crack software
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Posted on Jun 04, 2011 10:22 pm
kiran phalke
Member Since: Jun 04, 2011
Dear ones
I donot want to use cracked softwares for recording but i just want to know what is the difference between a cracked one and the original one?. When someone uses the crack version does the manufacturer comes to know about that when the user goes on net? Or when the net is on and he is using the software.
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Jun 04, 2011 10:52 pm Occasionally they're the same, occasionally they have wonderful viruses and malware in them that will trash your computer until you won't recognize it (that's my favorite kind, as I absolutely loathe software pirates), occasionally it's not even the software it's supposed to be (my second favorite).
Jun 05, 2011 02:16 pm I'm with MM, piracy is why it costs so much for legit users, and yeah, sometimes it's the same software, just the software with a reg key or something...sometimes there is reverse engineering to get past authorization features which can introduce instability, or the inability to install upgrades and patches later, such as new drivers for later cd burners, sound devices and such....sometimes they are actually virus laden and wreck your PC...it's a crap shoot.
McMerkinHobbyist musician,pro recorderMember
Since: May 15, 2007
Jun 05, 2011 05:39 pm It really is...a dangerous crapshoot, and something pretty much to avoid, one less port of entry for garbage or worse on your computer.
Jun 06, 2011 11:03 am back in...oh geez....'02-'03 maybe, i tried getting rebirth (predecessor to reason) on kazaa and it completely bogged my computer down i have no idea what was running but when i brought up the task manager...there were atleast 10-15 very resource hungry programs that i had running all at once...i ended up reformatting and never pirating again...i only had backups on just a few things, but lost most of my digital files from '95 until then....it only takes one time to muck up everything (perhaps legally as well)....in the end it's just not worth it.
HippieRockstar Vatican AssassinMember
Since: Mar 20, 2009
Jun 16, 2011 11:35 am I'll say this and let you make your own decision. READ THE COMMENTS!!! I've been known to download an app or two (yeah, whatever haters.. .LOL!!) and the number one problem I find with less knowledgeable downloaders is that they don't read the comments left by other downloaders. 9 out 10 times it will say... "don't download, its a virus." You're looking for the download/torrent with the highest number of downloads. Big numbers with positive comments usually suggest its a safe download. Common Sense!!
Jun 16, 2011 07:06 pm So when you are on line does the manufacturer comes to know about this theft?
Jun 17, 2011 01:24 am Hopefully. It's always nice to see the "nabs" in the paper... Not enough of 'em, but nice.
Jun 17, 2011 04:33 am i'll admit...back in napster days, i managed to accumulate a gig or two of some shady rips (no tags, low bitrate ect.ect.)...justification being, i'm a musicaholic, and if i can get free music (mostly from my early years) i'ma gonna take it....then the crackdowns came, and i decided to 'quit while ahead' and severed all file sharing ties..fast forward a year or two and in came kazaa or whatever, and i credit this program for introducing me to audio production....as a kid, i went to music school and bought cakewalk professional 8, and did very little with it. at the time, i couldn't get my head around MIDI...fast forward to the 'ole SONAR XL 1 days..... i nabbed me a copy, and it opened my mind to a whole world of possibilities which led me to this very website...my justification, i'm not making money off it, nor am i sharing/distributing it with anyone, no victim no crime (like prostitution)...purely for my own amusement/education (pun intended)...VERY soon after i learned about Rebirth, nabbed it, and BAM.....my entire digital life was wreaked. yes, i played with snakes and got bit, but it spawned an entire love for something that i would never have had, after all i was a trained bass player, NOT an engineer...i was gonna be a 'rock star'...but now i wanted to be 'the wizard behind the curtain'....by that time sonar 3 was out and by the 'try n buy' period i had of sonar xl i knew this is the platform i wanted to use...so i PAID for it....i can tell you first hand, i would have never bought Sonar 3 had i not tried XL beforehand....not saying everyone will do the same, but i was growing as a person then, and yeah bein' broke and livin' with my parents (after college)..i simply had no other means.
that said. when i lost 95% of everything digital i created between '98 and '03...the lesson was learned. playing with snakes will get you bit in the long term. now, the motivation of that lesson was NOT because i felt the good folks at cakewalk worked hard and deserved to be paid, it was purely because i got some bunk stuff and it crashed my system. right or wrong, i arrived at the same conclusion, just buy it, or try a free alternative.
