Copy Protection

[dattaway at attaway.net]

On Fri, 5 Jul 2002, zscoundrel wrote:

> Yeah, when I first got started working with PC's, back in the days 
> before it was call piracy,  I had a friend give me TONS of copied 
> software.  I examined most of it and bought my own copies of the stuff I 
> liked. and could actually AFFORD!!!  Mostly, I bought it for the 
> manuals, but often, to get the latest version, because software was 
> REALLY buggy back then.
> 
> My point is, had it not been for that "unofficial" test drive, I would 
> never have purchased multiple versions of a number of popular software 
> packages.

And software back then was always worth the price.  They usually came with
enough documentation to load the bookcases with great reference manuals
and technical information to keep the mind busy with possibilities what it
could do.  The books were packed with great reading and some even had very 
fancy binders.  Even the computers themselves came with detailed 
documentation.  Remember IBM's old XT?  The IBM Technical Reference 
Manuals had schematics and everything imaginable. 

Nowdays, I would just get a cheesy shrinkwrapped license with a
boilerplate EULA.  We get nothing today, except for some marketing
material.  Perhaps a few rebate coupons to make up for the advertised sale
price.  And as an added bonus, spyware.  What a deal.