this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2024
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Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ

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[–] CubitOom@infosec.pub 165 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I'd argue it's better to use actual alternatives. Half of the issue with free and open source software is that it's userbase is too small. If more people used it, it could actually improve in many ways.

Lets take gaming on Linux as an example. The userbase on steam is somewhere around 5%. So there is almost no incentive for developers to make games that run nativly on Linux. Its actually easier to run the games in a compatibility layer then to get a Linux port of a game. And although wine and proton work incredibly well, sometimes even running a game better than on windows; a Linux native version of every game would be ideal. Which will never happen with such a small userbase.

Next you have the terrible business practices of these companies. Even if you use the pirated versions. You are in their ecosystem and their community. You increase their profitability and their stock price simply by continuing the industry standard.

Pirated versions of software like this is excusable if you need it for work or sometihing. But imagine if instead of staying with the status quo, you use and help improve actual free and open source alternatives. Versons of software that don't steal your data or monetize how you use it by selling your input to others or stealing it for "AI" datasets.

Imagine using free and open source software that gives you feedom because your data stays on your devices, your creations belong to only yourself or who ypu choose to share it with, and you work with others to improve it; even if it's by just submitting bug reports. Imagine using something like that which you find so altruisticly beneficial that instead of pirating the software that has no respect for you, you donate money to the devs of free and open source software. Yes, I'm a pirate. But I do donate money to the right causes and something that protects my freedom is worth both my time and my money.

[–] slacktoid@lemmy.ml 43 points 9 months ago (7 children)
[–] VinS@sh.itjust.works 29 points 9 months ago (2 children)

If you mean by that "This person is right" I totally agree with you

[–] slacktoid@lemmy.ml 15 points 9 months ago

Yes. Exactly like that.

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[–] PotatoesFall@discuss.tchncs.de 23 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I agree with everything, but want to add that 5% is actually a huge incentive and I'm very very optimistic about the future of linux gaming.

[–] Tlaloc_Temporal@lemmy.ca 9 points 9 months ago

This is also data from an opt-in survey of only one kind of user. The real number of Linux users is probably somewhat higher due to the higher level of privacy conscientiousness in the community.

[–] GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.org 91 points 9 months ago

This is how we got these monopolies in the first place.

[–] idegenszavak@sh.itjust.works 53 points 9 months ago (11 children)

No, they are not free, they are gratis alternatives.

"Free software" is one term, and it's meaning was defined in 1986 by RMS. Non of these software existed that time.

The word "free" in our name does not refer to price; it refers to freedom. First, the freedom to copy a program and redistribute it to your neighbors, so that they can use it as well as you. Second,** the freedom to change a program, so that you can control it instead of it controlling you; for this, the source code must be made available to you.**

[–] conciselyverbose@sh.itjust.works 14 points 9 months ago (2 children)

You're acting like he invented the word "free".

He doesn't get to hijack and redefine it, and his redefinition is not any kind of objective reality.

[–] magic_smoke@links.hackliberty.org 23 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

You're right, the first amendment wasn't about freedom of expression, it was about not having to pay for books.

Using the word free to describe something that doesn't restrict you has been a thing for centuries. "Free Software" has been the accepted term within the software world to denote freedom respecting, libre, and open source software since the 80's.

This isn't about because Richard Stallman said so. Its because its the definition pretty much everyone, especially those who've actually touched a compiler, uses.

[–] conciselyverbose@sh.itjust.works 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Trying to remove an objectively correct definition is more "redefining" a word than adding one is.

[–] magic_smoke@links.hackliberty.org 18 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

You'd maybe have a point if this was made up today, or even 10 years ago, but this was settled during the early years of the industry. Free software is free as in freedom, freeware is gratis but not free.

This is established industry jargon, and has been for over two fucking decades. Not really sure why its being argued.

[–] conciselyverbose@sh.itjust.works 5 points 9 months ago (4 children)

There is no one with the authority to make that determination.

"Free" as in "no fee" has been heavily used the entire time people have tried to steal the definition to only apply to license terms, it has always been objectively correct, and it is literally impossible for it to ever not be objectively correct.

[–] hedgehog@ttrpg.network 9 points 9 months ago (1 children)

it is literally impossible for it to ever not be objectively correct

And yet here you are, using “literally” to mean “figuratively.” Excuse me for not accepting your linguistic authority on the immutability of other words.

[–] conciselyverbose@sh.itjust.works 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (4 children)

No, I absolutely am not. There is no path to any future where someone will be wrong to use the word "free" to describe software that doesn't cost anything.

Meanings fall out of use (which hasn't happened here) They don't become invalidated. They're not capable of becoming invalidated.

[–] magic_smoke@links.hackliberty.org 6 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Whether or not its "invalid" isn't the point. Those are the accepted terms by most people, especially those in the industry. The point of language is to communicate ideas.

When most people say "free software", they're talking about software that's free as in freedom. Using it otherwise just causes unnecessary confusion.

