The November 8 issue of Maclean's magazine (Canada's counterpart to
TIME and NewsWEEK) features a four-article cover story spread on Hotline,
titled ominously: "Beware the Internet Underground."
I suspect that a fair proportion of Internet users are unaware of Hotline,
which is not part of the World Wide Web, but which operates as a sort of
parallel universe in Cyberspace -- a kind of online open city or Barbary
Coast teeming with pirates and pornographers. Maclean's writers Danylo
Hawaleshka And Robert Scott call Hotline "the underbelly of the digital
revolution."
I'm not a Hotline denizen, but several close friends and relatives are, and
I've been there enough to get a feel for it. I think Maclean's has chosen to
somewhat unfairly emphasize and sensationalize the seamier aspects of
Hotline, which are certainly there, but are not the whole story. I personally
prefer email or ICQ for communication, but certain people of my
acquaintance LOVE Hotline, and I don't think it's mainly for the "free" (ie:
pirated) software or (Heaven forbid) for the porn.
Hotline is a sort of sub-culture, essentially lawless and anarchistic but also
mutually supportive of its members. A lot of cyber-friendships are made
and conducted on Hotline servers. "Hotline has changed my life more than
anything else," said one Hotline aficionados I interviewed while preparing
this article.
Hotline was invented in 1996 by a then 17 year old Australian named
Adam Hinkley. In July, 1997, Hinkley teamed up with Jason Roks, the now
30-year-old vice-president of Hotline Communications Ltd., headquartered
in Toronto, Canada, the company Hinkley and he started with Canadians
Terrence Gregory, David Bordin, Bachir Rabbat and Austin Page.
Hinkley bailed mysteriously in March, 1998, taking with him the Hotline
development software. His erstwhile partners successfully sued him to
recover the company's property, and Hinkley is no longer involved with
Hotline Communications Ltd.
Hotline Communications is apparently trying to move the service
"upmarket" as a vehicle to promote "academic collaboration, long-distance
learning and corporate telecommuting," partly by establishing a company-
operated network of 25 "tracker" communities whose members must
undertake not to post pirated material or porn. However, the high-traffic
areas on Hotline continue to be places where one can find the illicit stuff.
Indeed, you can't really talk about Hotline without talking about piracy --
it is the Spanish Main of the Internet. Once a user downloads Hotline
Connect from the Hotline Website, they can browse through various
"trackers" -- lists of hundreds Hotline servers mostly operated by
individual users displaying their "warez," "gamez," pirated MP3s, and porn
in the vast majority of cases.
There are few titles of commercial software, especially for the Macintosh,
that can't be found on Hotline. Often new upgrades of popular software
(including the Mac OS) are available on Hotline servers before they hit the
legitimate market. Where does it come from? Employees of software firms
and software beta testers are two routine sources.
Hotline Communications stresses that it does not condone illegal use of its
product but insists that it has no power to prevent users from doing what
they will on their Hotline servers. According to Maclean's, Hotline estimates
that there are 2.5 million Hotline users worldwide, with 100,000 new
downloads of Hotline Connect each month. Hotline is pretty much a young
man's world -- 84 per cent Hotliners are male, and 22 per cent of users are
under 18.
Perhaps it is appropriate that Hotline is based in Canada, since Maclean's
reports that the Great White North is a hotbed of software piracy with an
estimated whopping 40 per cent of business software in use in the country
being pirated, compared with a more modest 25 per cent in the United
States. While I doubt that there are very many private users' hard drives
on either side of the world's longest undefended border that don't have at
least a few pirated software titles loaded up, it seems that Canadians are
particularly unconcerned about it.
Several software industry spokespersons quoted in the Maclean's piece
imply -- perhaps hopefully -- that software piracy is a sport primarily
engaged in by kids, to which I say a big fat "Ha!" My son operates a small
Mac repair and consulting business, and I can't recall one computer he's
worked on, including those belonging to clergymen, lawyers, and
schoolteachers, that didn't have pirated software aboard.
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Come on; 'Fess up (at least to
yourself). Have you paid the shareware fees on every one of those little
utilities you downloaded from the Web?
How much Hotline is hurting software developers is highly debatable. I
doubt that very many corporate users get their pirated office applications
from Hotline servers. Most of the Hotline warez traders that I know don't
ever use 5 percent of the productivity applications they download (games
and MP3s are a different story of course). They are primarily collectors,
burning CDs full of software titles that they will never install on their
computers (although they might trade them on Hotline -- server operators
tend to frown on users who only "take" and don't "give.")
