like the wolves that cull the herd. It forces software companies
to constantly improve their products, which forces hardware improvements.
The main reason I upgrade my PC every couple of years is that my family buys
a game that requires higher performance.
Don't have to do that with my Apple II's, not with software limited to
running from copy-protected floppies.
-Paul