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PC Software Piracy Decreases Worldwide, But Remains Rampant (torrentfreak.com)
An anonymous reader writes: A new report published by The Software Alliance shows that usage of pirated PC software is decreasing worldwide. While this is a positive trend for the industry, piracy remains rampant in many countries. This includes Libya, where a massive 90 percent of all software is used without permission.
I don't think paying $50 to $70 for a game released on first day is that outrageous, depending on the game. Lots of games now can occupy your time for weeks, if not months. The are not the simple jump and shoot games from the 80/90's. A great deal of them are open ended games with constant updates and expansions being release.
What I do think is outrageous is them continuing to charge $60 and $70 for a game that has been out for 2 or 3 years. GTAV on the PC is my example. I also have a beef with them charging you 50 bucks for a game then charging you 10 a month to continue to play it.
I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
Actually I think it is because most software is hooked to the cloud. And we pay for service contract to use it monthly vs. having the software on your PC.
Literally I've used software for 35+ years and have never used software "hooked to the cloud"
On the other hand I use all (ALL) open source software and have never pirated an open source software because that would be ridiculous.
I am OP and somebody modded my facts -1 but modded you +3. smfh.
Any type of service hooked to a cloud is used by people with more money than brains. Apple and Microsoft cloudwarez plus Google cloudwarez are lamewarez.
Warez will always be warez but who wants shitwarez. Open-source-world has much better software in general unless you're making a movie pretty much. This goes for database software, Linux backends, Linux frontends etc. Tell Jeff Bezos to download cloud-based IIS. smfh.
Bad job mods. This is why Slashdot is not an effect any more only an afterthought. Notice nobody gets their servers overloaded now? Cloudflare is not why either.
If you look at pages 17 through 19 (inclusive, of the actual report), you'll find some very fine prose that the BSA use to describe the methodology they follow for determining the amount of unlicensed software.
... ... Respondents are asked how many software packages, and what type, were installed on their PC in the previous year; what percentage were new or upgrades; whether they came with the computers or not; and whether they were installed on a new computer or one acquired prior to 2017..."
It's utter garbage.
It's about as accurate as a weather forecast could be. It contains English-language "formulae" such as:-
Unlicensed Rate = Unlicensed Software Units / Total Software Units Installed
and Total Software Units Installed = #PCs Getting Software x Software Units per PC
Just look at that second formula for a moment. This is an approximation at best. But the absolute worst part of the report is the part in which the BSA explain how they get these numbers. This is, in fact, done for them by IDC. And here is the methodology:-
A key component of the BSA Global Software Survey is a global survey of more than 22,500 home and enterprise PC users, conducted by IDC in November 2017. The survey was conducted online or by phone in 32 markets that make up a globally representative sample of geographies, levels of IT sophistication and geographic and cultural diversity....
So let's just translate that.
1. This survey was based on evidence from a telephone survey.
2. People were called and asked to accurately remember what software had been installed on a computer in the preceding 12 months.
3. The result of a survey of 22,500 people was then extrapolated up to represent the entire world's software piracy problem.
We need to remember that this sort of document gets handed around the halls of government and shown to policy makers; the poor data samples, invalid questions, wild speculations, and sloppy calculations that form the heart of this paper then get used as the basis for legislation. Don't get me wrong - software piracy is wrong. With so much fabulous free and open source software available, there really is no excuse for it any more.
But it's important to remember that this sort of paper is going to be used to argue for ever-more Draconian laws which will restrict the freedoms of ordinary computer users. It's really important that documents like this get properly challenged and that legislators are left clearly understanding that this report belongs in the fiction section of the bookshop...
$50/mo. is not modest. It's equivalent to re-buying the entire suite every 3 years. I never upgraded that often prior to that forced change.