There is a somewhat rationalistic philosophy among those who fly the Jolly
Roger in cyberspace, or in other venues of software piracy, that "all
software ought to be free," which is easy to say when you aren't the one
writing the code or paying big bucks for someone else to write it. And
while it may soothe the pricks of one's conscience to mutter "How rich does
Bill Gates need to be?" the fact is that 60 per cent of the Software &
Information Industry Association's 1,400 members have yearly revenues
under $3 million. Nevertheless, the informal panel of Hotline users I
interviewed (see below) insist that piracy actually helps, rather than hurts
the software and music industries.
Nor is everyone on Hotline a porn freak. I am told that a posse of Mac-user
anti-porn vigilantes roams Hotline from time to time looking for Windows-
based porn servers to hack into (very easy to do with Windows,
reportedly) and trash the contents.
Given the generally negative tone of the Maclean's articles, I thought it
might be interesting to get some perspectives from real Hotline users, so I
downloaded the latest version 1.7.2 of Hotline Connect, and asked a Hotline
person I know who goes by the handle MMMBop to introduce me to some
of his friends.
I was invited to visit MMMBop's favorite Hotline server on condition of
keeping the server's name anonymous. The server admin., bigdog, opened a
private chat in which we were joined by other server regulars (the
metaphor of a British pub or "Cheers"-type bar comes to mind) including
Easy Bake Darwin, Mancow, Poetic Justice, eddie, and me under the Hotline
nickname moonlight.
Our informal panel thus convened, I threw out some questions about
Hotline, and here is what transpired -- well, most of it anyway. I've edited
it a bit for readability and relevance. (Note: rated PG for occasional
indelicate language)
We discussed software and music piracy, the relative absence of females on
Hotline, pornography, and most important -- what Hotline means to each of
them personally.
bigdog> I'd like the server and myself to remain anonymous. :)
bigdog> Anything you'd like to know, within reason, is fair game
bigdog> If I don't like a question, I'll let you know...
moonlight> The SW piracy issue is laid on very heavily in the Maclean's
piece. What is your position on that?
bigdog> I completely agree... Anyone who thinks that it's not an issue is
either blind to it, or simply uses the software on an intra-network basis
(and isn't introduced to everything that's available).
moonlight> Do you think Hotline is seriously affecting the developers
financial picture?
bigdog> i don't think so. If someone is interested in getting software, they
will find a way, either through AOL or websites or IRC.
Mancow> Maybe the little companies. But not those like Adobe and
Microsoft.
bigdog> Even then, the smaller companies tend to charge less for a
product, and I like the idea of being able to try software extensively
before i purchase it. For instance, I bought MacOS 9, and i talked a friend
into purchasing some Adobe products for his use at work, and i also own
DragThing and Musashi, among other smaller products.
moonlight> The impression one would get from reading the Maclean's
article is that most people are on Hotline for the pirated software or porn
MMMbop> I think it is good for the software industry :D
moonlight> What do you think is *good* about it for the software
industry?
Mancow> The conglomerates have bigger fish to fry.
moonlight> MMMBop says he likes Hotline more for the camaraderie
bigdog> As I said, it's good because people get to try software
bigdog> I like the idea of being able to try a fully functional version of,
say, Quicken, before i shell out the $90, when it's probably easier to just
balance a checkbook by hand.
moonlight> A lot of people on Hotline are collectors, right?
bigdog> collectors, in a way, yes -- music, pornography, software. The
more they have, the better off they think they are.
moonlight> Do you think most Hotline users go out and buy software they
try after downloading it?
bigdog> i don't think most will, because of the outrageous prices. The
majority of Hotline users are probably in the 13-17 age group.
moonlight> Most of them wouldn't get it at all otherwise?
bigdog> I'm more apt to support a shareware company or a game then
someone like Adobe or Microsoft
Mancow> I supported @Soft, for instance, and I have albums that I've
already pirated
moonlight> The article says 22% of HL users are under 18
bigdog> I think it's more than that.
