Earlier quoted context omitted.
Used to pirate a lot as a poor kid in eastern europe, as there was no way I could either afford it, find a legal copy or both. Now as a paid developer I always buy the software / games I use, as its much less of a hustle, and I’d like to support the people whose work I’m using. But I still have some friends that never buy anything digital, after being brought up on pirated software they would describe buying it as “n…
As a poor kid in eastern europe i couldn't afford a car. I would steal one as people would have it covered by insurance and the factory makes thousands of copies each month anyway. I know a lot of people who still have such sensitivities, they have money and houses and still steal cars just because that's how the grew up. See, that logic of theft, be it software or hardware, doesn't really make sense. Stealing softwa…
I felt like people really wanted to emulate the west, partake in its wealth and successes, on the other hand there was this ingrained sentiment that it was a bit decadent and was not really “us” They didn’t understand us, and had their nose up in the air, snickering about the poor stray EE kids, who couldn’t distinguish investment portfolios from pension funds, the savages.
There was a very strong Us vs Them mentality, and if you couple that with the idea that copying isn’t exactly theft, it has made sure any moral qualms were quickly overcome with peer pressure. You were “stupid” if you even tried to own SW legally.
Its similar to how an american would feel about owning a Japanese good luck flag, or a nazi medal of honor. Yes there was a person behind it, somewhere, with his/her struggles and dreams, but at one point in time nobody really cared.
Couple that with the fact that some software packages were priced as decent cars, it made the decision pretty easy.
Not trying to defend it too much, just putting it into perspective so people might understand a bit better why someone from EE might feel the way we sometimes do.