Piracy- to do or not to do

Software piracy is one of the most talked about issues in the global ICT industry today. International bodies are trying everything possible to curb down the rate of software piracy. In most countries software piracy has been stated as a crime and penalties include huge fines to jail sentences. One of the most interesting facts regarding software piracy is that most of the time it is committed unintentionally. Many people across the world have few ideas as to how software piracy is committed. by knowing about it just maybe you can avoid it. or maybe life will commence as usual. The following presents the most common practices of software piracy.

1. Softlifting: - Softlifting occurs when a single person purchases software but loads them onto several machines and in the process violating the terms of the license agreement. Examples of such include sharing software among friends or co-workers or installing software on home/laptop computers if the license agreement does not permit to do so. Softlifting is most common in a corporate environment and hence the easiest to catch.

2. Unrestricted Client Access: - Unrestricted client access occurs when software is installed in an organization's server and the software is freely accessed by the organization's network "clients" in violation of the terms of the license agreement. This is a violation when the organization has a 'single instance' license that is the license permits the installation of the software onto one computer only. However, even with a client-server license a violation occurs when the organization is not enforcing the limit on the number of users of the software. In a client-server license, the number of users able to use the software is usually mentioned, however many organizations tend to overlook this clause. Unlike Softlifting, unrestricted client access only occurs when software is loaded onto a server and not onto an individual computer and clients are permitted to access the server-based software application through the organization's network and that too with the number of users being limited.

3. Hard-disk loading: - Hard-disk loading occurs when an individual or a company sells you a computer preloaded with illegal copies of software. Often this is committed by the vendor in order to attract more customers. This is a common scenario in Bangladesh where almost all computer vendors sell computers with illegal copies of software in it. It is required for all vendors to provide the customers with legal documents along with the preloaded software in the computer. However, it is common to see that this method of business is not followed generally.

4. OEM Piracy/Unbundling: - Some software, known as OEM (original equipment manufacturer) software, is only legally sold with specified hardware. However, when these programs are copied and sold separately from the hardware then this is a violation of the distribution contract between the vendor and the software publisher. The term "unbundling" refers to the act of selling software separately that is legally sold only when bundled with another package. Software that are marked "Not for sale" are usually from a bundled package.

5. Commercial Use of Non-Commercial Software: - Using educational or other commercial-use-restricted software for commercial purposes in violation of the software license is a form of software piracy. Many software companies sell educational versions of their software to public schools, universities and other educational institutions. The price of the software is greatly reduced due to the educational nature of the institution. But using this software for commercial purposes not only hurts the software developer but also hurts the reputation of the institution.

6. Counterfeiting: - Counterfeiting is the unauthorized copying and distribution of software in such a manner as if the software were a legitimate copy and has been legally authorized by the developer. Counterfeiting usually occurs in places were the prices of software can be bargained.

7. CD-R Piracy: - CD-R Piracy is one of the most common scenarios in Bangladesh. CD-R Piracy occurs when a copy of software is made without the permission of the developer using CD-R technology. Usually a lot of copies are made and then they are either redistributed or re-sold to other users.

Although counterfeiting and CD-R piracy may appear to be the same but the significant difference between the two cases is that in CD-R piracy there may be no attempt to pass the illegal copy of the software as a legitimate copy, and hence we find most of this software with hand written label and with no legal documentation. With CD-R materials becoming inexpensive, we see a significant rise in CD-R piracy especially in countries like Bangladesh, Malaysia and Thailand. Most vendors even copy several software onto one CD, creating a sort of a compilation, and sell it. This is even a greater crime as the vendor is breeching several license agreements.

8. Internet Piracy: - Internet piracy is the uploading of software that is not freeware or public domain onto the Internet for anyone to copy. It also includes the sale of pirated software over the Internet. These sorts of software are found from 'underground' or warez sites. Internet piracy has exponentially risen over the past few years and it seems to grow further along with the advancement of the Internet.

9. Renting: - Renting of videos in formats such as VCDs or DVDs without legal permission of the owner is also considered to be piracy. Most VCDs and DVDs are made for viewing in homes only and have strict laws for renting them illegally. Bangladesh is filled with such vendors who rent out illegal copies of VCDs and DVDs.

By Ziad

At number 9, this week we have the Microsoft co-founder,
with $25 billion, Mr. Paul Allen

Paul Allen, who along with Bill Gates (coming soon on HE WHO MADE IT BIG) formed Microsoft, possessed a unique intellect, vision, and good-natured, fun-loving demeanor, that few can boast. Even if his wealth were not at 25 billion dollars but at 25 cents, we would still want to sit down and pick his brain.

At Lakeside School, Paul Allen (14 yrs) and friend Bill Gates (12 yrs) became early computer enthusiasts. Allen went on to attend Washington State University, though he dropped out after two years to pursue his and Gates' dream of writing software commercially for the new "personal computers".

