🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <RN.1269@mts.ucs.UAlberta.CA>, userAKDU@mts.ucs.UAlberta.CA (Al Dunbar) wrote:
}In article <20197@rsiatl.Dixie.Com>, jgd@Dixie.Com (John G. DeArmond) writes:
}>I'd be much happier paying someone a few bucks for a rental instead of
}>having to troll around for someone to cut me some disks.  The pathalogical,
}>instutionalized paranoia present in most software companies tends to 
}>prevent this.  Ironically, it is the smaller companies that are hurt
} 
}I agree that it would be nice to be able to rent software to
}try it out -- it would also be nice to be able to leave your
}house unlocked when you go out, so that passing strangers
}could drop in out of the rain.

One can't really blame the software companies for being somewhat
paranoid.  Best current estimates are that there are two pirate copies
for every three legit copies of commercial software in the US.	The
rest of the world is far worse (for most of Europe, the estimates are
four to five pirate copies per legit copy) since user education and the
legal systems haven't come as far yet in recognizing software property
rights.  (though I feel that US law is swinging too far toward
protection of algorithms and parts of programs, to the detriment of
users and developers alike)
-- 
{backbone}!cs.cmu.edu!ralf  ARPA: RALF@CS.CMU.EDU   FIDO: Ralf Brown 1:129/53
BITnet: RALF%CS.CMU.EDU@CARNEGIE   AT&Tnet: (412)268-3053 (school)   FAX: ask
DISCLAIMER?  Did  | It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's
I claim something?| what we know that ain't so.  --Will Rogers