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Is it Ethical to share software?

by hidedora
4 replies
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Well the title says it all. do you believe that it's ethical to share software?
  • Profile picture of the author TopsyTips
    I think the simple answer is no, it's not ethical as strictly speaking it is theft. Also, you have to be really careful about any nasties that may have been inserted into the code.

    I think the issue is not so much about paying, but being able to try out the software beforehand to determine if it is worth the investment. As an example, I used the free version of Market Samurai for several months before upgrading as I felt that it was well worth the price for the service it delivered.

    If I were a software developer, I would be offering a free trial and/or free basic software and then tease my potential customers into buying...which is what an awful lot of companies do anyway!
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  • Profile picture of the author downloadvyp
    to share software? ofcourse it is .there are a lot of shareware softwares ,or freewares .but if you mean to steal them,no,that's not
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  • Profile picture of the author Underground SEO
    Not to steal, I've always thought about it as how annoyed would I be if I had spent months or years creating software and then on release I loose out on potentially thousands of sales as due to illegal downloads.
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    • Profile picture of the author hidedora
      I believe that its ethical to share software (e.g a game) with your friends, but i consider that the copyright laws have gone two far. I also think that many overcharge a software. Also i think that softwares should be charged according to the annual income of a country. e.g. It's robbery to charge a software 500 $ in a country that the annual income is 500$.
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