Please crack this software
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i guess it is arguable wether asking someone to do something illegal is actually "ok" afterall, no harm done.... yet. sheesh... you really get asked to do this kind of thing often?
<>< :: have the courage to use your own reason
I believe if you ask someone to commit a crime your are in fact soliciting and are fact then committing a crime; like, as if I had asked you to murder someone for me.
Steve Jowett ------------------------- Sometimes a man who deserves to be looked down upon because he is a fool, is only despised only because he is an 'I.T. Consultant'
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I was recently asked by a company to "crack" the licencing module for a popular laundry management system written in .net. Now, my first response was to decline and challenge the request to get permission from the owners of the software to do so (the request came bundled with some long fandangled justification and legitimate business reasons) Anyhow, the challenge worked and it was, in fact, a request to do something illegal. I declined. However... thinking on it some more, is simply declining enough? This company will probably just approach some other programmer and learn to disguise the request more carefully... Do i have an ethical/legal obligation/responsibility to report this matter to: a) the authorities b) the software owners c) other ? Somehow keeping quiet about it just feels weird (you know, evil reigns 'cos good men do nothing- that sort of thing). This is a first for me, so while i reason this one out, it'd be good to get a feel for what the programmer society reasons... I know, i'd feel pretty :mad: if someone started stealing my salary.
<>< :: have the courage to use your own reason
You didn't play both ends? Double the money, double the fun. :-D
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I was recently asked by a company to "crack" the licencing module for a popular laundry management system written in .net. Now, my first response was to decline and challenge the request to get permission from the owners of the software to do so (the request came bundled with some long fandangled justification and legitimate business reasons) Anyhow, the challenge worked and it was, in fact, a request to do something illegal. I declined. However... thinking on it some more, is simply declining enough? This company will probably just approach some other programmer and learn to disguise the request more carefully... Do i have an ethical/legal obligation/responsibility to report this matter to: a) the authorities b) the software owners c) other ? Somehow keeping quiet about it just feels weird (you know, evil reigns 'cos good men do nothing- that sort of thing). This is a first for me, so while i reason this one out, it'd be good to get a feel for what the programmer society reasons... I know, i'd feel pretty :mad: if someone started stealing my salary.
<>< :: have the courage to use your own reason
homegrown wrote:
I know, i'd feel pretty if someone started stealing my salary.
Are you saying that you have NEVER downloaded a song? NEVER copied a MP3 off somebodies computer or CD? NEVER done anything that would make another company/person lose money? If so, I admire your stance, and you join a manority But if you have, isnt that a bit hypocritical?
"There are three sides to every story. Yours, mine and the truth" ~ unknown
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homegrown wrote:
I know, i'd feel pretty if someone started stealing my salary.
Are you saying that you have NEVER downloaded a song? NEVER copied a MP3 off somebodies computer or CD? NEVER done anything that would make another company/person lose money? If so, I admire your stance, and you join a manority But if you have, isnt that a bit hypocritical?
"There are three sides to every story. Yours, mine and the truth" ~ unknown
Would they lose money if you would never have paid for the song in the first place? So if you couldn't get it for free, you wouldn't bother at all. Would they still actually be 'losing' money then? Think about it ;)
My current favourite word is: Nipple!
-SK Genius
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Would they lose money if you would never have paid for the song in the first place? So if you couldn't get it for free, you wouldn't bother at all. Would they still actually be 'losing' money then? Think about it ;)
My current favourite word is: Nipple!
-SK Genius
lol ok, so I worded that incorrectly. I should have said "cause them to lose profit" or something like that
"There are three sides to every story. Yours, mine and the truth" ~ unknown
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Definitely B, and contact the BSA under C. I don't know that hte local cops would care, or even necessarily be able to understand the problem at all. :doh:
Otherwise [Microsoft is] toast in the long term no matter how much money they've got. They would be already if the Linux community didn't have it's head so firmly up it's own command line buffer that it looks like taking 15 years to find the desktop. -- Matthew Faithfull
dan neely wrote:
BSA
:rolleyes: it's been my experience that any organization with the letters SA in the acronym who purport to combat software piracy are shallow fronts for the top 10 software companies in the world and they don't give a crap about any other software company.
