I really am opposed to software piracy… but I also realize that asking geeks to stop pirating movies, music, software, comic books, or anything else that can be converted into a digital format is a bit like telling teenagers, “Don’t have sex.”
So, what I will say is, if you are going to pirate, be smart about it.
What do I mean?
Most important, always use protection. Please have virus protection on your computer. There are a lot of fake songs, movies, games, etc that are actually viruses.
Also, and I really cannot stress this enough… be mindful of who you are pirating from. While I don’t endorse stealing from anyone, and make no mistake, that’s what piracy is… You should never, ever pirate indy movies, or albums from small bands.
A lot of smaller bands and movie makes struggle to make their art for the world. They work long hours in jobs they hate, so they can spend even longer hours trying to make a dream come true… and most of them will never make much money from their art. Don’t be an asshole and steal from these people.
… wait until they make it, and are rich. Then it’s not so bad.
Always remember to practice safe computing.
The Geek Whisperer 