Mancow> I've bought OS 9
bigdog> But then, I am completely unaware of Hotline's sales to
businesses, because, as I said, most business use is for intranets.
moonlight> Do you see HL going more, how shall I say, "upmarket" in the
future?
bigdog> Honestly, no. The latest [Hotline Connect] releases have made me
unhappy
Mancow> I see it staying in the realm of the porno freaks and the pirates.
moonlight> The Hotline Communications Ltd. folks have established some
"legit" channels where members have to undertake not to post pirated
software or porn
bigdog> Yup, I'm aware of those
bigdog> I think it's a wonderful movement because as MMMBop told you,
many people come for the chat and camaraderie
moonlight> Is that a tongue in cheek comment :-)
bigdog> Nope, I really think it's a good thing to try to regulate what
appears to the public
moonlight> You would like to see more regulation of content?
bigdog> no, not more,
Mancow> Nope.
Mancow> With every release and revision, the quality of the [Hotline
Connect] software Hinkley spawned has been desecrated and turned
commercial.
Mancow> Sorry about the late comment ;P
bigdog> but the fact that it exists is nice
bigdog> At the same time, I like the freedom involved on the unregulated
trackers. If i were trying to introduce someone to Hotline, I wouldn't
introduce them to a "dirty" server
bigdog> a place like SoSueMe (makers of the icon list) is rather popular
moonlight> How much time do each of you spend on HL on an average day?
Mancow> More than 3 hours, depending on my work schedule
bigdog> on average, 3-7
bigdog> i leave my computer logged in, though, so i can receive messages
(since I'm the main admin.), but I'll sometimes stop in only to change my
nickname to reflect my current tasks
MMMbop> same with me
moonlight> Is it a major focus of your life?
Mancow> Computers are my main focus, Hotline and the Internet happens
to be a part of it
bigdog> Yes, same with me. Because I've put a lot of time in to this server,
it has become part of my life and I don't have anything against it, since it
doesn't restrict me.
Mancow> And because I've put a lot of time into his server, it's become a
part of my life ;P
moonlight> You all find it more rewarding than other aspects of the
Internet like the World Wide Web and email, etc?
bigdog> yeah
Mancow> Yep.
bigdog> email only allows for so much interaction
moonlight> ICQ?
bigdog> until the introduction of Gerry's ICQ, i never used it
Mancow> The environment allows more interrelation than all of those.
bigdog> and I could never spend hours staring at web pages
moonlight> You all seem to like the realtime personal interaction
Mancow> About HL comm or in general?
moonlight> In general-- the whole experience
Easy Bake Dar> Well... in general..
Mancow> Hotline Communications is the worst thing that has happened.
Easy Bake Dar> Beyond that I didn't trust Hotline,not to mention did not
like the new version [of Hotline Connect].
Mancow> HL has made Internet life a bit better and more interesting, but
the company is a complete sellout of the original product, and fucking over
Hinkley was the worst thing they could've done.
moonlight> What did you do before Hotline -- ie: what did it displace in
terms of time spent?
Easy Bake Dar> IRC
Mancow> Web, IRC, AOL
Easy Bake Dar> AOL even..
Easy Bake Dar> But AOL became lame...
Easy Bake Dar> IRC became just stupid....
bigdog> I used to use SoftArc's First Class a lot.
MMMbop> I surfed the web looking for Warez
moonlight> What is your read on the Hinkley issue?
Easy Bake Dar> I never did read much about it, so i cant say much
bigdog> Well, i was first notified back when he left, (i have some sources),
and I think that he wasn't mature on a business standpoint since he was so
young.
moonlight> It seems a bit mysterious
Mancow> He was naive, and that was exploited.
moonlight> What is he doing now?
bigdog> He's programming for a company, not sure which, but he cannot
compete with HL Comm for a few years. There never was a real pr about
his departure
bigdog> But I also think that Roks made some wise, yet shifty, business
decisions
Mancow> Shady is more like it.
bigdog> yeah...
Mancow> I don't respect him for what he's done to HL
moonlight> I think Hotline Communications is worried about Hotline's
reputation
bigdog> Yeah, they try to keep it out of the news
moonlight> They did post a notice on their Website about the Maclean's
article
Mancow> Then [Hotline Connect version] 1.7.x
MMMbop> that stupid banner thing
Mancow> Still disappointed.
MMMbop> I hate it
bigdog> You can pay the price of the client software, and get one without
banners; it's their way of making the software shareware
moonlight> Does anybody do that?
bigdog> No, because within a week of every release, someone releases a
patch that either blocks or removes the banners
moonlight> What do you guys value HL for most?
Easy Bake Dar> The chat..
bigdog> yeah, the people
Mancow> Chat for one
MMMbop> hehe
Easy Bake Dar> But i use it for the music..
