The good ol` days...

[MeanderingBeing]

So what happened to the good old days when we didn't have to deal with this system crippling DRM and copyright bullshit? Really, if I buy a cd, I have a legal right to copy it so I can stash and protect the original? But according to a Blue Oyster Cult cd I recently purchased and plugged into my computer for copying, I was greeted by a BSOD with a copyright warning! WTF!?
What ever happened to the days when the consumer actually had rights to their own software and was actually trusted by the manufacturers?!

You know, if it wasn't for the plethora of awesome software available for PCs, I would write a massive "F*** YOU MICROSOFT" Virus that would put their poor customer service into bankruptcy. Oh, wait, VIRUS PROTECTION COMPANIES ALREADY DO THAT! THEN MAKE YOU PAY FOR THEIR SOFTWARE SO YOU DON'T GET SHAFTED BY THEIR OTHER SOFTWARE!

*sigh* What happened to the good ol' days where Norton AV was FREE, I could play Diablo as much as I want (and even play on hacked servers if I wanted), and I didn't get royally shafted by Windows 95 Plus? I think there needs to be some serious changes in the computer industry...

[Grump642]

Mostly I agree with you. But what happened was that 1 guy would buy a cd, copy it 10 times, and give the copys to all his friends. Stealing, really. And the artists and labels were losing lots of money. So we all suffer now. And while you have a "right" to copy the CD for your own use( fair use law), that only applies if you do not have to break any DRM to do so. Sucks, but it's the law.

Edit= And they really do have a right to get paid for their music.

[MeanderingBeing]

I agree Grump. If I spent my blood and sweat making awesome music, I'd damn sure better get paid. I think it is only fair!

But, that being said, I would like to pose a question to you:
Suppose that an individual does not have the funds or means to buy a product, and then proceeds to pirate the product... Does the distributer than lose the sale? I honestly think that the percentages of sales lost is largely askew, as in many cases you see individuals who would not or could not buy a product, but choses to pirate it because its free, despite it being illegal. So the question is thus: is it fair for for the consumer who paid for their product to suffer for a distributer's "lost" sales, where in many cases those sales wouldn't have been made in the first place.

I've met alot of people, mostly underage, who would gladly pay for a cd or game or movie or whatever, but being that they do have the funds or means, chose to pirate instead! I used to be one of those people honestly! I used to have a torrent for every Jimi Hendrix album in existence, but once I ran into some money, I bought the albums.

Another question is thus:
In the case of ever rising inflation, and the increase of lay-offs, re-po's, and decreasing wages, what is the consumer to do if they want to buy some hendrix cds? It's not like he's reaping the profits anyways! (That may seem a bit cold, so let me tell you, I think it is a damn shame that he is not enlightening our world today with his music!)

But thats all off-topic! My point is that I am just getting sick of this underhanded bull coming from the industry. I am sick of DRMs and copyright protection software screwing over legitimate software. An example of this is when I installed Power ISO so I could burn file DVDs of my artwork; this resulted in both FEAR and Dawn of War forever not working, until of course Power ISO and all registry traces were removed. Power ISO, FEAR, and Dawn of War were all legitimately owned legal software, but should I should not be able to play games because a software distributer feels that by buying another product, that I am going to distribute, illegally, copies of their product?
Thats just the point I am trying to make. I am just getting really sick of how we little guys get ****ed by some corporate greed.

[Grump642]

If they ignore the "theft", whether the person could or would purchase, pretty soon no one would pay.
On your main point, are we really getting screwed by corporate greed, or are we paying the price for other peoples thievery? Remember, you already agreed that they have a right to to get paid. And just because I want something and can't afford it, does not give me the right to steal it.
But I agree that the DRM these days has crossed the line. Like the bull-crap Sony tried to do. Real stupid.