i have such mixed feelings on this issue. as a artist/performer, as a software developer, and as a 'junkie' of all things audio, i've heard and seen plenty about 'torrents' which i guess is what the new napster is, but i still have my battle scar, and yeah i just don't do it anymore....BUT i still have ALOT of sympathy for downloaders...in this day and age....you can do alot "for free" even legit...and that is why i no longer have the need for pirating any software....there IS a free alternative out there for just about anything...hell pandora has single-handedly replaced my entire CD collection.....
to me, it's NOT black and white, right and wrong....having made my living in audio for 2+ years, i know the feeling of "ownership" of digital media...and yet i still can't confidently put my foot down on someone who is trying to get something for nothing. after all, this is a capitalistic society, isn't that the "best deal" "most bang for the buck"? risk=0 (money) reward=x.
i personally do not condemn such practices when i encounter them (which is often) until a very fine line is crossed (black and white)....are they making money from it? (ie: charging for a recording session using pirated software) or are they distributing it? this is very much like the mentality of the DEA. which IS the "official policy" here in the states.....the end user is small time, it's the distributors and profiteers that are "the bad guys". if i open a beer bottle with a bic lighter am i hurting the bottle-opener business? NO...BUT if i teach everyone at the bar how to do it THEN i am affecting the bottle-opener business....and if i charge a fee to teach, and set up classes..YES i AM directly affecting the bottle-opener business. but do they have the right to say "you have to use our bottle openers to drink your beer" F NO! (ok that was a bad analogy, sorry i'm drinkn')
i'm rockin' sonar 4 now (legit) and i know i could easily find a hack of the latest version, but it does what i need, and i am content with that....hell i was content with v3 lol ;)
Jun 17, 2011 06:39 am WYD, you bring up a good point about being content...most gear whore kinda folks convince themselves they need the latest version or newest model of everything, I had fell for that, however, over the last 2-3 years I have realized that even though I have the latest version of Sonar (or whatever app) I very often never use the features and functions in the newest version...today, I find myself getting by just fine on Sonar Home Studio edition on my laptop...when one comes to that realization, they find the expense is much lower. :-)
Jun 28, 2011 08:08 am Deleted By Bigbluesman
Jun 28, 2011 08:12 am oops...I was saying..the stuff they used 10 years ago made good recordings, and I'm still content with that technology and the price.
Keith WarrenMans reach exceeds his graspMember
Since: Oct 23, 2007
Jun 28, 2011 11:04 pm <em>"'Dear ones
I donot want to use cracked softwares for recording but i just want to know what is the difference between a cracked one and the original one?. When someone uses the crack version does the manufacturer comes to know about that when the user goes on net? Or when the net is on and he is using the software."'</em>
I don't know about anyone else, but this sounds like a question a person trying to use cracked software who doesn't know the logistics of it all would ask.
My personal answer to you would be as follows-
The difference between cracked and legal software is that one is stolen and one is legitimate. Would you steal a car?
And so far as the manufacturer 'knowing' if you stole it? If you did steal a car, would those VIN numbers or license plate numbers come up eventually? Of course.
First of all, don't risk it. Music is important, we all know this, but you can't make music when you're being levied with heavy fines and/or in prison.
Second, a lot of hard working people busted their butts to make that software. Is their livelihood, the future of their children, their lives, really worth messing around with a program that you almost literally took from their paycheck?
THINK BEFORE YOU CRACK.
Tim NUh, at least one more time . . .Member
Since: Feb 07, 2007
Jun 29, 2011 10:09 pm That's the first thing I thought when I read the post, Keith W. Actually, if the software has been hacked and cracked, the manufacturer really has no way of knowing who's got what--unless the downloader didn't use any kind of peer-blocking software, and even then, it's not worth it to go after an individual. I'm guessing the original poster here downloaded some illicit stuff, and is worried about actually using it, and that depends . . . there are now ads on the radio that ask employees of companies that use stolen software to report this. An individual user, at home, using software he illegally downloaded, is unlikely to get caught, and manufacturers of software know this. A certain cohort of folks are always going to steal software (and music) if they can; there's really not too much that can be done about this. DAW manufacturers and designers wind up jacking up the price for the rest of us to cover for the loss.
