Desktop Linux vendor Linspire said on Monday that the illegal copying of software can be useful as it might help establish a user base for a product.
Linspire chief executive Michael Robertson, speaking at the UK launch of Linspire 5 in London, said the best way to tackle piracy is to offer customers value for money.
"Businesses need to change so piracy becomes a positive thing," said Robertson. "I hope you will take Linspire software and give it to 100 people. I also hope that eventually people will pay us some money. The way you attack piracy is by pricing a product fairly."
While Microsoft enforces various anti-piracy measures such as activation keys and its Windows Genuine Advantage programme, Linspire has no plans to introduce such features into its desktop operating system, according to Robertson.
"As long as I'm in charge of the company we won't do that [introduce anti-piracy measures]," said Robertson. "I like consumers to have control over their software or hardware."
One of Linspire's challenges over the next few years is to persuade more PC vendors to pre-install Linux on their hardware. This can be difficult due to the incentives that Microsoft offers to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to get its software onto their PCs, according to Robertson.
"Microsoft has an incredible stranglehold within the OEM market," said Robertson. "They have marketing rebates that they give to companies if they are good boys and girls. It makes it hard for us to penetrate OEMs as they are worried they might lose marketing dollars from Microsoft."
The only UK-based OEM that Linspire has signed up so far is Tiny Computers, but Robertson hopes it will add more OEMs soon.
Linspire 5, which was launched in the US last month, offers various features including improved usability through a new graphical interface. A UK version of the product will be available in two weeks time from some retailers, and immediately from the Linspire Web site.
Talkback
Let's be honest here. The only reason the PC, Windows and Office have become so dominant is because so many people had access to pirate copies. Microsoft survives because companies pay for licenses, but it has become popular at home because people used it at work and copied the software for their own use. Do you know anyone who has paid £300 for Office Pro? How many people have paid to upgrade Windows?
I've just bought a small and very useful piece of software at a very reasonable price. I have 3 computers at home and, because the price was reasonable, I bought 3 licenses.
Case closed.
Microsoft has become the dominant player largely because of Piracy. You get a pirated software program from a friend, school or work, you use it and when the time comes to actually purchase or recommend a program you're going to go with what you are comfortable with!
(any wonder why the original Napster was so popular?)
I can get pirated copies of thousands of dollars worth of Windows-based software without having to go to those cheesy spam and pop-up ads.
I don't think it's really sunk in yet that by using Open Source, a user can set up a 100% legal computer system with very little money down (providing they are comfortable enough to do everything themselves).
As Microsoft pushes for more stringent anti-piracy controls I think this issue of inexpensive-but-legal programming will get stronger.
RE: "I've just bought a small and very useful piece of software at a very reasonable price. I have 3 computers at home and, because the price was reasonable, I bought 3 licenses."
I just invested in and downloaded several useful pieces of software at an even more reasonable price: $0. I have several computers at home, and because the licensing is reasonable (GPL), i can install the software on as many machines as i want without restriction.
No such thing as "piracy" here.
Get real Linspire!!! 17 years ago I remember piracy actually was an ok thing. A judge friend of mine had told me that so long as the copies of software I traded with my friends wasn't accompanied by money. Then no law had been broken. Additionally, if free trading of Linspire is ok, then why not make it available free of charge, and just charge people for customer support?
When I was a young child, my father told me to never be two-faced, and to never trust a hypocrite. Don't even believe for one second, that if Linspire is hurting terribly in their revenues. That Linspire won't sick the law on a known pirate who has been giving away Linspire. Also, on the odd chance that they are serious about this. Then it makes me wonder what will they implement into their code that will continue to reap money for them down the road. Could it be spyware, or maybe a logic bomb that destroys the OS after so long of no updates being included. Due to the fact that a pirated copy owner probably won't want to pay Linspire for updates.
All I've got to say folks is TREAD CAREFULLY on this one. Linspire might be starting to become like another Microsoft or another SCO. After all, there are a TON of fabulous Linux distributions available for free, legally!