Allen and Gates and a small group of other Lakeside students begin programming in BASIC, using a teletype terminal. They bought an Intel 8008 chip for $360 and built a computer to measure traffic and launched their first company, Traf-O-Data.

After sometime, Microsoft agreed to develop and license DOS and BASIC for IBM for its new personal computer.

Gates and Allen, then discussed graphical user interfaces, planting the seeds that would become Windows.

The duo founded Microsoft (initially "Micro Soft") in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and sold a BASIC interpreter. Allen spearheaded a deal for Microsoft to buy an operating system called QDOS for $50,000. Microsoft won a contract to supply it to for use as the operating system of IBM's new PC, and this became the foundation for Microsoft's remarkable growth.

In 1983, Allen developed Hodgkin's disease; left Microsoft, but recovered soon afterwards.

In 1984 he founded Asymetrix, a software development company based in Bellevue, Washington, to make application development tools that nonprogrammers can use. Asymetrix later went on to become Click2learn.com and yet later merged with Docent to become Sum Total System (2004). In the 1990's the company began to specialize in software for developing and delivering computer-based learning.

1992 Allen started Starwave, a producer of online content sites. Starwave did such great work for ESPN SportsZone and ABCNews.com that Disney bought it for a total of $350 million last year.

In April 1998, Allen bought Marcus, the nation's 10th largest cable company, for $2.8 billion--his biggest investment to date. Also that year Allen grabbed a stake of the Internet video-sales market with his purchase of Hollywood Entertainment.

On September 28, 2000 - Microsoft Corp. announced that Paul Allen was to assume a new role as senior strategy adviser to top Microsoft executives.

In June 2004, SpaceShipOne became the first successful commercial spacecraft when it passed the 100 kilometer threshold of space.

In September 2003, Allen founded the Allen Institute of Brain Science pledging $100 million in seed money to the Seattle-based organization. Its inaugural project was the Allen Brain Atlas, a map of the human brain, would will be made publicly accessible.

In 2003, Vulcan Ventures began funding Project Halo, an attempt to apply Artificial Intelligence techniques to the problem of producing a digital Aristotle that might serve as a mentor, providing comprehensive access to the world's knowledge.

Allen is a major contributor to the SETI, or Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence project.

He is also the founder of the Experience Music Project, originally inspired by his interest in a museum to house his considerable collection of Jimmy Hendrix memorabilia.

When he heard Seattle's Cinerama movie theater was about to shut down, he bought, restored, and updated it into a showplace for movies of all formats. He is also one of the principal financiers behind the SETI project, having stepping in to rescue the project when NASA stopped funding it in the 1990s.

Currently Allen is the owner of the Portland Trail Blazers (an NBA basketball team) and the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He also owns Rose Garden Arena, the home court of the NBA Blazers team.

In June of 2004, Allen opened the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame,

Awarded for Life-Time Achievement Award by PC Magazine and inducted into the Computer Museum, Hall of Fame, Mr. Paul Allen is an icon we can look up to.

By Taskin Rahman

Book review

The devil's numbers

Let's talk about Mathematics. Do you remember the mathematical notation 'Pi'? If you don't, let me jog your memory, though it's pretty likely that you are still dealing with Pi. Pi has a mathematical value of 3.142. Now, now…before you start wondering why exactly I am giving you a free math's tuition on RS, let me progress into details. The number Pi plays a HUGE part in 'The Devil's Numbers', by the popular science fiction/horror author G.M. Hague. The opening segment, with a young child encountering witchcraft, draws you into the storyline from the very beginning.

This horror novel opens far in the past but quickly switches to the present day, with a story of industrial espionage: a trade in an incredibly powerful new computer chip that causes the violent deaths of a number of people. It isn't long before the story shifts towards its main storyline, that of a journey on an incredibly advanced Ocean Liner. This Ocean Liner is controlled mainly by the new supercomputer which has the responsibility of ensuring that all the activities, starting from minor lunch orders to the complex running engines of the ship, function faultlessly.

Unfortunately for the designers, the concept of a supercomputer backfires. Lunch orders are messed up, some orders aren't even processed, and there's also the occasional problem of the computer not following instruction aimed towards the engines' functioning. All these inconveniences are almost immediately taken care of when a powerful new chip is installed into the supercomputer system, halfway through the Liner's journey. And that is when the real trouble begins.

Since this is a supernatural thriller, I won't spoil your fun by telling you what goes wrong, and why it happens. That I leave to you to find out for yourself. Suffice enough to say that this is one book that kept me awake for three nights in a row. Take a look below to find out what the writer himself says about the book:

"The Devil's Numbers again came from a simple idea. That a supercomputer could process the numbers of pi so fast that a doorway to another, evil dimension might be opened. I was back into the "don't let them escape" thing, so I put everyone on an ocean cruise liner controlled by the fore mentioned, rogue computer- where else but in the middle of the ocean?"

By Jennifer Ashraf
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