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Options for 'Fixing' A Pirated Copy of Windows
PunkOfLinux writes "My parents are running a pirated copy of windows that my mom received from a teacher at school. My parents want to go legit, and buy a copy of Windows, but they are afraid of deleting everything and having to reinstall all their programs. Seeing as I know you guys will have an answer, I'm going to ask you: What would you do in this situation?"
Just buy another copy of windows. Don't install it or anything. Windows has their money and you have a working copy of windows, you don't have to install a legitamate copy for Micro$oft to get their cut.
If you have legs and you are flammable, then you are never blocking a fire exit.
It's not *technically* stealing - it IS stealing, and it makes you a criminal. The law is not at all ambiguous in regards to this.
Actually, yes, that's a perfectly valid distinction to make. Copyright exists to promote the creation of new works, by subsidising creators. Over the years, it's become cheaper and easier to create, but copyright holders have been getting more and more protection. The result is that a lot of copyright holders are earning far more than is necessary for them to create new works.
In these cases, copyright has lost its purpose for existing, and therefore it's reasonable to hold the position that infringing on copyrights where the copyright holder has already earned lots of money is acceptable, while still respecting the copyrights of those that do not make lots of money. Think of it as compensating for the way copyright has been twisted out of all proportion.
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
... visit http://www.ubuntu.com/ and download a copy. Burn to a CD, install, and enjoy a life free of stupid crap like licence codes and "Windows Genuine Advantage" shutting down MS Word just when you need it.
By that logic, the USA PATRIOT act actually has something to do with patriotism instead of terrorists.
Moron.