When everyone is a hero no one is a hero.
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I was recently asked by a company to "crack" the licencing module for a popular laundry management system written in .net. Now, my first response was to decline and challenge the request to get permission from the owners of the software to do so (the request came bundled with some long fandangled justification and legitimate business reasons) Anyhow, the challenge worked and it was, in fact, a request to do something illegal. I declined. However... thinking on it some more, is simply declining enough? This company will probably just approach some other programmer and learn to disguise the request more carefully... Do i have an ethical/legal obligation/responsibility to report this matter to: a) the authorities b) the software owners c) other ? Somehow keeping quiet about it just feels weird (you know, evil reigns 'cos good men do nothing- that sort of thing). This is a first for me, so while i reason this one out, it'd be good to get a feel for what the programmer society reasons... I know, i'd feel pretty :mad: if someone started stealing my salary.
<>< :: have the courage to use your own reason
homegrown wrote:
evil reigns 'cos good men do nothing
That's true.
homegrown wrote:
This is a first for me, so while i reason this one out, it'd be good to get a feel for what the programmer society reasons...
If you have evidence (emails, etc.) then blow the whistle by either informing the authorities or the supplier of the software. If you don't have evidence then there isn't much you can do. Either which way you might want to ready your CV or résumé in preparation to move on just in case. (Or you might just like to pre-emptively move on as you now know that the company culture does not match your own)
homegrown wrote:
I know, i'd feel pretty :mad: if someone started stealing my salary.
Absolutely. And I think that is exactly the correct way to look at it.
Upcoming FREE developer events: * Developer Day Scotland Recent blog posts: * Follow up on hiring a software developer * The Value of Smaller Methods My website | blog
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I was recently asked by a company to "crack" the licencing module for a popular laundry management system written in .net. Now, my first response was to decline and challenge the request to get permission from the owners of the software to do so (the request came bundled with some long fandangled justification and legitimate business reasons) Anyhow, the challenge worked and it was, in fact, a request to do something illegal. I declined. However... thinking on it some more, is simply declining enough? This company will probably just approach some other programmer and learn to disguise the request more carefully... Do i have an ethical/legal obligation/responsibility to report this matter to: a) the authorities b) the software owners c) other ? Somehow keeping quiet about it just feels weird (you know, evil reigns 'cos good men do nothing- that sort of thing). This is a first for me, so while i reason this one out, it'd be good to get a feel for what the programmer society reasons... I know, i'd feel pretty :mad: if someone started stealing my salary.
<>< :: have the courage to use your own reason
Being asked to commit a crime I believe is called a conspiracy. And yes you can go to jail for conspiring to commit illegal acts. Although this probably also depends upon the justice system where you live. Regardless, you do not want to be doing business with the company that approached you.
Chris Meech I am Canadian. [heard in a local bar] Donate to help Conquer Cancer[^]
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homegrown wrote:
I know, i'd feel pretty if someone started stealing my salary.
Are you saying that you have NEVER downloaded a song? NEVER copied a MP3 off somebodies computer or CD? NEVER done anything that would make another company/person lose money? If so, I admire your stance, and you join a manority But if you have, isnt that a bit hypocritical?
