I'm a pirate, but I don't want to be

voice-

voice-

Registered
For years I've pirated software, now I'm trying to rid myself of this habit. I've purchased stuff I've used a long time, like Quake 3: Arena, and I will buy LaunchBar once I get to using Macs again...but there are some that bother me.

While I was at it, I thought I could legally buy Office X and Photoshop 7...no-go.

Seriously, have you guys seen the price on those things?
Photoshop ($600), I can maybe understand, after all this is pro picture-editing software, and the everyday man can use Photoshop Elements instead, for a much lower prize.
But look at the prize of Office X, it's $500 for Words and Excel...this is software the everyday man needs, and I don't know about you guys, but for me, buying these 2 pieces of over-prized software will double the cost of my soon-to-be computer...

To break with my pirating ways, I'll need these applications cheaper.
Oh, and what other text-editors are compatible with Words documents?

Just thought I'd complain about that...
 
I never wanted to have M$ Office for my Mac, Appleworks isn't hte greatest for office applications, but what it won't be able to do (i got it with my mac) i'll do with OpenOffice.org.

Hm. Text editor (especially of 10.3), appleworks (if you have it), Hydra (partially), BBedit (nearly 200$) ... Or just get to X11, learn to THINK Linux and get OpenOffice.Org and GIMP. GIMP has 2 really annoying bugs or things that i don't like, but i'm sure if you learn to THINK GMP you will learn to get over.

I understand your point (that is also "i agree" as far as i can say so)
 
What a crock. Gee, I'd like to have a new G5 as well as a TiBook and Cinema Display, but I can't afford them right now without sacrificing in other areas that I don't want to. Oh wait, why don't I just take them and use them. Then if the prices drop, I'll go ahead and buy one.
 
I got lucky. Coughed up the $600 for Photoshop 7 then hooked up with a friend to do some web development which I used Photoshop extensively for, the money I made from that one job covered the cost of Photoshop. Will soon be freelancing again. It'll cost you a bundle up front but if you try to get work that will use those software then you'll end up making back that initial investment.
 
Buy PhotoShop Elements. And if you can't afford Office, make do with something in your budget. Complaining that he can't afford the prices to justify his thievery would be laughable if it weren't so pathetic.
 
I doubt Office has won many prizes. The price, however, is astronomical. Microsoft really should give Office a $100-200 price cut. That being said, if you can't afford it, don't buy it. If you need a new car but can't afford a Lexus, buy a cheap Toyota or Honda.
 
OpenOffice is free and works very much like MS Office. I think the newest installer is actually user-friendly, too (from what I've heard). Give it a try.

It takes forever to load, but it runs well (on my 800 mHz iMac).

Plus, it's darn near impossible to pirate it because it is free. :)

That said, I got Office X for $200 with Academic pricing. Take a class or something at a community college.

Doug
 
I wanted to share something that has really been bothering me on these boards lately. And this is as good as any place for me to rant...

When someone posts a question or concern, etc... Some of the users here have been a little too quick to outcast them, rather then help them.

The official board rules say we cannot share information on how to pirate software, it doesn't say that people who do so should be ridiculed by those who don't.

voice has been on this board for a while, and up until now, I had no idea that voice pirated software at all. Voice has complied with the board rules.

Now Voice admits the wrongdoings and wants to come clean. So my advice to the responders here... if you don't have anything to contribute and you're just going to insult, don't post.

It's expensive, and he is a first time buyer. People get loans for computers, cars and houses, when's the last time you heard of someone getting a loan for software?

It's expensive and going from free to $1,000 is a big jump. From Voice's post, it seems as if voice is looking for some software alternatives.

Here are a few that I've found:

ThinkFree Office
OpenOffice

If it's just for a project, try downloading the Trial version of Office for OSX here. It's only version 10, kind of buggy, but it will get you through opening a file and converting it to something else.

Also, If it's sharing word files you're interested in, how about suggesting to your friends they store their word docs in Rich Text Format. You can save any word doc as a .rtf and from your OSX enabled mac you can use TextEdit.app to open all your .rtf and .rtdf files.

