Someone else touched on one of the best reasons for downloads - a free preview of the item. Many times I have downloaded a movie because I didn't want to waste $10 to see it in the theatre if it was bad. After seeing it in crappy quality on my computer I would usually go see it in the theatre if it was good. Is it their fault for making bad movies or charging too much? Nah, those movies cost a ton. But they have made me jaded. Nothing gets me more ticked than laying down money for something that I don't like. Nothing else in life is like that.
When I buy a computer I can see the specs, test it in the store, and see if I like it. If I don't like it I can get a full refund or exchange within 30 days. Not so with movies. Obviously there would be much lying if you didn't have to pay for a movie if you didn't like it, but does my point make sense?
You can test drive a car and even, in some lots, take it on the highway to see how it drives and then return it. If you don't like it, don't pay. Again, not so with movies.
So something needs to change or, as someone suggested, they need to let us at least watch a decent amount of the movie instead of silly trailers which almost always look good.
What can I add to this that hasn't already been said half a dozen times. I use GPG (Gnu version of PGP) to digitally sign my email messages on my Linux machine. This is because certificates and other authentication methods cost money. GPG allows others to certify that I sent the message that claims to be from me. This is helpful for spam that parades as coming from me as well as other things.
Additionally, as my family is starting up a business and we will all be in different states, the safest way for us to exchange information cheaply. Yeah, we have free long-distance on our cell phones, but for that we may as well be yelling out our windows. Email is likewise able to be tapped without some encryption. Thunderbird, enigmail, and GPG allow me to get a decent amount of protection for free. It isn't NSA-grade encryption, but it's good enough to stop most people.
So yeah, I'm not a criminal because I use encryption. I just like to have some privacy. Otherwise why not just post my SSN to slashdot?
yeah...but that means he needs to find other people worth plunking down that kind of money. It means nothing if I have something worth $xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx if no one will buy it.
Slashdot Mirror
or Donkey Kong Country on SNES. that was amazing for the system it was on.
Someone else touched on one of the best reasons for downloads - a free preview of the item. Many times I have downloaded a movie because I didn't want to waste $10 to see it in the theatre if it was bad. After seeing it in crappy quality on my computer I would usually go see it in the theatre if it was good. Is it their fault for making bad movies or charging too much? Nah, those movies cost a ton. But they have made me jaded. Nothing gets me more ticked than laying down money for something that I don't like. Nothing else in life is like that. When I buy a computer I can see the specs, test it in the store, and see if I like it. If I don't like it I can get a full refund or exchange within 30 days. Not so with movies. Obviously there would be much lying if you didn't have to pay for a movie if you didn't like it, but does my point make sense? You can test drive a car and even, in some lots, take it on the highway to see how it drives and then return it. If you don't like it, don't pay. Again, not so with movies. So something needs to change or, as someone suggested, they need to let us at least watch a decent amount of the movie instead of silly trailers which almost always look good.
ray guns don't kill zorbians zorbians kill zorbians
What can I add to this that hasn't already been said half a dozen times. I use GPG (Gnu version of PGP) to digitally sign my email messages on my Linux machine. This is because certificates and other authentication methods cost money. GPG allows others to certify that I sent the message that claims to be from me. This is helpful for spam that parades as coming from me as well as other things. Additionally, as my family is starting up a business and we will all be in different states, the safest way for us to exchange information cheaply. Yeah, we have free long-distance on our cell phones, but for that we may as well be yelling out our windows. Email is likewise able to be tapped without some encryption. Thunderbird, enigmail, and GPG allow me to get a decent amount of protection for free. It isn't NSA-grade encryption, but it's good enough to stop most people. So yeah, I'm not a criminal because I use encryption. I just like to have some privacy. Otherwise why not just post my SSN to slashdot?
yeah...but that means he needs to find other people worth plunking down that kind of money. It means nothing if I have something worth $xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx if no one will buy it.