4 ms·

> If you don't like the ads served, just don't freaking use the service/website in question. I have zero responsibility in the website business model. I don't

by wazoox 14y ago

> If you don't like the ads served, just don't freaking use the service/website in question. I have zero responsibility in the website business model. I don't want to see ads either on TV or on the web, I use the available tools. I've used ad blockers proxies since 1998 or so. When some websites (reddit, osnews) ask nicely to deactivate adblock to support them, I do. When they whine about how that's their business model (like ars technica), I don't. Oh BTW software piracy isn't immoral. It's maybe wrong, but morality has nothing to do with it. After all Photoshop and MS Office success rely at least for a part on software piracy. Furthermore, from your point of view Gutenberg was wrong because of all those poor scribes he put out of jobs by going against their century-proven business model. Does not make much sense, doesn't it?

bad_user 14y ago
I also hate ads on TV. That's why I don't watch TV anymore. Except for HBO which is not ad-supported. This is not about responsibility towards a business model, it's more about rewarding good behavior and punishing bad behavior. As a consumer, you definitely don't want bad treatment. After all Photoshop and MS Office success rely at least for a part on software piracy That's true, but look at the other side of the coin as well ... because of software piracy, alternatives don't have a chance to penetrate a market that's monopolized. It also keeps Microsoft and Adobe lazy. No competition means no incentive to improve and no incentive to lower the prices. Companies like Adobe and Microsoft have pockets deep enough to ensure that piracy is kept under control. But the story is very different for small companies or independent developers that just want to make a living. Also piracy doesn't work in the same way for games, or other products that people aren't using on a daily basis. That's why I consider piracy immoral - it kills small software developers, it perpetuates the monopoly of big companies and is simply unfair to the people that worked on that software, pushing them towards more control, flawed technologies (DRM) and server-side subscriptions (in which case users don't really own anything anymore, not even their own data).
- wazoox 14y ago
  Notice that I don't like software piracy either, and I don't pirate myself: I use almosts exclusively free software (yes, I'm one of these guys :) and I buy my music, movies and the very few proprietary programs I use (like some games). However, it seems to me that software piracy is a given of the media; there is no solution to it. Remember the 1976 Bill Gates' open letter to pirates? It's like drug prohibition: there is one supposed "right" state of the affairs which is unattainable, but for some reason the pragmatic approach is taboo. I suppose software piracy is actually closer to the "tragedy of the commons" mechanisms than actual theft.
  - bad_user 14y ago
    Yeah, I agree, piracy is not theft, but new business models are needed. For the record, I also pirate movies and music from time to time, because I live in Romania and getting certain music and movies is difficult - most content available in the US is either not available in my country, or is made available with a significant delay. I don't have access to services like Netflix, the content on iTunes is a fraction of what's available in the US, the local bands still sell packaged CDs and we don't have a local Amazon/iTunes, etc... Fortunately for HBO Romania, they are airing shows as soon as they are available. I also go out to movie theaters, but I only go to movies that are worth it. I'm not going to go out for a subpar movie, but I would pay $2 for viewing it in my home, if only such a thing was possible as soon as they are released. Basically these media companies are shooting themselves in the foot by restricting the availability of content. Too bad that we don't have a "piracy subscription" to be paid monthly, because I would gladly pay it.

by wazoox 14y ago

bad_user 14y ago

I also hate ads on TV. That's why I don't watch TV anymore. Except for HBO which is not ad-supported. This is not about responsibility towards a business model, it's more about rewarding good behavior and punishing bad behavior. As a consumer, you definitely don't want bad treatment. After all Photoshop and MS Office success rely at least for a part on software piracy That's true, but look at the other side of the coin as well ... because of software piracy, alternatives don't have a chance to penetrate a market that's monopolized. It also keeps Microsoft and Adobe lazy. No competition means no incentive to improve and no incentive to lower the prices. Companies like Adobe and Microsoft have pockets deep enough to ensure that piracy is kept under control. But the story is very different for small companies or independent developers that just want to make a living. Also piracy doesn't work in the same way for games, or other products that people aren't using on a daily basis. That's why I consider piracy immoral - it kills small software developers, it perpetuates the monopoly of big companies and is simply unfair to the people that worked on that software, pushing them towards more control, flawed technologies (DRM) and server-side subscriptions (in which case users don't really own anything anymore, not even their own data).

wazoox 14y ago
Notice that I don't like software piracy either, and I don't pirate myself: I use almosts exclusively free software (yes, I'm one of these guys :) and I buy my music, movies and the very few proprietary programs I use (like some games). However, it seems to me that software piracy is a given of the media; there is no solution to it. Remember the 1976 Bill Gates' open letter to pirates? It's like drug prohibition: there is one supposed "right" state of the affairs which is unattainable, but for some reason the pragmatic approach is taboo. I suppose software piracy is actually closer to the "tragedy of the commons" mechanisms than actual theft.
- bad_user 14y ago
  Yeah, I agree, piracy is not theft, but new business models are needed. For the record, I also pirate movies and music from time to time, because I live in Romania and getting certain music and movies is difficult - most content available in the US is either not available in my country, or is made available with a significant delay. I don't have access to services like Netflix, the content on iTunes is a fraction of what's available in the US, the local bands still sell packaged CDs and we don't have a local Amazon/iTunes, etc... Fortunately for HBO Romania, they are airing shows as soon as they are available. I also go out to movie theaters, but I only go to movies that are worth it. I'm not going to go out for a subpar movie, but I would pay $2 for viewing it in my home, if only such a thing was possible as soon as they are released. Basically these media companies are shooting themselves in the foot by restricting the availability of content. Too bad that we don't have a "piracy subscription" to be paid monthly, because I would gladly pay it.