I Don't Do Piracy
When I tell people that I don't do piracy, more often than not they find it hard to believe. It's perfectly understandable too because I used to be a pirate just like you probably are. The reasons for being a pirate are fairly obvious: music, movies and software are expensive and it can be hard to justify those costs. I'm not made of money either so I can totally see logic in that thinking.
Why is it different for me? Actually it is quite simple. I offset the cost of the paid content I consume with the amount of free content I consume. Basically my iPod is full of free podcasts, giving me plenty to watch and listen to on my daily commute and I use a lot of free and open source software alongside the expensive stuff. I believe that overall I'm getting pretty good value for money.
The golden rule is to always look for a free or low cost alternative to the expensive things in life. If you can't find a free or cheap alternative then the expensive stuff is obviously worth spending a bit of money on.
Another (slightly weak and very flawed) argument is that pirate software actually makes the big software companies more money because it ultimately leads to more sales. Not only that but because we tend to rely on the stuff and see it the only solution it allows them to increase their prices... Consider it a luxury tax if you will...
Imagine what would happen if we all stopped using cracked versions of expensive software... We wouldn't desire that particular software anymore and it would ultimately lose its status of being an industry standard. This would lead to lower sales and they would be forced to bring the price down to a more realistic level.
Yes it is an idealistic view but if a few more of us thought that way we could change the world.
Just try it...
