The price of GNU/Linux is good ?

Posted Nov 13, 2003 7:36 UTC (Thu) by khim (subscriber, #9252) [Link]

US govt. trade pressure and the WTO will make sure that countries comply.

Heh. The big question is when.

I've heard this talks about pressure and compliance for 10 years now. Nothing is really changed. Both films and software is out two weeks after release: films for $4 per DVD or so, CD with software - $2 (in some places slightly more). Oh, no, I forgot: now the same firms who are distributing copies for $2 are distributing also copies for $30 and $20000 (I do not know for the fact that it's the same firm but I know for the fact that number of batch on CDs/DVDs is the same). Of course firms regularly claims they were hijacked - but somehow noone can find who did it! The same with software licenses: Ok, now computer makers can not install Windows (there are raids and so on). Ok, they sell you comp with PTSDOS or Linux and paper with phone of firm who'll install you Windows for the same $2 (if you are to unexpirienced to to it yourself - of course in this case you'll not get nice shiny CD, but it's not such a big need if you do not know how to install Windows from said CD). Thay can even give you paper to show in court as "prof of purchase" ! Of course it'll be revealed there that thay had no right to give you such a paper - but who cares ? You do not need to worry till actual need and even then you need only to remove Windows and next day call to install new copy with new paper.

There are big difference between "cigarettes for students". The difference is that almost no one else wants to stop it and sell you cigaretes for some "real money". The only obvious exception is Microsoft subsidary. Yes, sure some laws are introduced to "stop piracy". But no one really think it's laws to be respected. This is just some play for "big boys". Flick. That's what it is. Thus raids with obligatory notification of sellers few hours (at least) before fact and so on. When almost every person who's not in police thinks it's his responsibility to prevent "this stupidity" and policy is doing it only since they are forced to do it while "deep in their soul" they know "it's not right" there are very little what you can do.

While I myself may use Linux and do not need to cover my friends who use Windows I'm pretty sure I will not go and will not say that someone is using pirated version of Windows if I have any way to avoid it. It's very hard to do anything in country where it's the most loyal view of software copyright and most typical view is "copyright is something developed by americans to suck our money and we need to cope with this @#&*#$*!@& as much as we can".

Country goverment can do only so much without any populace help and with only very reluctant help from police (they do only as much as then need to do to comply with letter of law and could care less about what they really supposed to do). Especially when half of that some goverment share this view and not voice it only since they know it'll disaster for their carier. To change this you'll need years and years. It's not matter of just changing of laws. That's not enough. You need to change mindset before it actually will work. Because after 10 years only very few even huge companies are truly compliant - most just have papers who are too hard to prove illegal.