There's the excitement of getting the "Pro" version of Super-Recorder--"Wow!" I've got SuperRecorder Pro, for nothin', and I no longer have to clown around with SuperRecorderLE!" The usual ironies apply: The downloader didn't bother to learn on LE, and now he has Pro,which he soon gets bored with, because he can't figure it out. And so on. I know a guy that downloads movies before they even hit the theater. Why? Because he can, that's why. Same with music, and software, for a lot of people.
Quincysanhttp://www.unitedmusicians.infoContributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007
Jun 30, 2011 02:36 pm Depending on where this person comes from or how old they are, the problem may be that he can't afford the cost of the software. That might sound like a poor reason to crack, but when I was 12-14 growing up in Napster's heyday I didn't have money and I pirated quite a bit of stuff. Back then, I was experimenting with what I'd like to spend my time doing. Eventually I settled on making event based video games with a program called Klik n' Play. At the time I'm pretty sure it was $35 (it is free now), but I pirated it and used it to discover that I liked making games enough to get into it. Then I mowed some yards and purchased a product by the same developers called MultiMedia Fusion for $200 when I was 14 or 15.
I guess it was wrong to steal that software. I didn't have the means to purchase all the software suites that were interesting to me and I wanted to spend a significant amount of time working on different platforms before I made a decision and worked for the money I'd need to purchase legitimately. I think that the majority of people want to pay for software. I know I did, even though I couldn't afford to. I certainly don't regret my decision to pirate software back then, because I did end up making the decision to purchase something. I feel like I used each software just enough to make an informed decision. The freeware game making software industry got $200 from me precisely because I stole software on a kind of trial basis.
I think there could be better solutions out there now that aren't being exploited. I have sympathy for kids who are pirating software now, there are so many enticing programs out there and not enough temporary licensing options. Couldn't providers offer a special version of software that has to check an online licensing database before the program is launched to make sure a trial is still active? Yeah...this would prevent people without internet connections from using it. So get an internet connection. What about companies completely dedicated to this need for trial software? For instance, a company who specializes in securing temporary licenses for the top 5 game making softwares for a certain price per month. Sort of like Steam, I guess, but I haven't used Steam very much.
That would work for America, but in other countries the rental price is still going to be too much. I think it makes sense to give honest people in other countries the opportunity to purchase software at a price that they can manage. When piracy is an easy-access option...why would you just let that happen without an alternative path for those who aren't necessarily trying to get away with something for free? No one offers software support for free anymore, so that's not a potential cost to the software developer. Require these titles to be applied for to confirm country of residence, and require a digital distribution. No shipping/physical product overhead, no problem.
Software licensing needs to change, and I think it has some growing up to do. There aren't any simple answers, and I only have these hippy dippy idealist BS conjectures to throw out.
In the audio world, I think Waves and URS are doing AWESOME stuff. They've gone beyond the tired old "trial vs fully licensed" software to offer rental software. To me...this is awesome and a step toward the future.
Jun 30, 2011 02:44 pm The "I can't afford it" excuse is moot...why is it applied differently to music, movies and software than to, say, a car?
Quincysanhttp://www.unitedmusicians.infoContributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007
Jun 30, 2011 03:22 pm Because digital distribution costs next to nothing. Easy.
Piracy is inevitable. I swear. If you don't believe me, try pirating software for a few years. It's easy, it's fun, and other than a clean conscience there isn't an incentive not to. Why bury your head in the sand and pretend that everyone is going to pay full price? Offer something else to people who are interested in paying what they can afford.
Jun 30, 2011 03:24 pm I know it's inevitable, it's the feeble excuses that people use to make it "OK" is another matter. Developing the software does not cost nothing...the lame justifications are disappointing to say the least. It's that lack of personal integrity and honesty that has this world going to hell in a handcart. The incentive is to not be a criminal and a loser and further contributing the this world going to ****.