Lastely, keep an eye out on Version Tracker. As you may know, they have tons of free alternatives to the main stream solutions.

Lastly, welcome to the good side. I, for one, applaud your decision to stop pirating software. I realize it's a tough step. Having the world at your finger tips for free is very tempting. Ultimately, you will be better off with purchased software.
 
From Voice's post, it seems as if voice is looking for some software alternatives.
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Well, I respectfully disagree. It seems to me that he (assuming Voice is a he and not a she) was trying to make a justification for using pirated software on the account of its price.
To break with my pirating ways, I'll need these applications cheaper.
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To me that sounds hardly like a reformed person. Granted, I may have been harsh, and I apologize if anyone's feelings were hurt, for that was not the intention.
However, I still stand by my view that if you can't afford something, it doesn't allow you permission to steal it.
For a long time, I wanted a copy of Office, but I thought I could use the money better elsewhere, so I did. Then when I felt I could afford it and needed it, I purchased Office. I didn't take a pirated version, I even turned down copies of it. Why? Because I wouldn't want some of the design work I've ever done pirated without due compensation.
That's great if Voice is trying to turn over two new leafs (piracy and Windows). All the best, and he should be happy he's getting a computer for $1,100. Especially when his sig reads:

AMD Athlon XP 1800+ 1,53 Ghz, 768Mb, GeForce 4 MX 440, 19" CRT, 20Gb, 120 Gb, DVD-ROM, Windows XP Pro, Windows 98 SE
PowerMac G4 Quicksilver 733Mhz, 768Mb, GeForce 2 MX, 19" CRT, 40Gb, CD-RW, OSX 10.2.1, OS9 9.2.1
iMac G4 800Mhz, 768Mb, GeForce 2 MX, 15" LCD, 60Gb, SuperDrive, OSX 10.2, OS9 9.2.2
iMac G3 400Mhz, 384Mb, ATI Rage 128, external 17" CRT, 40Gb, DVD-ROM, OSX 10.2, OS9 9.2.2
iPod, 5Gb, v1.1

That's one heck of a lot more than most people have. it's more than I have and I have a decent job. Censure me if you wish, but if someone says they have all this, are getting another computer for $1,100 and need prices to drop to further embolden them to forego piracy, I have to shake my head.
If I had all that, I'd sell one and buy Office and/or PhotoShop if I needed it.
 
Thank you for the alternatives. I like the options. The problem, I believe, will reveal itself when some guy sends me a .doc file in an email with important information.
Whatever alternative I choose (and I've VERY open for alternatives) will have to be 100% compatible with MS Office...

The post was actually more of a complaint than a cry for help, but I appreciate all the help I've recieved.
It still dazzles me that the software I'd put on a computer would cost more than the computer itself...and these are everyday apps for everyday people, mind you, I'm not a big company (or a small one for that matter), I just need Word to go to school...
 
Originally posted by Randman
That's one heck of a lot more than most people have. it's more than I have and I have a decent job.
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OK, I admit, I might have gone overboard with that sig...it's not computers that actually belong to me, it's computers I have control over and that are in my house.

The old iMac was my dad's, now is my brother's. I'm still serving as a tech-guy for it and use it from time to time...
The PowerMac is mine, half the money I'd saved, half was a present from my grampa, and I'll have to sell it to get a laptop for school now.
The new iMac is my dad's, and he'll soon be moving with it.
The iPod was a christmas present, and is now dead.
The PC is now what I use everyday, and that cost me less than Office X will...
 
http://www.panergy-software.com/products/icword/index.html

Do you have trouble viewing Microsoft¨ Word, Microsoft¨ PowerPoint, Appleworks and ClarisWorks files?
Are you constantly frustrated by email attachments that cannot be opened?
Don't spend hundreds of dollars on expensive software or upgrade. . .
. . . Just have a look at icWord today!
With icWord you can:
View Microsoft¨ Word, Microsoft¨ PowerPoint, AppleWorks or ClarisWorks files with their original formatting intact.
Instantly view downloaded documents from the Internet
Easily "save as" a file or "copy/paste" a selection so that you can work within your favorite application
No more retyping of faxed documents just to recreate a workable text file!
Install and use whichever version you want: English, French, German or Japanese.
Enjoy Full Jaguar Support (from Mac OS 7.1 and up to Mac OS X version 10.2) Only $19.95 buys you access to Word, PowerPoint, AppleWorks and ClarisWorks files.
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How about joining a Community College with a minimum amount of units, just enough to get a student ID, then buy software at student prices?

