On *hold* with iLOK...?

 

i think your heart is in the right place, but the reality of the situation is a little more complex.

there are two types of people who use warez.

one type of person will never pay for anything. they will use the cracked versions and even if they are sat on a million dollars they still will not buy the software they use. devs do not lose out here, small or big, because that person will never buy their product anyway.

then there is the type that wants to take things seriously and just needs a foot up to give them access to the tools that will help them, sometimes even tools that are necessary if you want to make a career. (like it or not, there is industry standard software that you need to at least learn to use if you want to be adaptable).
these people typically buy things they love/need when they can afford them. even a lot of hobbyists will buy things when they can afford them.
this is great promotion for companies because people are then drawn to their product (if its good) more than others. good devs get rewarded here, so the small devs have a chance to outshine their big competitors. without the warez the big devs would take the customers because of their marketing budget. when people are looking at buying a tool they will go straight to the big names, but if you give people the time to really get to know a piece of software they will carefully review all options.

there are other types too, but they all basically fall under one of these categories.

i honestly believe that crackers have made a lot of money for developers in the way of free marketting. i have certainly paid for software that i have used cracked versions of and fell in love with, i bet there are plenty of others here who can say the same.
i still have a lot of tools i do intend to buy when i can. times are tough right now, but when the money is there it is already allocated to those guys. melda, just to name a big one for me. i am going to sign my pension over to those guys (i think its a one man army?).

 

I want to look at his or her C: drive before putting the OP on a pedestal.

You forgot one group. How about the ones that purchased the software and after getting fed up with the dev's protection scheme decided to go back and use the non-legit version?

 

Big Devs:
Waves - cracked !
NI - cracked !
PA - cracked !
IK Multimedia - cracked !
Avid - cracked !
Steinberg - cracked !

Small Devs:
Oeksound - Not cracked !
Acustica Audio - Not cracked !

Whats your point?

 

You're right! Touching a USB key/dongle - that's gonna spread CORONAVIRUS. Dongles should *OUTLAWED*

 

I own a lot of plugins.

Everyone I brought was cracked...
Try before you buy...
Whatever...
Except Cableguys ShaperBox 2...
Never got cracked. as far as I know...

There is a lot of shit plugins out there even from big devs...
I probably would not have bought most of these plugins if the option was not there..

 

You are right , at least it does not belongs to "software news". Changing to lounge.

 

Where is the OP?

 

IMO it's not about cracking small developers, it's what you do with it. If you like, use it, then buy it and support them.

Remember you don't need all the plugins. Learn a few, buy them later.

 

I definitevly agree. I'm one of them. Today you have to install a so-called "software manager" or "software center" or "license manager" for many plugins that come from a bigger company (even smaller ones which sell expensive plugins). You get resident services called "anti-piracy" permanently running. They often cause additional problems as if we don't have to struggle enough with the ignorance for music production of our Operating systems. And with every computer change due to failing or aging hardware we have to re-install and re-authorise endlessly.
Except for Reaper, which always can be run without authorisation indefinitevly, I have all my commercial plugins and DAWs running non-legit.
In some cases, like Alchemy and LinPlug, that saved me from the shutdown of the vendor.

 

true. i want to see what porn OP watches too

very true!
i think its the big devs who are more guilty of this too, so another win for small devs

 

Well this thread is no use. Sylenth1 3 got cracked. Its such an ultra-popular plugin whose developer must be filthy rich. I think it is wise for devs to be just donation-ware, so they don't need to invest in iLok, VMProtect etc. and hence these copy-protection software companies will themselves stop their business. Plus with this coronavirus going on, "big" companies themselves are giving free stuffs.

 

Or at least decent subscription model, paying only when you actually need it, that can be paused, re-started everytime. Like saying you worked nights and weekends on your plugin blah blah blah it's not fair I got kraked... yeah, I know a few doctors who regret spending all that time medical school, only to realize medicine isn't all it's cracked up to be - you get burned out. TBH, Devs need to give their heads a big shake - you are not going to make an EQ and retire rich like Bill Gates. Those days are gone. I understand that Devs should definitely be paid for their hard work - that is from pro studios and record labels and radio stations and professional podcasters and...

 

Devs aren't pissed that they are broke. They are getting money from studios. They are pissed that someone has ripped them, that someone out there is getting away with using their product without having gone through official channels. "I have a million dollars... BUT I could have TWO MILLION... ONLY IF..."

 

The other solution I see happening more is that if a Dev is out to lunch with his ridonkulous pricing for something especially very simple, it's just a matter of time before other devs cash in with a cheaper, as-effective version *cough cough* LFAO Tool

 

make sure big studios and big-time artists are paying their licenses. Even Reaper gets it - cheapie license if you're making less than $20K a year commercially from music... higher, yet still reasonable price otherwise... some Devs *get it*

 

So true... don't forget the f*%&cking "user experience improvement programs"...

 

i am on mac i dont a c drive

 

Now I see why you complained. You is one of them mac dudes that don't get many crack and always say on AZ "Mac please!"

 

I'm late to this topic but I just wanna say,

people need to stop justifying the concept of software pirating...

it doesn't matter whether the company is big or small... pirating is pirating, you are doing something wrong and stupid. Don't try to make this some sort of bullshit corporate rebellion thing...

I'm not saying don't fucking pirate or download or crack or whatever the fuck, I'm just saying don't try to twist and corrupt shit around and try to make it a good thing just because some company doesn't suck your particular dick...

If you're pirating, just accept you're doing something wrong and move along, don't make dumb topics like these saying 'OH ONLY CRACK SCUMBAG LARGE CORPORATIONS NOT SMALLER GUYS'. You're fucking trying to justify the concept of pirating as a good thing when it's not...

yea large software companies can be scumbags, but you think people who crack or race software don't act like scumbags too? Some of these pirating groups and racers have a fucking superiority complex and act like they are on top of everyone just cuz of their personal elitist idealogy and their programming superiority...

That being said it's not like I never pirate, but I don't go around saying I'm fucking saving the world and making some stupid statement. I just accept and acknowledge my wrong and move on in life...

There is a reason why its called PIRATING, cuz it ain't a good thing...