Quincysanhttp://www.unitedmusicians.infoContributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007
Jun 30, 2011 04:13 pm Who cares if anyone thinks it's ok? That's like asking people if they think gravity is "ok". Coming from the generation who grew up with Napster, I can say without a doubt that EVERYONE...and I do mean every single person I know born between 1984 and 1989 has pirated software, movies, or music. I don't imagine the problem has gone away with younger generations considering seeded bittorrents are offering the fastest download speeds I've ever heard of. Do you want to punish it? OK. I don't care, I pay for everything I use, but for whatever reason "we" (as in the ME generation, not me in particular) have been getting away with this for over a decade now. It's not being punished, and it's still happening, so at least change pricing schemes to make software legally accessible in some way. You can tell someone they're wrong until you're blue in the face, but if they can't pay less for a lesser licensed product, they'll pay nothing and get the fully licensed product.
Once people finally get away from how things "should be" and consider how they need to change to accommodate how they're going to be, maybe that will help. Maybe the quality of software will go down when people are paying less for rental software...but I sincerely doubt it. It's a rental after all, they'll eventually decide to buy or rent again. If the product is really crappy but it's the only option out there...it'll get pirated and the company will fail. Eventually the consumer loses their product. So what? These things should happen to the software companies who aren't paying attention. Theft is always subject to opportunity, we just have to remember that the opportunity is there just like the sun rises in the East.
Despite my recent frustrations, I think the ilok is a reasonable solution for piracy, but I am fortunate to be able to afford their unreasonable prices. The prices could be reasonable if those of us who are legitimately fully licensed weren't forced to share the burden of software pirates. One way to reduce the prices I have to pay for piracy prevention hardware would be to let people pay something for a lesser license. Another way would be to move the damn PACE facility out of San Jose and into a strip mall in a suburb in Indiana.
I don't even understand why reduced fee/reduced licenses are controversial, though I know they are.
Jun 30, 2011 04:17 pm I know how it is, I just think it's very sad...I buy my software, cuz I'm not a thief. It's certainly nothing I am going to condone regardless of people selfish, ignorant, misguided justifications for doing it.
Jun 30, 2011 04:24 pm Wow Quincysan's response is one of the best examples of "Something so wrong being right" it's a little hard to know how to respond there. And yes I have an ilok. All you have to do is be a 1st time user of that thing to be turned against the use of the damn thing. But I won't be judgmental about it, heck I suppose we shouldn't have sex before marriage either. I won't make one sin worse than the other,.Oh well..........
Quincysanhttp://www.unitedmusicians.infoContributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007
Jun 30, 2011 04:25 pm That's a good reason. I don't buy software because I'm not a thief. Maybe I'd rent software if I needed it. I definitely intend to rent software from Waves for my current project. If nothing else, I just want to support that rental model, and serve as an example to my engineer buddy with $20k+ in stolen software.
Twelve year olds steal software because they don't have income, and International consumers steal because the black market is more prevalent than the developers market. I don't think morality will save us, ha.
Jun 30, 2011 04:28 pm Actually morality would save us, sadly, morality is in limited supply.
Quincysanhttp://www.unitedmusicians.infoContributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007
Jun 30, 2011 04:32 pm I believe there are more people with morality than we think, but I think that some markets are seeking less value than the value that's being offered. Hence my avid support of rental software.
Speaking of Avid, they're starting to smarten up with this stuff. No rental policy for PT/avid products yet...but PT9 native was a good step.
Jun 30, 2011 07:47 pm Well thank you folks for such an elaborate discussion.Please note that after purchasing a legal software also gave me a big mental torture and the shopkeeper also did some trick which deprived me of the legal free software. In such instances one has to suffer. I had to lodge complaints to the top boss and then only i got my licence key. I enjoyed the discussion
Quincysanhttp://www.unitedmusicians.infoContributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007
Jun 30, 2011 09:22 pm Nothing to be ashamed of Kiran. Counterfeit software is a sneaky business that fools the best of us at times. Good luck on your recordings, and post some samples when you get to that point. Hope to hear more from you.
Quote:
International consumers steal because the black market is more prevalent than the developers market.
Case in point.
Keith WarrenMans reach exceeds his graspMember
Since: Oct 23, 2007
Jul 01, 2011 12:25 am I have to admit Quincy, some nice points made. And the following is not directed at anyone in particular, just my surface view on it all. (Hot topic here, eh?!?!)
But lets say I'm a new software designer for, um, Cakewalk for instance. This is hypothetical, but proves a point;
I get paid 50,000$ a year. One of lets say 50. I'm a software designer and have been given the task of creating functions worthy of promoting upgrades and/or total sales of at least 100,000 units within the next fiscal year.
