What is your opinion on piracy?

As long as you live in third world country it's great.

Piracy counterbalances global warming, so I'm all for it

Depends.i have a mixed opinion of it.

In 3rd world countries where average monthly income is like 200€, and half of that money goes on bills it's inhumane to ask for 10 €/month for some software... In that cases I fully support piracy, but when someone has more than enough, it's great to support the developers 😅

I personally don't pirate things that have a better alternative of getting it.

For example music; I used to pirate music all the time. Until I found out about Spotify; which contains most music.

With games, I only really pirate if it's not available for me. For example a rom file of a pokemon game, Nintendo doesn't sell them in that format so.. I just download them.

With movies/tv shows I usually download them. I have a Netflix subscription but Netflix doesn't contain much.

I am against piracy though. I do find it stealing.

I think us programmers understand best that digital products cost a lot of time and money producing.

And just because someone didn't physically steal an item, it's still withholding profit.

We programmers also have mouths to feed and rent to pay.

I might have a particilar opinion on this one.

If you hardly have money and can get some music/games/software through piracy, good for you, I'm not judging.

In my personal case, I already pay for a netflix equivilant, a music streaming service (soon, not yet) and all software I use is either open source or free.

But. I pay for watching movies/series/music. Then, if a particular song/movie/series is NOT on the platform I am paying, I am going to pirate it. Otherwise I'd need to have 10 fucking paid subscriptions.

Also, if a movie/song/series gets released and it's not available on my platform right away (sometimes it seriously takes a fucking year or longer), then I'll pirate it. I'm already paying for that shit so then I am not going to pay even more to get that movie which will be available on my services in a year or so anyways.
Same goes for music. Deezer misses about 50 percent of all music I like and spotify about 20-30 percent. Then I am not going to pay for those extra songs.

That's just how I think.

@Kage As for software, not many people agree with me but whatever. I am fine with paying for software, as long as it gives the user the freedom to adjust it to their needs. Aka, as long as it's open source. And yes, this kind of software exists.

I use it to try out things I want before purchasing.

Idgaf

@linuxxx you've made a very interesting, and valid point.

If the service(s) that I'm paying for, doesn't have something that I like (namely an artist or a band), and such is present in another service (that certainly will lack of another artists/bands), there's absolutely fucking way that someone needs to pay two services that (certainly) their catalog will be overlapped in most of cases. It isn't worthy to pay double fee.

Now, with the trend that's being more common among the TV studios, of having their own streaming service, retiring content from other platforms (Netflix is the only one who came to mind), and making new content exclusive for their platform... Well, certainly things won't be better.

As you said, I won't be paying $10 USD (or it's equivalent) for EVERY damned service that have stuff that I like... But, then again, I don't like movies and TV series enough to pay for a streaming service ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But, as for music... "Hello torrent my old friend... 🎶"

I don't have a very strong idealistic opinion on it.

Is copying stealing? Would you have bought it if it wasn't available? Do artists lose money? Truth is somewhere in between everyone's arguments.

I'm a pragmatic guy.

I'm lazy, not greedy. I pay for both Spotify and Google Music, I buy games from Blizzard and Steam, I watch shows on Netflix and HBO.

But my saturation point of dealing with all your email campaigns and subscriptions and learning all your interfaces... THAT LIES AT TWO FUCKING PLATFORMS PER MEDIUM, MAX.

It's not about money, it's about convenience. I'm already kind of pissed off that Netflix doesn't allow hotkey customization, that they don't offer an API or whatever for VLC and Kodi.

So if some fucked up broadcasting conglomerate makes a kickass series and vertically integrates it into some shitty €15/m platform of their own, I'm gonna pirate the crap out of it.

Not because the series isn't worth an extra €15, but because I'm drunk and tired, and everyone under 35 knows that a torrent client is easier to manage than your fucking STD ridden website where every episode buffers for half an hour and still has artifacts looking worse than a grandpa's anus.

And I'm not even mentioning all the stuff which is impossible to acquire legally because I don't live in the right country. Fuck off, I'm a half drunk consumer with a sack of money, what more do you want?

For me, it's a convenience issue. The market should be chopped up horizontally, not vertically, no exclusivity deals.

All content, on all platforms. I'll fucking squirt money in your faces!

🤐🙊-->👮

@bittersweet

The geographical restrictions are the most idiotic, absurd, pointless, useless, and stupid among all restrictions...

I still don't get how I can't listen to some songs/albums right where I'm located, but if I cross an imaginary line, or connect to a WiFi signal located behind that line, basically across the street... Boom! Magic! I'm now able to listening them...

