What's odd with software cracking, is that you can usually find equally good freeware to do the job. Yet, people waste their time and take risks in order to use cracks. It reminds me of some men trying to look up a girl's skirt on the beach, when there are bikinis all round them.
Only reason what comes to my mind to crack are two good examples: * Test the software because there is no other way * Remove poop like DRM, in some situation drm can slow down your system or it installs addition stuff which may compromise your system .. or you#re simply against entire DRM system for other reasons. But I guess these things could be changed if someone really would spent time to talk to the developers instead of cracking it. Communication is important. Steam and developers handled it in a good solution (I think) you sometimes get free games for a weekend which are mostly without any DRM, they are steam limited and end when steam want it. I see all other 'arguments' more as excuse to not support the development. In most cases it's more because 'you can' and not even money related.
I do not consider removing DRM so I can use my constitutional rights (U.S. citizen) as far as making a personal copy of the media of my choice on the same level as cracking software in order to get and use an illegal appropriated key. Are we on different levels of what pirating is?, while it is considered to "pirate" music and video by making multiple copies and distributing that media, It is not "pirating" for fair use. Meaning that if you purchase a media either of music or video, then you should legally be able to make a legal back up of that media disk. The same applies to software too, and many software products do allow you to create a back up of the software, but just for your personal use
Removing or bypass DRM is also pirating, since the software comes with it and it's mostly mentioned that this is required for online checks, e.g. in EULA. Dunno why you talk always about keys, in 2016 most software not works with key, it works more with a database which checks online the key and not like in the 90's offline. So intercepting this is illegal. Making copies of your stuff isn't always legal. It's depending. Since you find not anything which comes (today) without copy-protection it's illegal because you need to bypass this first, in earlier times this wasn't a problem because lack of copy-protection. A backup is not a copy, if you do backup you include the protection mechanism too, while 'ripping' mostly bypass this. So you need to differ. I dunno what you try here but 'your' arguments are weak and excuses to allow pirating stuff. You not need any backups if you have the original, especially not today in times of streaming, there are less mediums which can be damaged. And no one or only less people buying media today like DVD's or such since streaming will be the future. It's wrong in many ways, the dog do this for cleaning reasons. Like other animals too.
Chef, "Fair Use" is still a very grey area even today https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use From Copyright.gov: It is of my opinion, that if I were to use another software to remove DRM from my commercial video dvd that I purchased, the feds are not going to break down my door and haul me away in a big black SUV never to be seen again. Now if I distributed my commercial dvd video to 100 people, then they could take me away as per request by the MPAA, and squeeze every penny they could muster from my blood The last time I purchased software, it still required a "key" to install, and yes that key is checked via internet servers as you state. Using an illegal "key generator" is pirating... no dispute about that
Peopele pirates the MS products for a very simple reason. Because MS want they do that. MS became a giant because the, so called, piracy. Earning on 20% of the copy of one billion of installations market Is way better than earning on 100% out of 10000 copies. It's so simple that I'm surprised that the matter is still discussed after 30 years.
They do it for the thrill of the hunt. (Good thing I spelled hunt correctly - could have been a nasty problem there)
I view the internet as a great big giant software lending library. I borrow it, and that is it. In fact the internet is better than a lending library. I can borrow software, video, audio, whatever and it is still there. This is just like lending out your car to your neighbor, and it is still sitting in you driveway!
People don't mind violating the 8th Commandment by becoming pirates, because they are confident they are still respecting the all-important 11th Commandment, the only one that counts, which says: "Thou shalt not get caught".
because Linux is well, But Microsoft, can't do without past! parce que Linux c'est bien, Mais Microsoft, on ne peut pas sans passé!!
People should not forget that there are people, jobs and time behind the work. If you do that on a private level I see this less critical than making a crack and upload it for the mass. Because you ruin the business with that, a lot of people are young on MDL and they maybe not understand what it means to pay bills. The other things is it work as long it works, but you simply also help the industry to make better copyright protection and overall you hurt yourself with such behavior because you get more spying and stronger 'rules' if it comes to software. Such mechanism also can compromise your security e.g. because MITM attacks in update checks and and and. It's not that easy. I think, as mentioned if you really daily use a product you should buy it.
Why should a company (Micro$oft) continue to rake in literally billions of dollars when the average user has to take out a loan (use a credit card and pay interest on the purchase) to "buy" a license for their software? If I could use that software on any machine I own, then maybe I would consider actually buying it. But I can't. I have 4 computers - two desktops for me and the wife and we each have a laptop, so I would have to "buy" four copies or licenses at a cost equal to what my first new car cost or actually more than my parents first house cost. Personally, I can't afford that. So I use free alternatives like Open Office and by doing that I also take money away from the greedy b*stards at Micro$oft, but I do it legally and laugh at them because there's not a damn thing they can do about it.
In my neck of the woods, laptops mostly are sold with a pre-installed windows os. And a retail Win 10 pro costs about 250 euro, systembuilder 159. Home is appr. 119 and 99 euro. One of the considerations is if or when you get scammed by using internetbanking the bank will try to use the non genuine activation against you to not to have to repay the stolen money.
Because of the verification process..been around since bulletin board days and paid for every version of Windows up to and including 98 because as a builder/tinkerer/parts swapper who always has multiple machines in the house and on the tech bench I was allowed to install my OS where and when I wanted..When they made the process a royal PITA I joined the forums who taught me to BE a pirate..MS FORCED ME INTO PIRACY!!..I still pay for programs that are reasonably priced (Malwarebytes pro, some Easeus products) and donate to those I deem worthy (Ccleaner many times and many valuable add-ons for Firefox)..I don't begrudge software designers, if I try it and like it and it's affordable I'll pony up..and if MS ever returned to letting me install WHAT I PAID FOR, I'd do the same but that day has passed