Chapter 3 Discussion

1. Microsoft dominates the operating system market for microcomputers with its Windows operating system. Discuss the pros and cons this creates for computer users. Does the dominance of Windows make it easier or harder for you to use computers?

          The pros would definantly include the basic knowledge you would have on how to use a computer. If you have the basic knowledge of how to use Microsoft Windows then you can run almost any computer.  Another Pro would be that software would be easy to some by. This is because you would not have to buy special software because with a main operating system they would produce basic software. This also makes computers cheaper. The Cons would be you really have no selection. People love things that are different. Microsoft has a niche in the market of Microcomputers. The truth is Apple and the Mac is a great but not a lot of people use them because they generally cost more. I think the dominance of Windows makes it easier to use a computer. It gives me the confindence that when I sit at a computer I will know how to run it. It really helps people who do not work with computers well. If we didn’t have Windows then we might have several different programs that wouldn’t make since at all. So basically I believe that we really do need a basic operating system.

2. Do you think software licenses are fair? If you developed an application that proved popular with your friends, how would you distribute it to others?            

Yes, I do think software licenses are fair. These licenses are ways for companies to help protect the programs they distribute. Software licenses insure that people will not let friends borrow the programs because they are limited to a certain number of installations. Although it does not guarantee against software piracy it is simply a way to control it. If I developed an application worth while, then I would defiantly let my friends have copies. I would see how they liked it, and made sure that it was developed to the best of my abilities. After doing so I would try to let people in my school know about it. If it got a great response I would probably post it on an internet forum, and let people have access to the application for free. If it was popular then it would spread, if it wasn’t then all I have to lose it the time I took to post it.

3. What are your thoughts on software piracy? What is the impact short-term and long? What is your solution to the problem? How do you feel about these different circumstances of piracy: a student copying a friend’s game, a company in a poor country pirating word-processing software, a business woman using copies of her office software on her home computer.                       

          I am not against software piracy, but I rarely pirate software. The short-term effects would be the bad customer service. I believe this because every company or business that wants to be successful has to have good customer service. Otherwise people will not use their programs or services. The long-term effects would be all the revenue lost by the companies. Also as pirating become even more popular, software is going to become more expensive. Why, because they have to put better piracy protectors and make up the cost they lost from other programs. My solution to the problem is letting people know what they are doing is a crime. The internet world has just brushed the issue of piracy off. People don’t realize that when they copy or steal programs that it has several negative effects. They are in the thought process of, “well this company makes millions of dollars a year, so they won’t be affected by it.” I think that a student copying a friend’s game is wrong but it I have done it before. Most software programs require the CD to be used though. So they may have the program, but they won’t be able to use it if they don’t have the CD. As we all know most CDs are protected against piracy and cannot be copied. I think that an entire company that pirates word-processing software should have serous implications. That’s hundreds if not thousands of dollars taken from the company they pirated from. I think that a woman using copies of her office software is legitimate because she needs the programs for work. Generally companies provide software that is needed to employees. If this is not the case here then, I think she should purchase the licenses for the programs she uses so that the software companies receive the proper compensation.