Easy Bake Dar> And we post things we needa know, like the way Hotline
was supposed to be used. hehe
Mancow> And things we don't need to know.
moonlight> The Maclean's article said that 84 percent of HL users are
male. Any comment on that?
bigdog> I agree
MMMbop> dubby is a girl
Easy Bake Dar> Oh sorry
Easy Bake Dar> my mistake..
bigdog> i have about 220 accounts, and only 8 of those I know are female.
Mancow> At least here.
Mancow> The server based on spamming whores.
MMMbop> There is one female on the server right now
bigdog> Honestly, it doesn't surprise me, because if you look at computers
in general, there are more male than female users, but i also think that
number [of females] is growing
Easy Bake Dar> I think it goes for the rest of the Internet..
Easy Bake Dar> some girls i know despise computers
bigdog> Easy Bake Dar> much less the internet..
moonlight> Do you think the atmosphere on Hotline tends to be uncongenial
to females in general?
bigdog> yes
Easy Bake Dar> heheheh
MMMbop> hehe
Easy Bake Darwin shutsup
bigdog> not to point any fingers, but,
bigdog points at darwin
MMMbop> especially here when Anthrax and Darwin are in
Easy Bake Dar> no?
Easy Bake Dar> women should love Hotline..
Easy Bake Dar> Hotline is one big conferance call gone bad
MMMbop> yes, yes it is
MMMbop> with file exchange
moonlight> Do you think the Software protection Association and other
outfits like that will ever be able to crack down on the piracy here?
Easy Bake Dar> Not really... you will always have someone running a
Hotline server not on trackers and such, in someone's basement thatÕs only
for friends.
bigdog> Definitely not
Mancow> Some, maybe.
Mancow> Maybe, even some will be caught.
Easy Bake Dar> But in majority I think it will be like AOL.
Mancow> The majority will not.
moonlight> Must drive them nuts
Easy Bake Dar> moonlight.. honestly?
Easy Bake Dar> i don't think we bother them near as much as some of the
other people out there..
Easy Bake Dar> And why aren't they investing that manpower into eviler
things
bigdog> they have larger fish to fry
Easy Bake Dar> like people who use... PC's
moonlight> Do you guys know anyone who has ever been prosecuted for
piracy?
bigdog> No, but there have been cases close to home
Mancow> I know someone who was fined for posting a serial # request
bigdog> For instance, a college 45 minutes away, 4 people were busted
because they were selling CDs of software from their dorm room.
moonlight> On Hotline?
Mancow> No, I believe BBS
Mancow> I'm not sure, I didn't get the specifics.
moonlight> Does anyone here have the slightest ethical problem with
piracy?
bigdog> for the most part, no.
Easy Bake Dar> i have no morals OR ethics, so i wouldn't be one to say
anything :P
bigdog> But as I told you, most software, if priced reasonably, I will pay
for.
Easy Bake Dar> But all be told i don't do it very much., I buy a lot A LOT of
stuff, music wise...
bigdog> Yeah, when it comes to music, I do.
bigdog> I own approximately 250 CDs
Easy Bake Dar> I think its lame in some cases but.... I pirate one song off a
30 dollar CD. Why buy the CD for that single song?
bigdog> and a lot of them I have listened to from Hotline.
Mancow> If it's a solid piece of software, I'll buy it, no doubt.
moonlight> Of course it does have to have some effect on the software and
music companies' bottom line
Mancow> Music I've bought I've at one time pirated.
bigdog> honestly speaking,
MMMbop> opinions on Hotline please
Poetic Justice> <is called for an opinion?? That don't happen often> ;P
MMMbop> hehe
bigdog> I have had a CD-R for almost as long as I've had a Mac, (2 yrs)
Mancow> That's not to say that what *I* have done is what everyone has
followed
Poetic Justice> on what part of HL?
Poetic Justice> I use HL for stuff like this, spreading files, accessing my
home machine from work and school, etc...
bigdog> I will pay for Unreal Tournament when it comes out
Poetic Justice> as for the new HL's since the versions in use here, it tends
to clutter the screen and take up the bandwidth you're trying to use with
adds
moonlight> We haven't talked about porn yet
MMMbop> Oh goody, this should be fun
Mancow> I agree with him.
MMMbop> porn sucks
Easy Bake Dar> Don't let porn near MMMBop..