In that year alone, 50,000 copies of our Sonar line was pirated @ 400$ each, and netted us a loss over profit of 20,000,000$. That's not including promotions, branding, trade shows, etc.
How many of us software designers would hypothetically lose our jobs based on the companies fiscal responsibility to their share holders? 400. Four Hundred. Eight times the personnel even involved in making said software.
As an individual, pirating software is cheap, exciting, and overall more lucrative then buying it.
If you could take a step back an consider that the same file you're downloading is having an effect on the lives of other though, it takes different perspective.
I pirated my first version of Sonar, I'm ashamed to admit. But a good friend allowed me to see the greater perspective; if you've got a hacked version, how many others do?
And at WHAT COST?
Software development may be cheap these days, but it's still not free. If you want free, get Reaper or any other good freeware recorders. There's a lot out there.
But don't try to justify the theft of intellectual property as if it's a rift in the system.
As a human you're expected to be honest.
As a human you're expected to be moral.
As a human you're expected to be human.
But as a human, you're expected to be supportive of other humans- first and foremost.
You want to take the food from my kids mouths so you can play professional on your computer? Fine. I'll send you pictures of my grocery list from my meager 1 bdm apt.
But if you want to support a product and its makers for their hard work? I'll meet you at the store you buy it from and shake your hand knowing my daughters have a college fund to look forward to and not a motel end bar with low priced suitors awaiting.
Everyone, stop supporting piracy, please. It pisses me off to no end. Morals aside, it pisses me off.
Keith WarrenMans reach exceeds his graspMember
Since: Oct 23, 2007
Jul 01, 2011 12:35 am Also, on a side note, I can tell already that this thread should be locked.
It's too controversial.
Quincysanhttp://www.unitedmusicians.infoContributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007
Jul 01, 2011 12:54 pm The substance of my argument isn't that piracy should be ok (I am no longer a software "pirate"); only that piracy is going to be there for many reasons, each unique to the individual downloading. What I am saying is that it only makes sense to make alternative legitimate pricing plans available. I'll drop it after this but say it one more time:
Rental licenses! I think this is the answer. I can demo Waves plugins for the week to learn if I like them or not (I tried and love H-Comp and H-Delay), then I can rent them again when I have a project worth investing in (I'm renting for a mix session late July). When I've rented X number of times, I own the plugins. There's no reason for me to drop a zillion dollars on plugins I'll use in a song that may never see a profit...but when the special projects come around I'll have the option financially within my grasp. Once I've used a plugin a certain number of times, it's mine, and Waves makes a little cut for having rented instead of selling outright.
The big thing I think we're missing is that I want and could use more than I can afford to license in full, but I am willing to spread out financing in any way that makes it feasible for me to use top notch software legally on specific projects. This does not mean I'm going to steal when I can't afford something...but for many, it does. I am not alone in this want/need. Again, I am NOT condoning piracy, I am saying that current pricing structures are limiting to the consumer and they could be improved to increase profits and customer satisfaction.
I'm going to plug Waves and URS because they are doing this right and I want you guys to see what I'm talking about in action:
www.waves.com/content.aspx?id=9799
www.ursplugins.com/rentaldeal.html
No more talk about morality; this is a practical solution for an inevitable problem. If you can explain to me why these plans are bad business for Waves/URS...I'm all ears. I'm tired of the "but piracy is bad" argument; I agree...now what are we gunna do about it? There are some morons who just flat out condone stealing software. I don't get that...but they're out there and they're going to make it easy for the "on the fence guys" to steal, like myself in my adolescence. The "on the fence" guys are who this rental policy appeals to. I believe there's a huge market there, if it becomes more common and publicized.
I know I'm just describing a credit system...so why is it hard to digest? It works for banks, it can work for software developers too.
Jul 01, 2011 05:41 pm I never said the idea was bad or bad for business, that is up to the manufacturer, clearly, they have no interest it...and it's their call...that said, the more things got to the cloud, the more you'll see things available like your describing, is my guess.
Tim NUh, at least one more time . . .Member
Since: Feb 07, 2007
Jul 01, 2011 11:43 pm C'mon. Keith, you're kidding about this being too controversial, right? Some thoughtful responses, Quincysan. There's nothing controversial talking about ways to deal with things like rights and moral quandries and the massive changes brought about by new technologies.