"There are three sides to every story. Yours, mine and the truth" ~ unknown
of course i downloaded songs way back when. but just 'cos everyone was doing it, didn't make it right. and that was years ago. i learned, understood better and since stopped. now i buy legal and it actually feels goooood. :D so it's a not a holier-than-thou crusade against pirates: it's more like: what's the most responsible thing to do, as a professional in the game, having being approached? i like the angle of actually taking the time to educate and talk to the dude who asked me; explaining exactly what he's asking me to do, the implications and consequences. and then encouraging him to solve the problem legally. reporting might be a last resort if it's blatant and deliberate piracy... but i also can't let the fact that i used to be a pirate stop me from promoting law-abiding behaviour either. what if this dude gets bust through another channel (out of ignorance) and loses his business because i didn't challenge his views on piracy today 'cos i was scared of being labelled hypocritical? and it's the same with drugs and all sorts of other anti-social behaviour.that used to be me... but does that i mean i can't tell kids to stay away at the risk of appearing hypocritical? i'd rather encourage behaviour that avoids jail sentences and massive fines, even if i managed to get away with it in the past. it's just not a good road to follow, is all. i think if i was still pirating MP3's, DVD's, software whatever and having issues with this guy.. then yes. i'd be a buffoon :)
<>< :: have the courage to use your own reason
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I was recently asked by a company to "crack" the licencing module for a popular laundry management system written in .net. Now, my first response was to decline and challenge the request to get permission from the owners of the software to do so (the request came bundled with some long fandangled justification and legitimate business reasons) Anyhow, the challenge worked and it was, in fact, a request to do something illegal. I declined. However... thinking on it some more, is simply declining enough? This company will probably just approach some other programmer and learn to disguise the request more carefully... Do i have an ethical/legal obligation/responsibility to report this matter to: a) the authorities b) the software owners c) other ? Somehow keeping quiet about it just feels weird (you know, evil reigns 'cos good men do nothing- that sort of thing). This is a first for me, so while i reason this one out, it'd be good to get a feel for what the programmer society reasons... I know, i'd feel pretty :mad: if someone started stealing my salary.
<>< :: have the courage to use your own reason
I have been asked to deface websites, hack bank websites, write viruses to infect opposition companies and variuos other shady activities, and the people asking these things of me have always been people with little or no money or respect for what us a programmers go through to build these systems, I have always declined but never thought of reporting these things as nothing actually came of any of these requests if you do let us know what happend, its funny to me that companies will rather break the law than fork out the cash for a system that is integral to the running of thier company. Find a new job my man with a company that is willing to pay for the work we as programmers do. I bet software is not the only thing they dont pay for.
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I was recently asked by a company to "crack" the licencing module for a popular laundry management system written in .net. Now, my first response was to decline and challenge the request to get permission from the owners of the software to do so (the request came bundled with some long fandangled justification and legitimate business reasons) Anyhow, the challenge worked and it was, in fact, a request to do something illegal. I declined. However... thinking on it some more, is simply declining enough? This company will probably just approach some other programmer and learn to disguise the request more carefully... Do i have an ethical/legal obligation/responsibility to report this matter to: a) the authorities b) the software owners c) other ? Somehow keeping quiet about it just feels weird (you know, evil reigns 'cos good men do nothing- that sort of thing). This is a first for me, so while i reason this one out, it'd be good to get a feel for what the programmer society reasons... I know, i'd feel pretty :mad: if someone started stealing my salary.
<>< :: have the courage to use your own reason
Unless they have other cracked software on the premises or, in the meantime, have had this software cracked I'm not sure you have much to go on. You'd have to find out if your evidence (emails?) is sufficient too. Just your word probably is not, this isn't an eyewitness to a murder situation ;) BSA should be able to help you. I'd do it anonymously and not mention the company's name until you understand the situation and what BSA are likely to do. As much as cracking software is illegal and needs to stop I'd still weigh it up against the possibility of hurting a company that does employ people. Hopefully the BSA are not a bunch of cowboys riding around nailing companies to death for having one extra unlicensed copy of Minesweeper.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:
At least he achieved immortality for a few years.
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Hmm, well this has happen to me a many of time. Being asked to crack is not really illegal yet, but doing the act is. The only thing you can do is decline the request. But, doing so will probably get you fired.
KISS "Keep It Simple, Stupid"
VectorX wrote:
but doing the act is.
Not quite, I regularly try to research protection schemes and defeat them, but I dont even use the software, or distribute the 'crack'. This is not illegal in my opinion.
xacc.ide - now with IronScheme support
IronScheme - 1.0 alpha 1 out now -
I was recently asked by a company to "crack" the licencing module for a popular laundry management system written in .net. Now, my first response was to decline and challenge the request to get permission from the owners of the software to do so (the request came bundled with some long fandangled justification and legitimate business reasons) Anyhow, the challenge worked and it was, in fact, a request to do something illegal. I declined. However... thinking on it some more, is simply declining enough? This company will probably just approach some other programmer and learn to disguise the request more carefully... Do i have an ethical/legal obligation/responsibility to report this matter to: a) the authorities b) the software owners c) other ? Somehow keeping quiet about it just feels weird (you know, evil reigns 'cos good men do nothing- that sort of thing). This is a first for me, so while i reason this one out, it'd be good to get a feel for what the programmer society reasons... I know, i'd feel pretty :mad: if someone started stealing my salary.