Poetic Justice> (yes, porn sux)
Easy Bake Dar> He's one of those 8 users i swear it :P
moonlight> There is reportedly a lot of porn on Hotline
Mancow> There is
bigdog> Yes, there is.
Mancow> Go on any tracker
MMMbop> There is LOTS of it
Poetic Justice> there's lots of everything on HL!! :)
bigdog> True. Poetic Justice º[Mac]º enjoys crashing PC porn servers... :)
Mancow> It just isn't as mainstream.
MMMbop PC porn servers suck
Easy Bake Dar> Okie one its porn
Easy Bake Dar> and two..
Easy Bake Dar> There's newgroups for it
MMMbop> Darwin loves porn
Easy Bake Dar> Why use Hotline space for it?
Poetic Justice> I think porn is strange...if yer that desperate, go down to
the corner and get "sucky sucky five dolla'" ;P
Easy Bake Darwin> admittedly a porno freak -- I never denied it
Easy Bake Dar> but its not why i am on Hotline
Easy Bake Dar> MMMBop's every REAL mans worst nightmare..
MMMbop looks at his Britney Spears CD
Poetic Justice> is on Hotline for 4 things:
Poetic Justice> 1) latest software
Poetic Justice> 2) latest and hard to find MP3's
Poetic Justice> 3) the friendship and advice and overall helpfulness of the
people on it (at least on private servers)
Poetic Justice> 4) accessing my own archives and files from other places,
like my homework for example
Poetic Justice> there are 3 things that make HL tick... porn, warez, mp3's
bigdog> well, not really...
Easy Bake Dar> Not really..
bigdog> the SW angle is about half of it
Easy Bake Dar> i use it for my music..
bigdog> I used to be on a huge warez server\
Easy Bake Dar> and help..
Poetic Justice> the rest is what we make excuses to use it for ;)
bigdog> no, OD.
Easy Bake Dar> when you have problems... post it in the news..
Mancow> Music has been the main thing for me
moonlight> How do you use it for your music?
bigdog> mp3s
Mancow> I get the MP3s I can't afford ;P
Easy Bake Dar> Well... if i am lookin for a song, I get an mp3..things like
that..
Easy Bake Dar> In my spare time I DJ at my friends parties...
MMMbop> I don't really collect software anymore, just MP3s
moonlight> Has this cut down your CD purchases?
Easy Bake Dar> No..
Mancow> No
bigdog> if anything it's increased mine
Easy Bake Dar> I am poor.
Mancow> It increased them.
moonlight> How so?
bigdog> It allows me to try CDs before i buy them
Easy Bake Dar> i couldn't have afforded them in the first place.
Mancow> The more music I've heard from here, I've bought on CD form.
MMMbop> I didn't buy any CDs until I got about 1000 mp3s
Poetic Justice> I didn't have any CD's either till I listened to some
bigdog> I've only been buying CDs for about three years
Poetic Justice> DL'd some Symphony X and then went and bought 3 CD's of
it :)
bigdog> as I said earlier, I have about 250 CDs -- 6 months ago i had
around 100
moonlight> So the general consensus is that Hotline is not bad for the
music industry?
bigdog> no, definitely not
Poetic Justice> not at all...
bigdog> another for instance, I work at a music store. Someone near me
got a copy of the new Korn album a month in advance, and used his CD-R to
sell copies of it. I saw just about every single one of the people who
bought a copy from him today. We had 20 copies in stock at work, and we
sold every last one of them. We have about 14 on preorder for what we get
tomorrow, and that's just the beginning
Poetic Justice> there are large amounts of music, and people, like me, can
pull full CD's off of servers....
Poetic Justice> but more likely than not, you just find some stuff by some
artists.... if ya like it you go find it at the store, just much easier and
faster. :) Music, like software, is only good and able to be bought by
somebody who wants it....thus, they have to know about it...
bigdog> in fact, I've got about 20 gb of MP3s on this server
Poetic Justice> <smirks>
Easy Bake Darwin slaps bigdog
MMMbop kicks Poetic Justice º[Mac]º
bigdog> I have encoded over half my albums; I've got over 20 Barenaked
Ladies concerts and many other different sorts (and sources) of music.
Easy Bake Dar> Well... the big part for me.. .is being able to share info ..
Easy Bake Dar> not music ..but everything..
bigdog> I recently started a user uploads section,
Poetic Justice> yes, information is everything... how would we know to try
a song, or a piece of software, if it wasn't for the information in the
news?
