It would be interesting to see this study taken further. I suspect that there is more to this than just coincidence - that is, one will probably find that people with similar tastes in music often have similar political/religious/philosophical views, education, perhaps even similar skills/interests, childhood experiences, etc. It's just a hypothesis, but I bet there's some truth to it. Any psychologists out there know of such a study having been done?
It ensues Microsoft is able to establish de facto standards in the country.
Sure, that's possible (or probable considering their MS' track record). But pirated software does dent Microsoft's bottom line, and having a large local market share in which 70% of that share is pirated software doesn't help them at all. It may look great for a bullshit report on how they're way bigger than some other OS, but that's all, and they know that. In the long run it may help them gain a foothold for future purchases, or it may not (it really depends on the economic turn the country takes, and in this case it could go either way). So I still think it's possible that he's simply being generous - regardless of what benefits that generosity may afford him later on (and who can really fault him for reaping a favorable reward for generosity?).
They're either correct or complete lies ; and I think we all know they have to be complete lies.
I agree, and given the source, I think it's safe to say that this report is simply irrelevant. It has the same intellectual honesty as a car salesman who screeches about having the biggest sale in recorded history, and should be given about the same attention.
Bill Gates most certainly knows this, but there really isn't anything he can do about it... and by opening a "global technical center" in Romania, it would seem like he is rewarding the country, regardless of their piratical ways.
Well, yes, but actually that almost confirms his good faith. Not cracking down on a poor country for using pirated software is actually a pretty commendable move (not saying that's his intention, but still).
As an audio engineer, I'm not convinced that software-based sound is such a great idea. It might work for gamers, but I'm not convinced that it's going to meet the needs of small-time engineers and higher-end home studios who rely on powerful hardware-based sound cards. I also think this trend may exclude PC's from the professional audio world (though considering the fact that Apple already holds the vast majority of that market, that's a small loss).
Either way, the impact of this trend on small-time and independent project/home studios will be interesting. I don't think anyone from the project-studio world is going to be touching Vista for a long time (if ever).
So to reiterate, if your customers login information is publicly available, do you diplomatically try to resolve the situation, or do you go straight to the top to slit this website's throat?
Obviously the diplomatic approach is best for PR, so what about a middle-ground approach? I mean, the problem obviously needs to be corrected immediately - quicker than it would likely take for the domain's owner to respond to a polite request (or, hell, even a impolite threat). So it seems to me that the best action for GoDaddy would have been to take the site down temporarily . Then they could make a polite request asking the owner to please remove the offending data, and refund him for the amount of time that the site is down. He can take his sweet time then removing the data, and the problem is solved as fairly as possible.
That said, I think that as long as GoDaddy gave him a pro-rated refund, they do have the right to choose not to be his registrar, for pretty much any reason.
Peer-reviewed anarchy breaks down after a sufficient quantity of greedy scumbags show up.
Very true, and that's true of any democracy - that is, one where each individual within it has exactly the same amount of power. The only variable is the amount of time it takes to break, and the reason is not some inherent flaw in the system of government (or the abstract idea of individual freedom that it provides) - it's simply due to the fact that there are always a bunch of scummy assholes out there who will be intent on using the freedom to hurt others, thereby destroying the system.
Yeah, ok, chalk one up for you on the semantics of the word "market;" hope you can sleep at night, now. But - please. Culture??
See, that's the irony, really. Good movies and music (particularly those contributing to what little is left of real culture in the West) aren't produced by the mega-studios and labels. Those who really are in search of good, solid, intellectually and culturally stimulating fare can "pirate" it to their heart's content, and the producers of the stuff encourage it - because their art gets distributed and appreciated. That's what they rightfully care about, not the money.
That's the point I'm trying to make, here. The entire "piracy" argument doesn't mean a thing until you assume (as most folks do) that the purpose of "art" is to make vast amounts of money (that is, that it's an enterprise). It isn't, and never was. Big studios don't produce art - they produce product. And product doesn't contribute to culture.