Dematrixhttp://www.reverbnation.com/2ndgMember
Since: Nov 27, 2007
Jul 02, 2011 12:01 am i was only discussing the internet with a mate earlier this morning about similar stuff.
MO,
The internet, and i think i said this **** last year sometime, it has to/ will, very soon i think, have some big time limitations put on it.
Im no IT buff, but its killing, business, its not funny, they WILL, somehow, have to take control of the situation at some point sooner than later, or world econmics will gradually go to **** in handbasket.
One thing about music software piracy and just the insane influx of people recording their own music and using it is...
eventually 90% of the population that do record their own stuff, are/will start to relaize how much they suck and how hard it really is to be good at this **** and they will start to drop off IMO.
All the cool music software in world doesnt change the fact that alot of stuff out the atm, just sucks balls,
people eventually get the message and stop doing it...everyone wants to be rockstar.....until they realise ITS HARD WORK,"IF" you have the talent.
sounds a bit irrelevant??? Not to me, im getting at plain ol human behaviour here.
One thing you can be sure of, is human nature. flavour of the month or deacde in this case, and what everyone else is doing at the time all play a part.
maybe software piracy will never end to a point, but i think certain hobbies/applications eg audio software will eventually simmer right down.
maybe that is the only way to get people to lay off piracy in certain areas of interest, come up with a decoy trend with butt loads of potential for free/crack software (people love free ***, even if they arent going to use it) Like sheeps to the slaughter they'll all get wind of the new trend and there you go. hahahaha.
hahahha. my respect for the human race doesnt look good ey?
Look it might be an unorthodox/scatterbrained way of looking at it but, i know people, they suck, and theyre predictable.
that and its an intentional way of slipping into this thread with a new point of view.
Jul 02, 2011 08:45 am Haha, there is a certain amount of wisdom in that, one can go download all the Steinberg and Waves products they want, all it'll bring them is bragging rights and name dropping unless they actually know how to use them.
I have often been a "make do" kinda guy...I mean, I went thru my gear whore days, when every time a new need came to light, I'd find a reason to guy buy a new product (yeah, or download)...I kind of got over that and moved into a "how can I repurpose what I already have" kinda thinker, and really, it is suprising how much you can do with how little with some creativity, and, if you are the kind of guy that is willing to try new things and do experimenting, it's kinda fun.
Sadly, however, after a few years of stagnating, now that I am more active musically a again, assembling a band, writing tunes and stuff, I feel my inner gear whore coming out again...or wanting to, thus far I've successfully held it at bay in most cases.
Jul 02, 2011 01:22 pm Quote:
Haha, there is a certain amount of wisdom in that, one can go download all the Steinberg and Waves products they want, all it'll bring them is bragging rights and name dropping unless they actually know how to use them.
THAT's one of those things that really spooks the crap out of me over the last bunch of years...
It's one thing to steal software and quietly take advantage of it in the privacy of your own home. Wrong? Sure - But at least it shows a 'normal' human response of "I'm doing something wrong, so I'm going to keep it on the hush-hush." Just as you don't see chop-shops and car thieves in the yellow pages.
It takes an entirely different, brazen, bold, what I would consider on the brink of "dangerous" mentality to "show it off" publicly...
I see it all the time -- "We have ($200 monitors) and ($90 USB mic), etc., etc. and ($3,000) Nuendo, ($8,000) Waves Mercury (and Waves Platinum, Waves Diamond, etc.) along with a giant list of a bunch of other obviously cracked software.
There are two possible psychoses at work --- 1) The person is proud of their exploits and brazen enough to advertise them (in a figurative *and* in many cases, literal sense) with no worry at all of consequences -- which really just scares the hell out of me -- I mean, it's Grand Theft. It's a felony - and they still don't give a damn. Or 2) someone so deluded and full of themselves that they honestly think the average person wouldn't know it and they're simply trying to prey on those who aren't "in the know" --
And there's so much of both out there -- And it's a symptom of a bigger problem, a starting point for larger issues and it reveals character in a way that I never thought would happen.
I sound "old" --- Sorry.
