Why piracy isnt theft

[JessiRay]

While I'm not in favor or piracy or theft, I will point out that I believe some media is ridiculously over-priced. Take anime and manga for example. Nine dollars a book for manga, and there are rumors that price could go up to 12... and a cool 30 dollars if you want 10 episodes of anime on DVD. A normal DVD is 19.00, which is still kind of steep in my opinion, most paper back books are under 6 bucks. Considering that the Japanese watch most of this for FREE on their TVs, that's just a rip... it's taking complete advantage of consumers. Another example is premium software, like Photoshop. Photoshop is nice, but they don't need us to pay 600 dollars a copy for it. Though I don't like Gimp, it can do most of the same things as PS and they don't make a dime off of it. Adobe is /clearly/ driving up the price that high because they know they can force professionals and serious hobbiest to pay premium.

So, if the companies want to slow down piracy, they need to quit ripping off the consumers. You just can't convince me adobe wouldn't profit at all if Photoshop was 150 or 200 dollars instead of 600. Or that Jump or Funimation wouldn't profit from 6 dollar mangas and 19 dollar DVD sets instead of what they charge now. (Especially considering they don't even make much money now, considering that most anime fans pirate everything BECAUSE of their expensive asking price.)

[monkeyboy]

Laws covering Piracy or whatever you want to call it are pointless until there is a way to reach out and touch the folks who are walking off with the stuff. However if there was a way to reach the folks walking off with the stuff justifications would be mostly irrelevant once your butt bounced into court. As ash said: Good… Bad… I’m the guy with the gun.

[randomizer]

While I'm not in favor or piracy or theft, I will point out that I believe some media is ridiculously over-priced. Take anime and manga for example. Nine dollars a book for manga, and there are rumors that price could go up to 12... and a cool 30 dollars if you want 10 episodes of anime on DVD. A normal DVD is 19.00, which is still kind of steep in my opinion, most paper back books are under 6 bucks. Considering that the Japanese watch most of this for FREE on their TVs, that's just a rip... it's taking complete advantage of consumers. Another example is premium software, like Photoshop. Photoshop is nice, but they don't need us to pay 600 dollars a copy for it. Though I don't like Gimp, it can do most of the same things as PS and they don't make a dime off of it. Adobe is /clearly/ driving up the price that high because they know they can force professionals and serious hobbiest to pay premium.

So, if the companies want to slow down piracy, they need to quit ripping off the consumers. You just can't convince me adobe wouldn't profit at all if Photoshop was 150 or 200 dollars instead of 600. Or that Jump or Funimation wouldn't profit from 6 dollar mangas and 19 dollar DVD sets instead of what they charge now. (Especially considering they don't even make much money now, considering that most anime fans pirate everything BECAUSE of their expensive asking price.)

Remember that Adobe makes most of their money from volume sales of PS, not sales to individuals. Although they'd never admit it, they'd much prefer you to pirate PS and get tied to it so that you use it in the industry later than use GIMP. Of course, if you're willing to pay $600 that's just a bonus for them. There are the more cut-down versions if you want to spend less. PS Elements is under $200 I think. But I'd still prefer GIMP than paying for an application I don't use often, and mostly use to resize images

[Nick_Djinn]

Photoshop really does have Gimp beat on the higher end.....I mean, 3d video animation is NOT within the scope of Gimp.....Gimp is MORE than enough for most peoples needs though. I kind of prefer its interface to that of Photoshops. Sometimes its slightly slower to set up, but I have more options and customization. I would like to try Gimpshop, just to say I tried it.

If I needed Photoshop for something, I would pirate it. I have a legitimate copy of Photoshop elements, which runs excellent under Wine I might add. I usually choose Gimp over elements though and dont need any of the extra features in photoshop.....a few of photoshops tricks like blocking out a person and replacing them with the background is pretty sweet though and Gimp cant do all of it....but yeah, I openly admit that I would use a pirated copy before paying $600 for my amateur needs.

Maybe if I was making 100k+ a year using their software I would give them the $600, but I resent it when I feel like I am getting ripped off, and it doesnt make me want to support you when you dont treat your customers fair.



It is also my opinion, as I have said before, that things which have reached the public airwaves should be public domain, regardless of price gouging. "Pirating" anime which has appeared on the public airwaves in Japan, something anyone with a VCR could have recorded and sent to me, is completely ethical as far as I am concerned, assuming it HAS reached the public airwaves and isnt some new release about to hit the theaters.

[JessiRay]

While I'm not in favor or piracy or theft, I will point out that I believe some media is ridiculously over-priced. Take anime and manga for example. Nine dollars a book for manga, and there are rumors that price could go up to 12... and a cool 30 dollars if you want 10 episodes of anime on DVD. A normal DVD is 19.00, which is still kind of steep in my opinion, most paper back books are under 6 bucks. Considering that the Japanese watch most of this for FREE on their TVs, that's just a rip... it's taking complete advantage of consumers. Another example is premium software, like Photoshop. Photoshop is nice, but they don't need us to pay 600 dollars a copy for it. Though I don't like Gimp, it can do most of the same things as PS and they don't make a dime off of it. Adobe is /clearly/ driving up the price that high because they know they can force professionals and serious hobbiest to pay premium.

So, if the companies want to slow down piracy, they need to quit ripping off the consumers. You just can't convince me adobe wouldn't profit at all if Photoshop was 150 or 200 dollars instead of 600. Or that Jump or Funimation wouldn't profit from 6 dollar mangas and 19 dollar DVD sets instead of what they charge now. (Especially considering they don't even make much money now, considering that most anime fans pirate everything BECAUSE of their expensive asking price.)

Remember that Adobe makes most of their money from volume sales of PS, not sales to individuals. Although they'd never admit it, they'd much prefer you to pirate PS and get tied to it so that you use it in the industry later than use GIMP. Of course, if you're willing to pay $600 that's just a bonus for them. There are the more cut-down versions if you want to spend less. PS Elements is under $200 I think. But I'd still prefer GIMP than paying for an application I don't use often, and mostly use to resize images

As I stand now, I'd rather use Photoshop than Gimp because it has a nicer interface. I get to work with it for free and have it for work, the company paid for it. However, I'd much rather use Gimp than Elements because Gimp can do a whole lot more and Elements is really weak in comparison. I actually do work in Gimp sometimes (with Gimpshop application) if I don't feel like booting Windows or running 7 in Wine (wine is the only thing I know of that slows down Linux).

[Nick_Djinn]

Where do you download Gimpshop?

Im not sure I will like it better than the default skin, but Id like to try it for comparison.

[JessiRay]

Where do you download Gimpshop?

Im not sure I will like it better than the default skin, but Id like to try it for comparison.

You can download it here:
http://www.gimpshop.com/

I like it a lot, it makes using the layers and the menus easier for me, just because I'm so used to PS, having used it for so long.