<>< :: have the courage to use your own reason
I've never been asked to crack software (probably an indication of my low ranking position) but I often get asked to do things which violate the Data Protection Act (a very cool, but often ignored article in UK law). I feel quit strongly about private data protection. It's always difficult to convince myself that I am not being petty on individual cases though. I usually hold my ground (partly because, thanks to Basil II we are all responsible for our own actions, not our superiors'!)
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I was recently asked by a company to "crack" the licencing module for a popular laundry management system written in .net. Now, my first response was to decline and challenge the request to get permission from the owners of the software to do so (the request came bundled with some long fandangled justification and legitimate business reasons) Anyhow, the challenge worked and it was, in fact, a request to do something illegal. I declined. However... thinking on it some more, is simply declining enough? This company will probably just approach some other programmer and learn to disguise the request more carefully... Do i have an ethical/legal obligation/responsibility to report this matter to: a) the authorities b) the software owners c) other ? Somehow keeping quiet about it just feels weird (you know, evil reigns 'cos good men do nothing- that sort of thing). This is a first for me, so while i reason this one out, it'd be good to get a feel for what the programmer society reasons... I know, i'd feel pretty :mad: if someone started stealing my salary.
<>< :: have the courage to use your own reason
I do not now how the situation is in the US, but pirates are my heroes. I don't have the money to buy the software, nor i have time sometimes nor a credit card. Nor do i want it once i see how it works sometimes. So with all this together i love those guys that crack the software. They are my personal heroes. On the other hand, i've never written my own commercial software so i can't tell what i would think if i did. But i think, as with most things in life, you gotta balance the situation out: if the guys making the software already made a huge amount of money then crack it, otherwise don't and let them make their hard earned cash. In your case i don't think these guys made a lot of money so don't crack it. But at the same time don't report your company. BSA will just show-bust them. And maybe it was one guys idea or something. Balance it out. Fine balance. Hardcoded principles will get us nowhere. Imagine if no one cracked the video games :D How much happiness would be wasted in the world...:) I think knowledge should be free and open, after the guys that thought of it make a enough money! :) Don't report them...just explain to them that it's not cool stealing somebodies ideas and then stealing a part of the market from them with their ideas.
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Talk to the villagers - there's going to be a lynching. I admire your stance - you did the right thing, and it's time to continue doing the right thing, contact the authorities and the responsible software company. Be up front with the company that challenged you to crack the software, and let them know the course of action you are going to follow. Maybe then they'll think twice about being a bunch of scum sucking, lowdown, bottom feeding thieves.
Deja View - the feeling that you've seen this post before.
Just a conscience check... And how many of you can truly say "my computer is clean" (both at work and at home. Not a single illegally downloaded movie or song. All software properly licenced, no exceptions... I think that asking someone to crack someone elses software is bad. You did the right thing to decline. Going to the authorities is the ethically correct thing to do. Just be aware of hypocrisy as that is even worse (in my view) :) Cheers, Speertje
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I was recently asked by a company to "crack" the licencing module for a popular laundry management system written in .net. Now, my first response was to decline and challenge the request to get permission from the owners of the software to do so (the request came bundled with some long fandangled justification and legitimate business reasons) Anyhow, the challenge worked and it was, in fact, a request to do something illegal. I declined. However... thinking on it some more, is simply declining enough? This company will probably just approach some other programmer and learn to disguise the request more carefully... Do i have an ethical/legal obligation/responsibility to report this matter to: a) the authorities b) the software owners c) other ? Somehow keeping quiet about it just feels weird (you know, evil reigns 'cos good men do nothing- that sort of thing). This is a first for me, so while i reason this one out, it'd be good to get a feel for what the programmer society reasons... I know, i'd feel pretty :mad: if someone started stealing my salary.
