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Would You Install Pirated Software at Work?
An anonymous reader asks: "I am an IT professional, and due to budget constraints, I have been told to install multiple copies of MS Office, despite offering to install OpenOffice, and other OpenSource Office products. Even though most of the uses are for people using Excel like a database, or formatting of text in cells, other programs are not tolerated. I have been over ruled by our controller, to my disagreement. I would never turn them in, but I am in tough place by knowing doing something illegal. I want to keep my job, but disagree with some of the decision making on this issue. Other than drafting a letter to the owners of the company on how I disagree with the policy, what else can I do?"
You work for your employer. They pay you. You make more money for them with the work that you do than they pay you. Inform them about better alternatives to the programs that they are using and how you can improve their IT processes. Don't tell them that they are 'breaking the law'. Then install the software and go back to your work.
I personally have serious reservations about what passes for law. I'm not a criminal or an anarcharist. I am one of the twenty five million Americans who have been arrested for possession of herbal intoxicant cannibus and can point out many instances of having suffered discrimination as a result. This experience has led me to real-word realization that most of what passes for law is just bullshit designed to keep someone rich. And that especially applies to any law related to software.
You're a software developer and I'm ripping you off and taking food out the mouths of your children? I don't care. Go be a plumber. No one needs you to be a software developer. If there is a need for the software, then someone will write it. If I need it then I'll copy it. That bothers you? Grow up. Software is common good. Copying it, using it, modifing it is not a crime.
Again I don't do crimes. I don't murder (I'm not one of the troops that we are endlessly told to support). I don't steal (I've never used my position as a company executive to short sell the company stock and backrupt the pension fund of my employees, like MANY of the big buck campaign contributers to the current rack of sleezeball politicians). I've don't rape (I'm from Providence and our former mayor raped, admitted it, laughed, and walked away untouchable).
I do copy software. I do it at work if it can improve my personal productivity. I am used to my text editor and my user interface configuration. Ditto my graphics image processing software. I'm not going to learn yours. If my company won't buy it and install it for my use, then I do it myself. I'm too old and worldwise to give a shit about whether someone has a problem with this. I don't care.
Fortunately nearly all of the companies that I have worked for have the same realistic perspective on this issue. They want me to be productive. They want me to be discrete. So I'm productive and discrete. Everybody's happy.
If you boss wants you to install ten thousand copys of BozoWord on the corporate network, just do it.