Easy Bake Dar> If i said.. hey anyone know where I can find a driver for
Toast?
Easy Bake Dar> or the SPAM
Easy Bake Dar> I get half the funny things I say in person from the news :P
Poetic Justice> (thus why earlier versions [of Hotline Connect] are better,
everybody reads at least some of the news, as it just ends up in front of
you, not separated and having to wait for each piece to download)
MMMbop> Darwin has made a VERY good point about the news
moonlight> Maclean's says: [Hotline] "is the underbelly of the digital
revolution.... A netherworld of cyberspace that is cluttered with the
obsessions of young teens." Comments?
bigdog> Obsessions isn't the proper word in that situation
Poetic Justice> Well, most of Hotline *IS* younger people...but that class
would be 25 and under in my views
bigdog> Maybe "thoughts and lives" as opposed to obsessions
Poetic Justice> <nods>
MMMbop> yes, I agree with bigdog
bigdog> I'll agree, I spend a lot of time on Hotline, but i don't obsess over
it
Poetic Justice> I, on the other hand, mainly frequent the private servers,
rather than public ones, so it's comprised of mostly graphics and audio
professionals and consultants for me...
bigdog> If, for some reason, I find that there's something bothering me on
here (user or otherwise) i can just walk away
Poetic Justice> Heh, I'd just boot in your position ;)
moonlight> Here's another quote from Maclean's: "The other tack being
taken is educational, getting the message out that ripping off software is
illegal, costs jobs, deprives governments of sales tax and is simply
wrong."
Poetic Justice> well, they're technically right....but let me try to comment
on that too
bigdog> The users on Hotline comprise a small percentage of Mac users out
there, and the majority out there will pay for software
Poetic Justice> Now, let's see.....the message is correct, and I
agree...according to the laws, most of what Hotline does, is illegal...
HOWEVER....Less jobs, software stealing, etc....I wouldn't know about half
of the software if it wasn't for HL, so couldn't have tried it, found it
worked, and bought it. I also use this to test programs out, so I can
recommend them to people...as I work for a retail Mac store. As for
jobs...I've seen ads for jobs on HL, and also learned a great deal, as far as
both places to get training, help, and other things, for various topics from
programming to graphics.
bigdog> I'm a freelance consultant, and i have recommended many
programs
Easy Bake Dar> Ditto, bigdog
bigdog> i was visiting an MIS friend of mine, and he bought a few different
programs based on my opinions
Poetic Justice> as for stealing software...I'd find it elsewhere anyway,
and besides...it's not a loss in sales, it's training me so I can use it when I
actually have money to buy the real thing in the future...
moonlight> Here's a comment from an Adobe Systems piracy investigator:
"law-breaking Hotline operators feel immune because few authorities
know about the network. 'But we're out there gathering evidence now,' he
says, 'and it's going to be a rude awakening when prosecutors start
knocking on their doors.'
bigdog> i think that there are too many doors to knock on, first of all, and
second of all, they certainly have bigger things to deal with.
Poetic Justice> <nods in agreement>
Poetic Justice> Adobe, Apple, MS...they're all in that same anti-piracy
league now...if you look at most of the elite servers.....well...
bigdog> as far as Adobe is concerned, their products are overpriced
moonlight> What percentage (roughly) of the software you use every day is
registered?
bigdog> legitimately registered? ;)
moonlight> yes
eddie interrupts...90%
bigdog> I'd say about 75%
Poetic Justice> every single one I'm on has a different employee from
INSIDE Adobe feeding us the software...usually beta... I'd say they have
MUCH bigger problems than the HL community :)
bigdog> I like the Mac freeware community, too
Poetic Justice> hmm...most of the software I use is free or shareware, but
I'd have to go with about 85%
eddie> I even have a legal copy of Photoshop...
MMMbop> I pirated soundjam
eddie> piracy happens. It always has happened, and always will happen
Easy Bake Dar> At my friend's school there entire network is fed by ..me..
Easy Bake Dar> :P
moonlight> I'm mentioning in my article that I can't recall ever seeing a
hard drive without at least a few pirated software titles, unless it was
brand new.
Poetic Justice> I haven't seen a HD without it either...even our store uses
a copy of the Matrix VCD in order to help sell the computers...people care
about seeing that it can do things like that...just because of that, I've sold
over 50 copies of Photoshop 5.5 and about 25 G4's....just because I demoed
the combo with pirated software
Easy Bake Dar> From the OS up to TB2
eddie> why use the vcd + not a dvd??
bigdog> I paid for Musashi, paid for DragThing, I use AIM, Netscape,
Soundapp, paid for GraphicConverter
Poetic Justice> Same with PhotoShop 5.5 and Altivec Enhancements...