I don't fucking care what they think that I like to listen, or buy, based on my location. I fucking care that the stuff that I like isn't legally available on my fucking side of the fence just because someone thought that it's a good idea to restrict content based on my geographic location...

@kaguo @linuxxx

I fully agree.

It's one thing if you can afford it and you're just an asshole, but of you have little or no income, then I see nothing wrong with it.

On the other hand, I'm not a fan of piracy of software. Especially from small developers.

Honestly, I'm personally at a cross roads here. I believe in freeware, and open-sourcing, and general freedom of information. But I also know that this isn't possible for some people. I'm currently making $10/mo in donations off of Patreon for my game, and that would be a huge problem if I lived by myself.

@Kage

Spotify is life~

Pirate it but just don't share it

@GodHatesMe

I've always wondered... Which god hates you..?

Cause I don't hate you, so it can't be me. 3:<

@Cyanite I don't hate him or you so it can't be both

Well it depends on accessibility on my point. Not available in country? Pirate it. Available for a bullshit price? Pirate it. (yeah steam and some idiot AAA titles which costs higher than original dollar price). Buying process is too troublesome? Pirate it. (yeah the services that makes you pay for every single thing instead of a bundle or subscription plan).

I bought GTA IV but ended up pirating it because the DRM was a pain.

Don’t do it.
You want someone stealing all your software?

Well I'll keep pirating until the stupid drm bullshit is gone, and until there is ONE client for my shows (hbo, Netflix etc...)

I mean... Would you use steam if it only has games from one or two publishers? And for all the other publishers you had to download their clients?

@incognito Sorry, dear friend, but I'm about to summon you in a privacy war/discussion that's going on right now.

I don't have any problem with piracy. Free stuff 😄

@linuxxx O shit here's the summon 😄
What are the odds 😄

@Froot hahaha xD. I actually summoned him over at the privacy war as well but yeah mentioned him here to prepare him :P

@linuxxx Good call 😄
It's nasty in there 😄

@Froot Well good thing for me he'll be on my side for about 75+ percent for sure :P

As a developer, fuck it. Pirate all you want ❤ I'm not in it for money

@illusion466 are you from India? I am. We normally pirate loads of stuff.

YO

GAI-YO GAI-YOOOOOOOO

DREAMIN’
DON’T GIVE IT UP LUFFY
DREAMIN’
DON’T GIVE IT UP ZOLO
DREAMIN’
DON’T GIVE IT UP NAMIIIII
DREAMIN’- DON’T- GIVE IT UP GIVE IT UP GIVE IT UP GIVE IT- NOOOOOOOO

HERE’S HOW THE STORY GOES, WE FIND OUT
‘BOUT A TREASURE IN THE GRAND LINE, THERE’S NO DOUBT
THE PIRATE WHOSE EYE IS ON IT, HE’LL SING
I’LL BE KING OF THE PIRATES, I’M GONNA BE KING!

GAI-YO, GAI-YO, GAI-YOOOOOOOOO HO-HOOOOOOOOO

HIS NAME IS LUFFY...
DAT’S MONKEY D. LUFFY
GONNA BE KING
OF
THE
PIRATES

HE’S MADE-A RUBBA!
HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?
YO-HO-HO HE TOOK A BITE OF GUM-GUM

GAI-YO GAI-YOOOOOOOO

HIS NAME’S ZOLO, HE’S LIKE A SAMURAI
AND A L-A-D-Y, NAMI’S NOT SHY
THE PIRATE CREW, COMIN’ THROUGH, DOIN’ THEIR THING
WITH THE KING OF THE PIRATES
HE’S GONNA BE KING

GAI-YO, GAI-YO, GAI-YOOOOOOOOO HO-HOOOOOOOOO

SET SAIL FOR OOOOONE PIECE
IT’S THE NAME
OF
THE
TREASURE
IN THE GRAAAAAND LIIIIINE
GAI-YO, GAI-YO
SET SAIL FOR
ONE PIECE

@Jop- My software isn't free, I just accept there is pirates and I don't care because the piracy isn't as big as people make it out to be unless you are a Triple A company in which you have more then enough money anyway

I think that's a portrait of me is what I think

Piracy is actually beneficial to large and profitable property, but it harms small property.

Take Game of Thrones for example, the most highly pirated series in histiry. Contributed alot to its popularity.

Until they make all content on netflix/spotify/etc. available in my country without vpn and such I'll pirate stuff.

I pirate stuff. Probably shouldn’t, but I do. I just don’t want to have to pay for a bunch of different subscription services just to get everything I want. To expensive.

Depends. Personal use? Full support. The only benefit of personal use is staying up to date and personal development. The moment it's used for profit is the moment it becomes shitty to do.

