🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <56971@nigel.ee.udel.edu> johnston@minnie.me.udel.edu (Bill
Johnston) writes:

   Some background: "SPA" stands for the "SoftWare Publishers
   Association".  I think it's fair to characterize them as an
   organization that promotes an "activist" approach to dealing with
   the problem of software piracy.

This "activist" approach is similar to the approach used by store
detectives when you walk out the door with an armful of merchandise
for which you haven't paid.  That's why stores do more than just post
signs saying "Please don't steal."

   To be a bit less fair, I would also characterize them as an
   industry "hit squad" who look after the interests of the big
   software houses.  I don't know who pays their electric bill, but I
   haven't heard of any small-time developer who has kicked in $$ for
   SPA.

Have you asked?  Or are you making an assumption?  Since we're all
going to be making assumptions in this discussion, shall I assume that
by your disapproval of the SPA you actively support software piracy?
Perhaps we shouldn't assume things after all.

   From the description offered by Mr. Mora, SPAudit seems to be
   software tool designed to facilitate corporate
   software-witch-hunts.  In other words, a convenience for the person
   whose happy task is to skulk through the office after hours and
   document the contents of everyone's hard disk for comparison
   against the corporate 'master list'.

This seems accurate.  How else could one tell whether, say, General
Motors has purchased one copy of PageMaker and distributed it to every
person in their employ.  By the way, you don't think that that's
right, do you?  GM should have to purchase more than just one copy of
a program; it's just people like you -- the little folks -- who are
exempt, right?

   Will this put another nickel in the pocket of ANYBODY in the
   software industry?  The answer is no, it will not.

What a singularly bizarre answer.  How on earth do you arrive at this
conclusion?  There are two possibilities here: either the illegal
softare is deleted or it is paid for.  If it is deleted, then yes, no
one has made any more money.  If not, than your conclusion is wrong.
I would suggest to you, however, that if 10,000 employees at GM use
PageMaker every day, and GM has in fact purchased only one copy of the
program, that Aldus will be receiving a rather large check.

   But let's take a look at an imaginary scenario, so we can see what
   is likely to happen, and who is likely to be the beneficiary [...]

   Enter "smilin' Fred".  (You know Fred, don't you?  The computer
   support "expert" down in the MIS department who was so helpful when
   you had that problem getting MacTCP to work with the new network
   setup?  Sure, he was the guy that answered your question by
   offering to check to make sure that you hadn't "messed up" your
   CONFIG.SYS file ...).

[rest of scenario deleted]

This is a wonderful scenario, but I could come up with one just as
wonderful. Let's say that I write some software and register it with
the SPA.  And let's say that it's so simple, wonderful, and elegant
that everyone wants a copy and no one can live without it.  Steve
Baumgarten's Super Duper MacPeriod, the system extension that
automatically types a period for you whenever you end a sentence,
takes the Mac community by storm, and it seems that everyone is using
it.  

But no one, it seems, has paid for it.  Or at least very few people
have. 

Now that I've spent two years of my life developing this wonderful
software, I find myself faced with overdue bills, an angry landlord,
and three hungry cats.  No fear, I say, the royalties will start
rolling in any day now.  Surely as soon as people find out how useful
Super Duper MacPeriod is, they'll rush right out to the store, plop
down a measly $29.95, and I'll be rolling in money.

But what happens instead?  Well, what happens is that GM buys one copy
and installs it on all their Macs. Or let's say they buy one copy,
install it on one of their Macs, but then look the other way when all
of their employees line up in the hall, blank floppy disks in hand, to
take free copies.

Now we're at the sad ending.  The sad ending is that Steve Baumgarten
heads back to that landscaping truck, broke and dejected, while Super
Duper MacPeriod simultaneously makes MacUser's 10 Best list and starts
appearing on BBS systems in Denmark.

How's that scenario?

   So, who benefits from SPAudit ... besides Mr. Mora?  Could it be
   the companies who front the money for SPA?  The ones who are on
   "THE LIST"?  I think you know the answer ...

I know the answer; do you?  See you on that landscaping truck...

--
   Steve Baumgarten             | "New York... when civilization falls apart,
   Davis Polk & Wardwell        |  remember, we were way ahead of you."
   baumgart@esquire.dpw.com     | 
   cmcl2!esquire!baumgart       |                           - David Letterman