This isn't about trying to rid the world of piracy. It's not about attempting to shut down a free black market. I think that even the **AA isn't stupid enough to believe that could be possible.
It's a business opportunity for the film/music/media industry. They can legally sue any user who shares copyrighted material, and the requirement for proof of the user's "illegal" activity is minimal (and due to the lack of tech knowledge on the part of your average grandmother or 8-year-old, much of it can simply be forged). And many of these cases are settled out of court, so the legal fees/court costs are minimal. To shut down the underground would be to kill the golden goose. Sue the users one at a time, and there's a nearly endless supply of cash.
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It would be interesting to see this study taken further. I suspect that there is more to this than just coincidence - that is, one will probably find that people with similar tastes in music often have similar political/religious/philosophical views, education, perhaps even similar skills/interests, childhood experiences, etc. It's just a hypothesis, but I bet there's some truth to it. Any psychologists out there know of such a study having been done?
Sure, that's possible (or probable considering their MS' track record). But pirated software does dent Microsoft's bottom line, and having a large local market share in which 70% of that share is pirated software doesn't help them at all. It may look great for a bullshit report on how they're way bigger than some other OS, but that's all, and they know that. In the long run it may help them gain a foothold for future purchases, or it may not (it really depends on the economic turn the country takes, and in this case it could go either way). So I still think it's possible that he's simply being generous - regardless of what benefits that generosity may afford him later on (and who can really fault him for reaping a favorable reward for generosity?).
I agree, and given the source, I think it's safe to say that this report is simply irrelevant. It has the same intellectual honesty as a car salesman who screeches about having the biggest sale in recorded history, and should be given about the same attention.
Well, yes, but actually that almost confirms his good faith. Not cracking down on a poor country for using pirated software is actually a pretty commendable move (not saying that's his intention, but still).
Either way, the impact of this trend on small-time and independent project/home studios will be interesting. I don't think anyone from the project-studio world is going to be touching Vista for a long time (if ever).
Obviously the diplomatic approach is best for PR, so what about a middle-ground approach? I mean, the problem obviously needs to be corrected immediately - quicker than it would likely take for the domain's owner to respond to a polite request (or, hell, even a impolite threat). So it seems to me that the best action for GoDaddy would have been to take the site down temporarily . Then they could make a polite request asking the owner to please remove the offending data, and refund him for the amount of time that the site is down. He can take his sweet time then removing the data, and the problem is solved as fairly as possible.
That said, I think that as long as GoDaddy gave him a pro-rated refund, they do have the right to choose not to be his registrar, for pretty much any reason.
Very true, and that's true of any democracy - that is, one where each individual within it has exactly the same amount of power. The only variable is the amount of time it takes to break, and the reason is not some inherent flaw in the system of government (or the abstract idea of individual freedom that it provides) - it's simply due to the fact that there are always a bunch of scummy assholes out there who will be intent on using the freedom to hurt others, thereby destroying the system.
How crass, I know.
See, that's the irony, really. Good movies and music (particularly those contributing to what little is left of real culture in the West) aren't produced by the mega-studios and labels. Those who really are in search of good, solid, intellectually and culturally stimulating fare can "pirate" it to their heart's content, and the producers of the stuff encourage it - because their art gets distributed and appreciated. That's what they rightfully care about, not the money.
That's the point I'm trying to make, here. The entire "piracy" argument doesn't mean a thing until you assume (as most folks do) that the purpose of "art" is to make vast amounts of money (that is, that it's an enterprise). It isn't, and never was. Big studios don't produce art - they produce product. And product doesn't contribute to culture.
It's a business opportunity for the film/music/media industry. They can legally sue any user who shares copyrighted material, and the requirement for proof of the user's "illegal" activity is minimal (and due to the lack of tech knowledge on the part of your average grandmother or 8-year-old, much of it can simply be forged). And many of these cases are settled out of court, so the legal fees/court costs are minimal. To shut down the underground would be to kill the golden goose. Sue the users one at a time, and there's a nearly endless supply of cash.