I am less favoured towards pirating small companies, I personally strive to support smaller dev teams, but I wouldn't care of if you did. Copy from me, copy from others, don't matter.

I am personally biased because back when I was dirt poor when growing up, the scarcity of media made it out to be a lot more valuable than it really was. Piracy allowed me to see the real value behind the products I used. Nowadays if I can afford, I buy.

I write a book and make sure the only market is the U.S. so by definition, I am not taking into consideration aaaaany other country in the world except the U.S as a market. I am loosing money out of my own stupid self. So if someone in Europe pirates it I get no chance or reason to bitch out about it since they were not my target market to begin with. Also, production is not an issue since I am distributing digital media. That is my opinion in terms of piracy. Also, $20 mi be squad here in the states, but maybe something unnafordable in other countries. I am all for giving credit where it is due. But I am also about making shit reachable to others and not catering to the elite or upper class. "What would you feel if" stfu, of I make a product and sell it I need to face the reality that people will pirate it, simple as that, i will never make shit unavailable from the beginning.

@AleCx04 also. If i make a product, the best way of doing it is ala Jetbrains. Try my shit for free, it has the basics, want better pay up sucka. And even if I make the best fucking js book in the world, i will give it away for free, wanna support it fine herr, 5 bucks whatever buy me a coffee. Companies bitching about piracy are usually multi millopn dollar companies that start to develop shitty products that are not worth buying in the beginning. Paying 50 bucks for a game were dlcs are 15 or 20 that need to be constantly checked for bugs? You want piracy? That is how you get piracy. Do what you want cuz a pirate is free.

When I was a student I pirated everything. Now that I work and have income I can afford reasonably what I need, which is not much anyway. I still occasionally pirate stuff that isn't available the non-pirate way. That includes region restriction, or some really old shit that is not sold anywhere anymore.

The only time I pirate stuff is, if a movie/episode is not available or not broadcasted in my country. In the latter case I buy it later, when it's available.

In my opinion, pirating stuff which a vendor would happily sell to me is comparable (although not the same as) to stealing.

Is it offered under inconvenient conditions (DRM, custom distribution platform, price, ...)? Deal with it or boycott it - but don't believe you are for some reason entitled to be able to get the stuff on better conditions.

Imagine you're having a contract which grants you a new phone every few years which you can choose from a list presented by the contractor. Are you going to steal a phone that you want to have if you don't find it on that list? If no: don't apply this logic to Netflix (or similar) and movies either.

(continued...)

Regarding software, it's the same: If you don't like the offer, don't use it.
And don't feel like Robin Hood because you're pirating stuff when you don't like its business model.

If it's not costumer friendly enough (e. g. FOSS vs licensing, @linuxxx) you still have to accept that the creator of the software makes *that* offer and not another. Either buy it or don't. You have no entitlement whatsoever to get a certain offer.

Everything else is dishones in my opinion.

EDIT: Sorry, I've been using a somewhat stronger language than I usually do - if anyone got offended, please, accept my apology. Everything I wrote is open for discussion of course and I claim no secret source of truth for myself.

If they not know we are fine

I am just going to leave this here
For some fresh perspective

https://devrant.io/rants/901252/...

Unfortunately I'm all for it in a few cases. Let me explain:
Music industry is mostly mature and with Spotify and digital 7 I can buy and use it how I want. So I only pirate Music if it is harder to get HQ audio files (very rare these days).

Movies and TV series are a different story though. My grandfather wrecked his dvd player by switching regions(bought everything fare but sometimes had to buy from other countries, so had to switch to watch until it go suck in crap region). Since than I pirated everything. Even without shiny disks the industry is fucked up. Crappy protection and availability on Linux (our media server runs on it, Netflix doesn't) Netflix has the best but still abismal offering in the Netherlands.
Shows run at crap times on TV and lower quality and huge subtitles.
Pirating is easier and way better. I do have an unlimited theatre subscription I'm willing to pay damn it!

Books fare little better. Overpriced as ebooks sometimes. Hard to find and get on my kobo reader. (Kobo I buy from but sucks too, no PayPal payments from reader possible). All the special offers are for translated to Dutch books (I like to n read original language never bought a Dutch book there). Audible and Amazon only accept creditcards (ridiculous for Dutch users). So I pirate almost everything.

PC Games are quite OK with steam and friends. Always by them now. Console games buy them online but always in another country (yep online overpriced by region) saves a lot of money.

@Jop- Ummmm. Doesn't Netflix work from a webpage? Is there also a desktop client?

@Froot There are some technologies which are not (either not per default or not at all) available on Linux - like the Silverlight Player, certain DRM techniques and a flash player.

Might've been one of those, but it works now.

Most useable for older games which are nowhere else to be found.