Most frequently pirated software???

[pigeonflight]

Seems to me that there are several organizations ripe for a wholesale switch to open source software.

[DarkAngel]

Windows 98 ! That's surprising. I was also thinking along the lines of Microsoft Office since most computers come with Windows pre-installed along with a copy of the Windows OS CD. ???

On the issue of open source :
I also think that the government should adopt open source in all of it's operations. A poor country like ours should not be paying over a lot of money to Microsoft for licensing fees when there are alternatives avaliable. I suspect that get people re-trained and finding a company with a proven track record of provide support, to be the main reason why adopting open source will not be done.

Can anybody enlighten me on why the reluctance on the part of the government to make the switch? Is it just finding reliable support and the cost of training the main isssues?

[jamrock]

Windows 98 ! That's surprising. I was also thinking along the lines of Microsoft Office since most computers come with Windows pre-installed along with a copy of the Windows OS CD.

I was surprised at first but then it made sense. On so many occassions friends have called me to help them with Windows 98. After repeated power outages, Windows 98 starts with the illegal operation or vxd messages.

Whey you ask for the CD so you can re-install the O/S, they usually reply that they were never given one. Re-sellers often installed Win 98 free so as to keep down the cost of the computer.

Perhaps that has now changed with the XP activation logic. I really don't know yet.

Can anybody enlighten me on why the reluctance on the part of the government to make the switch? Is it just finding reliable support and the cost of training the main isssues?

FUD. Fear, uncertainty and dread. People fear what they don't understand and the concept of open source is a bit strange.

"It can't be good if it is free"
"What's the catch?"

Actually Sun started selling Star Office partly because corporations did not take the free product seriously.

Hmmm. I am going to hand out a few copies of Open Office to some corporate I.T. guys. I want to see if they will test it and implement it.

[Ropy]

Let me explain what I said earlier so as to not cause any confusion... How many of us legally own a copy of any MS programs? Although legal copies are sold out here, allot of peeps buy burnt copies. To them they legally own it cause they paid for it. From the school I was going I was able to get copies of some of the training softwares used. Personally I did not see anything wrong with that, cause guess what. I paid for them. And the majority of us just don't have that $5000 or $12000 etc... to buy an original copy. It's wrong, but with the way the US$ rolling there is no other alternative...

[pigeonflight]

In Thailand they have $450 Linux Laptops manufactured by HP. That should take a bite out of piracy.

http://jalug.alteroo.com/theNews/may...003-05-25.5827

They're selling like hotbread from what I hear.   

[deakie]

i predict there will be an increase of 'format yes/no' choice in thailand
in the near future.

[tech_guru]

Don't know about the most pirated software........

I know that kazza is the most downloaded software....

[Xenocrates]

DarkAngel asked:

Can anybody enlighten me on why the reluctance on the part of the government to make the switch? Is it just finding reliable support and the cost of training the main isssues?

jamrock responded:

FUD. Fear, uncertainty and dread. People fear what they don't understand and the concept of open source is a bit strange.

- The truth of the matter folks is that it's a LOT bigger than fear, uncertainty and dread. It involves Politics. I will not get into the details of that politics (thread deviation) but I will explain HOW this politics becomes involved. This is usually in 3 stages:

1) Obnoxious Managers

Most times, the tech person in a ministry or department will obtain a fixed number of licenses for software that is preinstalled when the ministry gets new computers. Over time, the organisation grows, along with the number of computers. Usually after a year, the director of that department becomes tight fisted and refuses to spend more money from the department's budget to obtain that extra license.

Usually they'd say something like "Buy new licenses? Fi wah?! Don't we have 15 CDs stacked up in the store room already? Brejin, jus go install it yu hear sah..." - No matter how the techie tries to explain to his boss that it is illegal, usually his boss sees it as petty extortion on behalf of the software company, and will think that "dem cyaa bex bout one extra copy weh install". usually, that one extra copy becomes 15 extra, extra copies over time. You'd be surprised at the levels in government at which managers actually commit this fallacy.

2) Old Dinosaurs that refuse to retire

Too often in Government, we have people who are managers for some 20 odd years who did not grow up with computers and who do not understand the legal implications of using software. When the organisation's needs and roles change over time, they change with everything - except the technology. Every manager wants to report to his respective minister how much money they have saved through being efficient. Being efficient usually means buying one copy of a software package and installing it on MANY computers. Often, ALL the computers in the organisation.

They do not understand that the licensing scheme requires them to purchase additional licenses for each install. Because the organisation saves a LOT of money through avoiding excessive departmental expenditure, (and because they make their ministers look good when they present their progress report in Parliament), these managers usually get an extra "umph" on their paycheck. In addition to that, they are allowed to stay in their post LONG after they hit retirement age - which is illegal. >

3) Refusal to change departmental software

Because of number 2 above, many managers also don't see the need to upgrade their computers or software. So what happens is that there is a HIGH number of computers in Government agencies these days that are STILL RUNNING ILLEGAL COPIES OF WINDOWS 98 (hence the BSA figure). There are only a few exceptions. The other ministries usually stock pile computers with Windows 98. Their managers don't see the need to actually BUY more licenses (back to number 1) or even new computers. Not because they fear or dread the technology, but because they don't want to spend any extra money that they deem unecessary.

It's all about the money gentlemen. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. Let me give you an idea of how many managers in Gov't think when it comes to money:

Just recently, several techies in Gov't had to do a proposal to some of the Government ministries (I will not name them here) to upgrade their internet system to ADSL.

One ministry had a network of 40-50 people all sharing ONE 56K LINE!!! Can you believe it? Can you see how tight-fisted these people are? No matter how the techies beseeched them, they wouldn't budge a finger to change over to ADSL. Telling them that it would make internet access faster in Gov't surprisingly did not do the trick. Do you know how they were able to convince them that an ADSL line is more cost-effective?

They told them they would spend less money per month on the phone bill.

BRAPS - ADSL was installed monday morning. ???

Has anyone here with ADSL in Jamaica had their internet access installed in less than 3 days? I've seen it happen in Gov't - nowhere else. Like I said, that's just the tip of the iceberg. That ministry was paying $30,000+ per month for the phone bill - for a 56K line!

Thanks to the techies, now they're only paying $10,000+ (ADSL rental is $9,000 odd for 768k down, 256k up package)

So now you see why the BSA is targetting the Gov't FIRST?! It's not a random thing either. Some ministries pirate more than others because of informal practices. They know these figures because they've done some....what should I call it......"investigation". I'm being politically correct when I say that.

Sadly, well established Private sector organisations are less likely to pirate software than the Gov't. This is because politics doesn't play as significant a role in the private sector, as it does in the Gov't. I'm actually embarrassed to even point that out, :-[ but it's true. Government agencies should be setting an example for private sector agencies. Not the other way around.

- Xenocrates

[matronyx]

windows 98 hands down.

[wheelman]

OS - Win98 SE no doubt
Productivity Software - Microsoft Office 2000 and XP
Burning Software - Nero or Easy CD Creator
Game - ???