You can even cancel the classes and get most of your money back and still have a nifty ID that'll give you discounts on stuff!

Not the way I've done it (but got great software legally at great deals), but I am thinking of doing that to get Macromedia Studio MX. And we got Canvas 9 that way too. Great prices! And legal! :)
 
I'm already at school, Sogni, and I will check if that gets prices down...but I can't join another school/college just for the discount.

Randy, thanks for that link, I'll give a icWord a good tryout. If it does what it promises I'll be very happy.
Got any fancy cheap software to view Excel files as well?
 
http://www.panergy-software.com/products/icexcel/index.html

No idea about either of these products. I've used Graphic Converter before and it was a solid app. At least this company allows you to download a trial and see for yourself.

Admit it. There are times when you need to be Microsoft¨ Excel compatible. If you do not have Excel installed or even if you have installed an old version, it gets frustrating trying to open those ".xls" files. Now you can open any Excel file with icExcel!
Without buying and installing Microsoft¨ Excel, icExcel enables any Mac user to:
Gain access to Microsoft¨ Excel files (PC or Mac created)
View downloaded Excel files from the Internet
Open email attachments from PC users
View on screen and print Excel spreadsheets with their original formatting preserved
icExcel works under Mac OS 7.1 through Mac OS X and is an easy solution to your "incompatibility" problems. For only $19.95, you can work with Excel files!
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well, I'll echo what a couple others have said...

if you at least know someone in college, give them the money to buy the edu versions. I suppose it's still not the 100% honest way, but at least you're paying for them at that point.

Photoshop Elements. If you're a causual user, or just above that, PE will do what you need for cheap.

Buy the MS Office products that you need, and don't shell out for the whole bundle. (I don't know the individual costs, or how many of the office apps you need, so this may not be a viable solution - but at least you could start with WORD, and go from there)

Try getting GIMP up and running using X11. it's photoshop's Unix cousin, and it's 100% free. it seriously awesome if you can't afford PS.

For the past 6 years, I've been lucky enough to work for companies that bought me software, and I've accumulated LOTS of software worth LOTS of $. Sadly, it was ALL for a PC. This made the idea of 'switching' very daunting. But the value of the Apple computers allowed me to make peace with having to purchase lots of software for a small fortune.

BUT, like someone else said, if you can get a project that will pay for that software, then you're gold.

good luck!!
 
Originally posted by voice-
Thank you for the alternatives. I like the options.
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One of the reasons that Office is so pricey is that people have refused, for one reason or another (many of them good), to use alternatives.

Have you TRIED OpenOffice? I haven't used it on the Mac but on the PC it's been rock-solid for me.

It's a horrible loop - people complain about being locked into MS Office "because everyone else uses it", but proceed to use Office themselves (with no pressure on MS to make its suite more interoperable).

Rip
 
Originally posted by voice-
It still dazzles me that the software I'd put on a computer would cost more than the computer itself...and these are everyday apps for everyday people, mind you, I'm not a big company (or a small one for that matter), I just need Word to go to school...
Click to expand...
Why would that dazzle you? Do you not know what goes into creating an app as complex as Photoshop? Software may seem like it's "only data," but some very talented people worked very hard to create that data.

And "everyday apps for everyday people" reads, IMHO, like a rationalization. Pardon me if I misunderstand, but it seems as if you're saying "hey, I'm just an average person... gimme a break and lower the price based on what I am willing to pay." Well, lots of "everyday people" (myself included) pay the price for software titles, and we make up the difference in other areas of our budget.

And if you're serious about changing your pirating ways, delete the pirate copies until you are willing to pay the price that everyone else pays. If you're not willing to delete that software, then your actions truly do speak louder than your words.
 
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