<>< :: have the courage to use your own reason
What would you do if... The software company your organization is doing business with sells you software to install in hundreads of workstations, and the only way to activate the software on each of the workstation requires a cumbersome manual process done on each of those workstations (install and upgrade), that's right, no SMS possible. Negociations are made with the software company, suggestions are made in regards to usage control tools (licensing server and such), tight auditing, etc. but the software company won't budge. I have been a witness to such a behavior. The customer is currently abiding by the software company rule, but everybody involved with this given software company is really mad at them. Will the organization recommend that software company to other organizations around them ? I am not advocating cracking software, but, some behavior seen with some software companies could potentially set the ground to hiliting this choice as a means to releaving the software maintenance process in a large organization.
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yeah. the authorities, agreed, ain't gonna help much in this case. only maybe if they asked me to crack the passcode that opened some cyber-safe that allowed them access to endless loot... but it's more like an email thread. not that having it in writing makes it any more or less "evil" :)
<>< :: have the courage to use your own reason
You definitely did the right thing by turning them down. To ask someone to do that on a professional level is far past any type of ethical boundaries I could possibly imagine. The moral arguments on piracy notwithstanding, the way this was requested of you kinda makes my stomach turn. Then when I see that others have been in similar situations, I just shudder. The idealist in me says that if piracy is going to happen, it should be tucked away in someone's cold, dark basement, away from the mainstream. It's a shame we don't live in that world. If you can't get any legal action against the requestor, I think he/she at least deserves a flaming bag of poop on the doorstep. :D I wish you luck. And for the record, I support your "crusade".
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I was recently asked by a company to "crack" the licencing module for a popular laundry management system written in .net. Now, my first response was to decline and challenge the request to get permission from the owners of the software to do so (the request came bundled with some long fandangled justification and legitimate business reasons) Anyhow, the challenge worked and it was, in fact, a request to do something illegal. I declined. However... thinking on it some more, is simply declining enough? This company will probably just approach some other programmer and learn to disguise the request more carefully... Do i have an ethical/legal obligation/responsibility to report this matter to: a) the authorities b) the software owners c) other ? Somehow keeping quiet about it just feels weird (you know, evil reigns 'cos good men do nothing- that sort of thing). This is a first for me, so while i reason this one out, it'd be good to get a feel for what the programmer society reasons... I know, i'd feel pretty :mad: if someone started stealing my salary.
<>< :: have the courage to use your own reason
Reporting the matter is NOT the solution here. 1) Say your company finds out and fire you... how will you explain this to your NEXT employer. You will always be seen as someone who lacks of loyalty. 2) Say the authorities show up and fine your company... someone will eventually figure out that you're responsible and then fire you. Again good luck trying to explain that to your future employer. My opinion (wisdom of a fool here so please evaluate before following it) Accept the assignment and immediately begin searching for a new job. It will be easy to justify why you want to leave the current job during interviews. And besides, a company that can't afford a liscense isn't probably doing too well. So you'd better leave that environment sooner than later. When you have a new job, then you may contact the software or the authorities to clear your conscience.
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Just a conscience check... And how many of you can truly say "my computer is clean" (both at work and at home. Not a single illegally downloaded movie or song. All software properly licenced, no exceptions... I think that asking someone to crack someone elses software is bad. You did the right thing to decline. Going to the authorities is the ethically correct thing to do. Just be aware of hypocrisy as that is even worse (in my view) :) Cheers, Speertje
Speder wrote:
And how many of you can truly say "my computer is clean"
I can. I have the luxury, though, of being the owner of a company and my hardware/software is paid for by the company. All of our software is audited to ensure that we are compliant with legal requirements, as the director I am accountable if there is pirate software so I take this subject VERY seriously.
Deja View - the feeling that you've seen this post before.
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Definitely B, and contact the BSA under C. I don't know that hte local cops would care, or even necessarily be able to understand the problem at all. :doh:
Otherwise [Microsoft is] toast in the long term no matter how much money they've got. They would be already if the Linux community didn't have it's head so firmly up it's own command line buffer that it looks like taking 15 years to find the desktop. -- Matthew Faithfull