What's up with charging exorbitant prices for software?

[Fret_Wizard]

Re: What's up with charging exorbitant prices for software?

My examples are pretty similar. Like gas, software prices are pretty much similar everywhere. You say it's ok to steal software, then is it ok to steal gas? The only reason people do is because they can get away with stealing software. Stealing is stealing.

[Sadiyah]

Re: What's up with charging exorbitant prices for software?

@PakistaniAbroad

if a software gives me an edge, i'll pay for it.. I see people continually paying like $50+ for some Photo editing software when similar functionality is available in various freeware offerings.. Yet.. the licensed versions give something extra people are willing to pay for.

Now if these software companies were to jack up their prices to $200.. people would be either content with the freeware stuff or quietly use pirated copies..

I haven't yet opened the package. I'm likely to return it.

What are some freeware alternatives that could provide me with a similar experience and functionality?

[eagle123]

Re: What's up with charging exorbitant prices for software?

paintshop pro sadiya

[Ansoon]

Re: What's up with charging exorbitant prices for software?

check out Paint.NET i heard its a very good alternate for light photoshop users.. not for professionals i guess but for occasional use Paint.NET should work wonders.. and its FREEE as in muft as in no money ..

[Xcom_Cheetah]

Re: What’s up with charging exorbitant prices for software?

@Fret Wizard

It’s because of piracy. If there were no piracy, then software prices would be a fraction of the cost.

I don;t think so… i work in a company who make software for foreign clients…and i can tell u that the price of a single user license is $5000… yes i have not added an extra zero… its five thousand..

Previously it use to sell for $1000 but as the number of users and clients have grown so has the price… strange thing.. but with the increase in clients the management feels that its worth is more… and moreover they have shifted their major development to pakistan and now in US they only do managerial / sales related stuff.. or some training … which has even more excuberant rates.

So i believe its the same rule that money attracts more.. the more money u have the more u want to make.

Just the same materialistic world.

there isn;t any pirated edition of this softwares… because due to such high prices there r very few clients.

I personally believe these higher prices have been the real cause of piracy… i mean i know quite a few ppl who want to buy genuine MS software but due to such high prices they simply can’t afford it and they really feel guilty about using pirated softwares.

[5Abi]

Re: What’s up with charging exorbitant prices for software?

@Sadiyah

I haven’t yet opened the package. I’m likely to return it.

What are some freeware alternatives that could provide me with a similar experience and functionality?

here is a favorite of the geeks

GIMP, best alt. to photochop you’ll ever find

[Fret_Wizard]

Re: What’s up with charging exorbitant prices for software?

@Xcom_Cheetah

I personally believe these higher prices have been the real cause of piracy… i mean i know quite a few ppl who want to buy genuine MS software but due to such high prices they simply can’t afford it and they really feel guilty about using pirated softwares.

Back to my original point. Do people have a right to “steal” when they feel that the prices are too high? I don’t think so.

[Sadiyah]

Re: What's up with charging exorbitant prices for software?

5abi & Ansoon, thanks for the software.

Fret Wizard, under no circumstances do people have the right to steal. Is it ethical and justifiable for companies to be charging such exorbitant prices when clearly they can sell for less?

[Fret_Wizard]

Re: What’s up with charging exorbitant prices for software?

@Sadiyah

5abi & Ansoon, thanks for the software.

Fret Wizard, under no circumstances do people have the right to steal. Is it ethical and justifiable for companies to be charging such exorbitant prices when clearly they can sell for less?

When software is readily avaialbe for free at one’s fingertips, yes, I do believe it’s justifiable for them to charge exorbitant prices. I would do the same, if I ran a company, and my hard work is available for anyone and everyone to download whenever they want.

[Sadiyah]

Re: What's up with charging exorbitant prices for software?

FW, what about some of us who are willing to actually buy the software and not steal it; however, the prices are so high that most of us cannot even afford it.

I firmly believe that had the prices been more affordable, you'd have less people stealing and more actually making an effort to purchase the software.

[Fret_Wizard]

Re: What’s up with charging exorbitant prices for software?

[quote=“Sadiyah”]
FW, what about some of us who are willing to actually buy the software and not steal it; however, the prices are so high that most of us cannot even afford it.

[quote]

It’s unfortunate, but one has no choice but to either buy it, or find another legal alternative . Take my gas analogy. It’s currently expensive everywhere, but people have no choice but to buy it. Those that can’t afford it, end up finding other alternatives, like public transportation. Nobody is stealing gas as a result of high prices. Why? because it’s not readily available. Again, the only reason people are stealing software is only because it’s so easy to do so, and that one will not be penalized for it.

I just find it sad that people feel they have the complete right to other people’s hard work and livelihood, without providing any sort of compensation. Same goes for music.

[Sadiyah]

Re: What's up with charging exorbitant prices for software?

I still think the prices should remain affordable. It's not fair to those of us who are actually willing to spend money to buy the originals. They should only be exorbitant when people start pirating them.

5abi, how do you get that GIMP to work? It opens up weird. I don't see any .exe file.

[5Abi]

Re: What’s up with charging exorbitant prices for software?

@Sadiyah

5abi, how do you get that GIMP to work? It opens up weird. I don’t see any .exe file.

i suspect you downloaded the .tar.gz file for a non-Windows version You are supposed to know how to navigate a website properly

go to this page

GIMP - Downloads

click “automated installer”

that will take u to

Best Open Source Graphic Design Software 2025

click “download”, it will take u here

http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/stable.html

BEFORE you install GIMP, get this file first:
GTK+ 2 Runtime Environment (version 2.8.9, for Windows 2000 and newer; updated installer)

from on of the mirrors

install it

then get this from same page (choose a mirror)

The GIMP for Windows (version 2.2.11)

The is a zip of the setup.exe for GIMP.

Install.

Mission: Possible

[Xcom_Cheetah]

Re: What's up with charging exorbitant prices for software?

@Fret Wizard

It's unfortunate, but one has no choice but to either buy it, or find another legal alternative . Take my gas analogy. It's currently expensive everywhere, but people have no choice but to buy it. Those that can't afford it, end up finding other alternatives, like public transportation. Nobody is stealing gas as a result of high prices. Why? because it's not readily available. Again, the only reason people are stealing software is only because it's so easy to do so, and that one will not be penalized for it.

Ppl do buy illegal gas over here atleast... Rather if u go to remote areas u will only find illegal Gas being used which cost almost half of the price of the Govt. decided rates... The problem with the gas is that its not that readily available due to quite a few reasons.. and if illegal gas at low prices become as available as pirated softwares than atleast equal proportion of ppl will be using it.