Easy Bake Dar> I go into my computer store.. they have OS 9 betas runnin'..
that WEREN'T placed there by Apple. This of course before it went GM.
bigdog> Companies claimed losses of millions of dollars, then
shareholders HAVE to be notified, but if that truly were the case (losses
of that amount)...
eddie: It wasn't out at the time...it'd hit the theatres 2 days before
Easy Bake Dar> I'll BRB
Easy Bake Dar> my mother made her wonderful rice..
Easy Bake Dar> i expect this will be goin' on when i return?
Poetic Justice> the cash loss is there...but mainly not here... Companies
like Microsoft can claim that loss, because PC people mostly have to have
it, and don't want to pay for shit...quality software is normally bought
after it is tried though
bigdog> definitely
eddie> yes
bigdog> like Dragthing
bigdog> I think it should be part of the OS, it's wonderful software.
MMMbop> Dragthing sucks
bigdog> no.
Poetic Justice> Dragthing is cool, although I like GoMac better... :)
MMMbop> Soundjam is flawed
bigdog> and Musashi, for instance, is much better than some free email
clients out there.. easily the best email client I've ever used... I pirated v.
2.2.x...when 3 came out, I bought it.
eddie> my company has one copy of Visual Basic (enterprise edition). we
run it on at least 5 machines; we can't afford the $1500 license for each
machine
Poetic Justice> <uses an e-mail client that's pirated, simply cause he
hasn't found a good one he likes yet...although PowerMail (current choice)
is getting close... :)>
bigdog> poetic, have you tried Musashi? I suggest you do.
Poetic Justice> hadn't heard of it before...
MMMbop> PowerMail is cool... I use it
MMMbop> I didn't pay
bigdog> hehe
MMMbop> Outlook Express sucks
Easy Bake Dar> I use Claris.
Poetic Justice> <might go buy some shareware tonight due to this
conversation on Hotline> :)
bigdog> One thing that helps fuel my piracy is the fact that when I bought
my G3, it had no software loaded except the OS
MMMbop> hehe
MMMbop> me too
bigdog> Meanwhile, people paying the same amount (at the time) were
getting an iMac loaded with software
Poetic Justice> <nods> the iMacs and iBooks have software, and is all
most people NEED...
bigdog> I figured Apple owed me a copy of AppleWorks, which I
immediately pirated.
eddie> hehe
Poetic Justice> heh
Poetic Justice> I just version-upgraded Claris, as I owned version 2 of
it...once Apple changed the product, ClarisWorks no longer existed, so I now
use ClarisWorks 5...same as AppleWorks, but diff name, and not owned by
them :)
Poetic Justice> uses his registered SoundJam to play the MP3's he ripped
from 4 of his own CD's...creating an instant better than real CD and cheaper
jukebox :)
bigdog> Well, even if I didn't run a server, I'd still have a computer going
full time with all 200 or so encoded albums... I like the idea of being able
to pull up a song in seconds, instead of looking first for the CD, then for
the song in question
Poetic Justice> also, things like HL bring out the advantages of used
equipment... no longer is it useless...turn it into a burning or file server,
along with an mp3 player... do your gaming and real work on the new
computer while it goes :)
bigdog> Definitely... I used to run my server on my G3,
bigdog> but when i would play some games, or have to... Poetic Justice>
guess he got enough info?
bigdog> hehe
(At this point, Hotline Connect and Tex-Edit Plus had some sort of memory
collision on my PowerBook and crashed. The next bit of conversation
ensued while I was restarting the program.)
And it was. Like I said, it reminded me of a friendly pub. Hardly the dark
vision of larcenous teenagers working off hormone overload that Maclean's
magazine painted.
No doubt the comments on piracy won't warm the hearts of the software
police, but I expect they're trying to shovel water uphill.
Hotline seems to me to be, as much as anything, a democratic community
of free expression, and such places are thin on the ground these days. With
the whole world explored, domesticated, and politically-corrected, perhaps Cyberspace had to be
invented as a virtual frontier for people who need the sort of freedom that
used to be available on the real frontier.
If you would like to experience Hotline for yourself Hotline Connect is
available for free download here, including full setup instructions.