[audioave10]

Many would say...you mean its okay to steal a car because you can't afford one? But its not that simple. Piracy has been a bad thing for one reason-its the excuse companies have for all the DRM crap.
Piracy isn't theft...its usually "copyright infringement" which is also
against the law. At the same time, DRM has caused more problems with the actual paying customer than any pirate which didn't have to deal with the stupid DRM in the first place.
Indeed....its a screwed-up world!

[MeanderingBeing]

Heh, I see the point of saying "I can't afford a car, so it's okay to steal one..." But please understand, I was a desperate young'en!

One thing I have noticed about DRMs is the fact that when you pirate a game, 99% of the time, the DRM is either removed or bypassed. So you're right, it doesn't affect the software thieves at all, it only affects the paying customer... sounds like a bum deal to me!

So here's a question for you:
Suppose I really like a really old game that I used to own, but lost during a move... it is now considered obselete (IT WAS THE FIRST BLOODY 3d RTS ON THE MARKET! I WAS 10 YEARS OLD WHEN THAT AWESOMENESS CAME OUT!) and you can't find it ANYWHERE... except from some random, erm, dude on Amazon who wants to sell a used, damaged copy for $150... Is it okay if I pirate it, considering I had bought it in the first place (and thus, bought the right to own the software)? What's your take on this situation?

And grump... What did sony do?

[Balious]

Heres what I did before. Mainly for games if the demo wasn't good enough to test out if you like the game or not then I pirate it to test it out. And if I like it I go and find and buy it. I did it with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. afterall. Not that I do it now

But I believe that whoever brought music,dvd,game or whatever they should be able to copy it for their own purpose as a backup. The amount of times my Warcraft III frozen throne disk broke is unbelieveable. But I don't need to copy it thanks to Blizzard with just entering the cd-key at their site and you can download it

[Grump642]

Sony hid a piece of software on the cd's that when you played them it installed in the background. Without your knowledge or consent. That is WRONG!!! If that wasn't bad enough, is was found that the software, over time, was destroying DVD burners. Big stink couple of years ago.
Bottom line on all this is, you have to do what you think is right. I have no problem breaking DRM to rip it to my HDD. But I would never give it to someone for free.

[MeanderingBeing]

Hmm, what games had this on it? About a year ago I started having problems out of the blue with my DVD-rw reader/burner, and never did anything about it. Is this a symptom of Sony's bull, and can it be fixed? Or is it unrelated?

[Grump642]

It was on their music, I believe. And there was no way to fix it. Except buy a new burner.
Here is a link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Sony_BMG_CD_copy_protection_scandal

[MeanderingBeing]

DAMNIT! And it was a Natalie Ibruglia cd, no less! Her awesome voice f***ed my dvd-rw drive! If this was now, I'd have to shank a mofo!

Seriously, though, I really did buy that cd when it came out, and never knew it was recalled... I still have it... as well as 2 other copies... I really want to hurt someone now!

EDIT: Also, one of my santana cd's are screwed too. WTF!?

[Grump642]

I seem to recall an article on how to remove it with out disabling DVD burning. You might have luck searching for it.

[MeanderingBeing]

eh, its been years since it happened. By now, the dvd-rw would have been f***ed anyways, considering how much I use em. But, on the bright side. I'll have my computer back by the 5th of October, and by then, I will not only be in my own place to call home, but I'll be able to rebuild my rig to keep up with today's standards! It would only be a small investment to buy a new DVD-rw compared to my other plans. Now, where do I get CPUZ? Does it have its own web-site?

[Grump642]

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

[MeanderingBeing]

thanks!

[ket]

Long story short: I've never had any software prevent me from going about doing what I want, but that may be down to me being anal about setting up my systems "perfectly". In the case of DRM, media player has always let me rip a disk, you just have to "agree" and "understand" various things prior to burning if you choose not to use DRM on your ripped music (and why would you? Most MP3s and the like can't play DRM'd files) Finally, if it pisses you off that much, go find a crack for your games. You legally own them, its entirely up to you if you choose to use a crack with them or not