Free Software vs. Piracy essays

Free Software vs. Piracy essays There is a crack, a crack in everything, thats how the light gets in (Fravia +). There are many types of programs to download off the Internet; for every type of program, there are numerous software titles. For example, say you want a feature rich word processing program but are not sure what kind to get. A search on the popular download site Cnet.com for word processor will find at least fifty programs such as Star, AbiWord and Atlantis, among others. Out of all the programs listed, two thirds fit the criteria desired; they are also the ones that cost a significant amount of money. In the past two years, I have learned, through reading information provided on various newsgroups and websites, the ins and outs of acquiring software at no cost. I will not only explain how to find, install and keep any program for free, I will attempt to rationalize why it should not be a crime to do what many people might define as piracy. I want to begin by stating that while many of the expressions used in this paper will be defined, it will be assumed most of the common terms (i.e., file, download, serial number, password, etc.) will not need to be explained. There are many reasons why I prefer not to pay for software. One small but important one is that I dont have the money to buy overpriced programs. However, Ill get into that more a little later. Lets begin by figuring out what to do first. For example, perhaps you are trying to find some information on the web for a research paper but are having a hard time trying to sort out all of the information. You remember a friend mentioning a program that will access over 1000 search engines and narrow the results down to the most relevant. You know the programs name is Copernic, so you go to a download site, such as Cnet or ZDnet, and put in a search for it. After reading the details, you realize that you want it, except it cost ...