Reply #53: Thanks for explaining why I don't use closed source software.

[hunter]

My computer, my programs, my data.

I don't pirate anything. I also refuse to suffer any sort of DRM. I've typed in too many long encryption keys, I've been frustrated by too many broken authentication schemes to put up with that crap any longer. I don't use Windows, I use Debian. I don't have Photoshop, I use Gimp. Forget Microsoft Word, I write everything with a plain text editor in Markdown and translate that to html, pdf, epub, rtf, LaTeX... whatever... using pandoc.

I'm never going to make money as a basketball player, but I can still play basketball. Most artists will never support themselves by their art, but it's not because of pirates.

We need to develop a clearer understanding of where copyrights are constructive and beneficial to both the artist and society, and where they are destructive to the arts in general. The success of J. K. Rowling is a win. The overflowing cesspools of Righthaven and much of the music "industry" is a loss.