BeerHunterwww.TheLondonProject.caMember
Since: Feb 07, 2005
Jul 02, 2011 06:58 pm I have a couple of points that stray off subject a bit but... I used to be in the software business. We produced CBT (computer based training) software. We had shelves and shelves of this software that our sales people would sell to various corporations (and occasionally, end users). The software was protected with a dongle. Each dongle was programmed with x-amount of hours to run the software. For example, a corporation would buy 1,000 hours worth of training. The software would not run unless the dongle was in the PC. Each training module was worth say 1 hour and it would remove 1 hour worth of credits. The software itself could be freely distributed. The dongle was the key.
Anyways, long story short, the company eventually ran into financial difficulties and needed to attract investors. They had a very tough time with that. Reason being, software has NO VALUE! It only has value when it is sold. Software is intellectual property and the value is in the content. It has no physical value. The physical value of software is the 25 cents for the CD and even then the CD has no value unless it is re-writeable.
I guess my point is, software is like a diamond. It's value is only what someone is willing to pay. Waves for example may value it's software at $8,000 but that doesn't mean that is what they can sell it for.
I used to live in a town where unemployment was very high. Beautiful place but no work. All the local stores had two prices. One for those that worked and another for those that didn't. A huge studio that has the A-list clients can afford to pay 8 grand for Waves. A DIY home studio type guy cannot. Maybe what needs to happen is the licensing needs to be based on the audience that the product is going to reach. How they are going to monitor that, I have no idea.
Dematrixhttp://www.reverbnation.com/2ndgMember
Since: Nov 27, 2007
Jul 02, 2011 09:12 pm When these companies open the flood gates to dirt cheap gear and interfaces etc, so everyone can have a try, you get the demographic that comes with that, and therefore the software cracking increases also.
They want cheap gear for a mess around, they sure aint gonna pay for software if they can get it for free.
Sure, the piracy might have increased of late, but how are the actual sales compared to previous years, before all the cheap and nasty gear availablity?
I would say again that the piratees, most of them, are mostly the newbies looking for cheap thrills and an ego boost by recording their own crap.
Good for sales sure but, the inlfux is most certainly gonna end soon enough, when alot of people get jack of being told they suck and knowing it..
Companies should just sell their gear while they can to people that havent been able to buy it due to price,
and suck up the software piracy part of it.
The inlux of piracy doesnt necessarily mean they lost out on many software sales at all,
it just means the people that "pirated" it, wanted it free, and would never falk out to purchase it anyway. cant count that as a lost sale.
If theyre so worried about it, then i dont see why theyre constantly putting out new versions or new programs every 10 months or so. how many people do they think are gonna keep throwing hundreds at them for software when they already have it?
Instead of selling lame *** versions of good software trying to tease you with it,
why not up the price of gear bundles, get rid of the disrespectful demographinc that can come with cheap and nasty, and sell full versions, instead of trying to be marketing Einsteins about everything.
Keith WarrenMans reach exceeds his graspMember
Since: Oct 23, 2007
Jul 03, 2011 12:49 am Deon-
Companies basically upgrade every few months because they need to recoup from the cost of piracy and to regulate their market by reassuring their investors- I.E. the people who buy their software!
I use Sonar 7 PE and from the two updates I've gotten, I've seen no change. But I'm sure I've benefited from them at some point.
And, Quote" it just means the people that "pirated" it, wanted it free, and would never falk out to purchase it anyway. cant count that as a lost sale."
If CakeWalk wanted to be truly protective, they would have secured their software with an iLok or something similar. But they, I think, rely on the morality of the consumer. If this is the case, they've made a grave mistake; for the well being of their product line that is.
But no matter what, no matter the user, their mindset, or their means, piracy is theft. All companies know they're being stolen from. It's the degree to which they define that certainty that makes them what they are. And CakeWalk is an amazing company to me, so they must be doing something right!
Try finding pirated Pro Tools HD3. Can't? Because there's proprietary hardware involved. Cakewalk is working towards the same thing with their own hardware. Any other company not doing the same thing? Out of the loop and will probably be gone within 5 years.
The sum of my crap is my 2 cents.
Piracy=Wrong
Stealing= Bad unless you're trying to feed your family against an aggressive government.
Reform=Good in the instance of making ones product fiscally relevant to all parties involved.
Dematrixhttp://www.reverbnation.com/2ndgMember
Since: Nov 27, 2007
Jul 04, 2011 12:41 am absolutely. I can barely remember writing that last post, i was slightly trashed.