[–] conciselyverbose@sh.itjust.works 3 points 9 months ago

It's an accepted use.

There's a reason they disambiguate every time, and it's because "free beer" is exactly as correct.

Correcting someone who isn't wrong always make you the asshole.

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[–] idegenszavak@sh.itjust.works 18 points 9 months ago (1 children)

He speaks about free in "free software". not a general meaning.

But the meme says "free software" and implies that the real "free software" alternatives (linux, gimp, blender and friends) are shitty, and they are used only because of their price. These are not "free software" alternatives, but gratis software alternatives, or freeware alternatives. that is my problem.

[–] conciselyverbose@sh.itjust.works 3 points 9 months ago

There's no such thing.

The general meanings were already applied to software before he shouted to the heavens that he owned the term. Any valid use of the word free is exactly as correct when applied to software.

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[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 51 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

free* as in beer, not as in speech. we still don't really own it.

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[–] shadowsrayn@reddthat.com 36 points 9 months ago

Pirating a software still shows a company that there is interest in it. They will only know they are screwed when people stop buying and stop pirating

[–] verstra@programming.dev 21 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I wouldn't say that Linux & Gimp are objectively better, but they sure are better in the long run, since you plop "gimp" into a nix configuration and never have to deal with installation and cracking.

[–] Virkkunen@fedia.io 20 points 9 months ago (6 children)

For most use cases of Photoshop, GIMP is not an alternative at all. For more basic use cases it is, but st that point you shouldn't be wasting efforts on Photoshop anyways, something like Paint.NET would be the recommended.

The closest we have for any Adobe alternatives are Affinity Photo for Photoshop, but that one is not free nor open source, but it's a lifetime pay once license. For some use cases of Photoshop and Illustrator you could use Krita, which is FOSS, and for Premiere there's DaVinci resolve, which has Linux builds and a free version.

[–] Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee 16 points 9 months ago (4 children)

For most use cases of Photoshop, GIMP is not an alternative at all.

Have you used GIMP seriously? And I don't mean installing it, getting confused because the menu layout is different to Photoshop and giving up in disgust after 10 mins.

I will readily admit that Photoshop is currently more capable and faster in some cases but to say GIMP is not an alternative is ridiculous.

[–] hedgehog@ttrpg.network 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I’m not the person you replied to, I don’t use Photoshop, but I used to use GIMP exclusively and I use the Affinity suite now. What I’ve seen pop up in discussions about a major area where GIMP is lacking, going back several years at this point:

Photoshop supports nondestructive editing, and Affinity supports nondestructive RAW editing (and even outside RAW editing, it still supports things like filter layers). Heck, my understanding is Krita has support for nondestructive editing, too.

GIMP, on the other hand, has historically only had destructive editing. It looks like they finally added an initial implementation back in February. That’s great, and once GIMP 3.0 releases and that feature is fully supported, then GIMP will be a viable alternative for workflows that require it.

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[–] curbstickle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Just to note here, resolve is also much better than premier, even the free version. Considering the Adobe pricing, buying studio for $300 is a better decision imo.

kdenlive is solid for the simple cut/fade type of work.

I'd also add something I've mentioned elsewhere for pictures - in case of raws, paint.net is ok, but imo darktable+krita is a much better experience.

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[–] NOOBMASTER@lemmy.ml 21 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Zorin OS, Gimp, and the last one looks like Blender or DaVinci software.

[–] jaschen@lemm.ee 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Gimp is terrible. The UX is bad, the whole project just seems like an afterthought

[–] electricprism@lemmy.ml 4 points 9 months ago (3 children)

I used to feel that way about it 10+ years.

If you haven't used it in a while (1y+) don't even bother with the 2.10.xx -- I use Krita, GIMP, Inkscape -- did some image editing in GIMP yesterday and it went good.

Since the latter 2.99.xx releases my position & criticisms have changed. New UX, Non-destructive Layer Filters and the workflow has improved the software a lot. There is a ton of activity on their gitlab.

Its still not perfect but easily beats Photoshop Wine at all basic operations.

https://www.gimp.org/news/2024/02/21/gimp-2-99-18-released/

And since this post is about Photoshop. Don't pirate it. Be the change in the world you want to see. Let Adobe Rot in Pieces for decades of being anti Linux and anti FOSS despite popular demand and big Hollywood bucks.

Make them a relic of a long forgotten decade. The sooner we can move on the better.

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[–] Bianca_0089@lemmy.today 13 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I use Krita because I do hand drawn animation so I haven't pirated photoshop since like . . 2008. Also use a tiltpen with it to paint tangent normals for bump mapping sometimes. Once I obtained good drawing tablets and stopped painting with my mouse I stopped caring about photoshop and its features

[–] OfficerBribe@lemm.ee 6 points 9 months ago (2 children)

You don't even have to pirate Windows. Without activation everything will work besides some customization (I think you could not change wallpaper) which you can easily bypass if you would really wish to.

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