Although I do agree with using legal copies of all software you run, as a technicality I do not. Have I purchased everything I use? Yes I did. Easier to patch it, than jump through the hoops everytime I flip hardware (I test a lot of hardware in my machine, and re-install windows about every 2 months)
This topic is FUD for that reason alone, oh, I changed my videocard to this one, thats OK, i change back, thats OK, then sound card, Re-activate. Ohh, and god forbid change the NIC too. I spent more time on the phone with the activation center, them asking me how many times have I installed windows for this key than I will mention here. So thats just my 2 cents from a legal/ilegal user of XP/Vista.

One of the issues involved in activation concerns those that are unaware their cheapo dealer sold them a bogus OS along with their machine. So activation becomes a way for M$ to locate those dealers. Now Apple could care less about activation because there are so few who sell Apple clones and could use a bogus OS. Given the remarkable hassle associated with activation, I wonder how many dealers are actually caught and prosecuted? I fully expect piracy is rampant in some countries where even $25 for an OS is too expensive. Perhaps this is the M$ target.

I do know that I have friends who have some ancient PCs and have lost their OS install disks. I have on occasion used my version of W98 to get them running again. But their usage of those machines is fairly minimal. Further, a lot of modern software won’t run under W98. In some cases the machines can’t even run XP, but if they can run XP I generally won’t install XP even with known key hacks. Supporting XP is too much of a bother. With others, I have installed Linux even for resource constrained machines. Various open source software gets them most of what they need, but sadly, for the kids, not many popular games.

Gates has ALREADY been in MULTIPLE lawsuits about “stealing” copyrighted “codes” for the STUFF he has USED in XP , VISTA, Media Player. etc. THAT’s CALLING the KETTLE BLACK !!

Heck….. The PC may not EVEN run VISTA worth CRAP… so SHE has to get XP or lower.

And …. for the MOST part….. I did NOT make this UP. I know many POOR people who fit this scenario every friggen day.

When it comes to PRICES….. People will argue the cost to make. For those who say it is a Great Price…. I say this. YES, programmers have to eat…. but that is FIGURED out and DEFUSED throughout the “projected sales” before being put onto the market.
production cost = .25 per unit (aka the CD, manual, paper, packaging)
marketing= 10 Dollars per unit
programming= 50 Dollars per unit
sundries= .75 per unit (lights, toilet paper, etc.)
extra stuff= 10 Dollars per unit
profit pointer= 40 Dollars per unit
……………………………………
That’s 111 Dollars
Retailer’s markup= 20 Dollars
……………………………………………………
Puts it at 131 Dollars for a FULL VERSION.
===================================

Now the TOTAL as it WOULD STAND.
…… Estimated Sales for Item is 5,000,000 Copies ………..

That would BE….
50,000,000 Dollars for Marketing (sounds about right).
12,500,000 Dollars per Programmer (20 total)
… If you continue down the list…. you will see that is Quite enough… That includes 1 place for “padding” the profit margin….
(now I know that the prices I have shown are WAY off base, but they are JUST to show how the pricing of a product REALLY works.)

VISTA is around 200 Dollars …….. before taxes. For what I had JUST shown you, it covers the COST just fine.
……………………………………………………………………………………………..
Conclusion…. Yes, the prices are “close” to reality (on the OS that is). Yes, it is “stealing” when you download a copy. And… Yes…. for some people… it is quite necessary to put the “law” and one’s “morals” to the side, to make life bearable (if not for themselves, at least for their children).

“I am so sick of hearing this stupid argument that I can barely find it within myself to respond to such a twisted analogy. But for once and for all: When you STEAL something, the original owner no longer possesses it! Understand? Copying software, whether you agree with it or not, does NOT steal it from the original possessor of it. Got it? The logic simply does not stand up.”

I have to disagree with that. You ARE stealing; you are stealing the money. You are stealing the money you would have had to pay otherwise if you couldn’t download it. Before you say that you not have bought such an expensive program, that’s not the point. If you wouldn’t buy it because you wouldn’t use it, they did not lose out on sales. But if you downloaded a program that costs $300 (just to throw out a number) in the stores you ARE using the program and therefore you just stole $300 from the company because clearly you do want (or need to) use the software.

Just because stealing a computer means stealing hardware, doesn’t mean that copying software isn’t stealing. It merely means that you just took $300 worth away from someone without leaving your home.

Now, having said that, I personally think that the money is also the explanation to this. Because the line will differ from person to person, but all of us have a line. A line were under it we are willing to pay the money because, hey programmers need to eat too. But above it we refuse to buy the program because, it’s ridiculous that they ask that much money, it only costs a few cent to make a CD.
(Using an often heard argument in which people forget research costs and the wages that the programmers were paid.)

Just let us look at prices for a moment, shall we?
An upgrade to OS 10 costs a mere 29 Euro.
An upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium is 120 Euro.
I only looked at upgrades because I assume the person already has a PC and OS.

And that right there is that line. 30 Euro for a new and elaborate program like an OS? You have to be a real scrooge not to pay that.

But 120 Euro? Well, a lot of people will say, ‘I really should buy that, but… well, economy is bad, and, well… I need to eat, and my car needs gas… well, alright, so what if I just download it? I’m not hurting anyone, and come on, Microsoft is not going to miss this little bit; they have enough money.’

And that simple fact right there is why MS needs activation and Apple doesn’t.

BTW, see the stealing again? They know that MS won’t get the money, but somehow they don’t see that as stealing? Hmmm.

To tell you the truth, for me, I find 120, not too bad, and it’s clear to see that MS is lowering its prices because they want to find that line where people still buy instead of downloaded.

Which, I grand you, leaves for the interesting argument, then why sell XP and Vista at such high prices? Clearly the profit margin can be less than hundreds of dollars per copy.

H.W.