Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ

60857 readers

237 users here now

⚓ Dedicated to the discussion of digital piracy, including ethical problems and legal advancements.

Rules • Full Version

1. Posts must be related to the discussion of digital piracy

2. Don't request invites, trade, sell, or self-promote

3. Don't request or link to specific pirated titles, including DMs

4. Don't submit low-quality posts, be entitled, or harass others

Loot, Pillage, & Plunder

📜 c/Piracy Wiki (Community Edition):

🏴‍☠️ Other communities

FUCK ADOBE!

[email protected]

Torrenting/P2P:

Gaming:

💰 Please help cover server costs.


Ko-fi	Liberapay

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

471

Random thought: Windows is largely successful because of Piracy (lemmy.sdf.org)

submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

109 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Windows as a software package would have never been affordable to individuals or local-level orgs in countries like India and Bangladesh (especially in the 2000's) that are now powerhouses of IT. Same for many SE Asian, Eastern European, African and LatinoAmerican countries as well.

Had the OS been too difficult to pirate, educators and local institutions in these countries would have certainly shifted to Linux and the like. The fact that Windows could be pirated easily is the main factor that led to its ubiquity and allowed it to become a household name. Its rapid popularity in the '00s and early '10s cemented its status as the PC operating system. It is probably the same for Microsoft Office as well (it is still a part of many schools' standard curricula).

The fact that Windows still remains pirateable to this day is perhaps intentional on Microsoft's part.

(page 2) 50 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 years ago (3 children)

For private individuals and small institutions, yes, they would definitely use linux if windows was 100% impossible to pirate.

For corporations and bigger institutions, no, they would 100% continue to use windows just because of the control they can have on their devices, group policies, single sign on, and so on. It's possible to do that on Linux, but not as easily. They're already paying 15 dollars / month to microsoft just for AAD/entra/[whatever they call it this week] or even more to have office integrated with that and $200 for a permanent license for a single PC is a drop in the bucket

load more comments (2 replies)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 years ago

That's how they got around selling at a loss to crush the competition I guess.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

The vast majority of the value of a consumer facing computer system is in the people who help other people.

They know that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Out of the 4 laptops i used recently, 3 of them were using a pirated version of windows. 1 of them(my laptop) didnt use a pirated version of windows because it was already paid when i bought the laptop. I thought all laptops(that are not using macos or linux) came with windows preistalled

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

Maybe, but there's also the thing where it works reliably and you have software you can use. But yeah, it's still part of the strategy

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

1111111111111.

Just saying.

load more comments