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"Pirates?"

Why do we call video software thieves "pirates"?
They don't sail about on boats, they don't say "Arrrr" at all and they don't have big hats with skull & crossbones on.

Most, I would imagine, are pasty nerds in darkened bedrooms somewhere, taking a break from startrek.com to distribute the latest game to each other.
So why "Pirates".
It gives it a glamorous name, one of danget and intrigue.
If they were called "Spotty no-mates" then the industry would die out in a second.
CNN reported on dawn raids at "pirates homes by armed officers".
Is that not...well...pointless? Do you need armed policemen to seize some wide-eyed Net Nerd? Just drag him into the sunlight and watch the reactions (much like a Vampire. But a crap, geek one.)

I just laugh whenever you see these "Hackers" in news stories.
They are invariably mid-twenties blokes with a crap spider-leg moustache and a computer game t-shirt on.
And they call themselves cool things like "Neo" and "Wolfstalker", because "Alan" and "Brian" just don't sound cyber-cool enough.

Watch The Matrix Revisited, the fans section on the DVD.
They look *exactly* how you think computer obsessed hackers would do.
A bit like a Star Trek convention, but with less appeal.

So to eradicate the piracy industry, stop giving them cool names.
Call it "Pasty Virgin Game Swapping" and it'll die in a week.

:o)

Why call people bent? Are the actually bent? Pirates, wonderful people "Ohh arrr!"

Interesting.
Hackers are the ones that annoy me. They think they are really cool because they can hack things.

One example is of a boy who "hacked" into our school network recently. All he did was take advantage of the default password system that hadn't been changed in some teachers accounts and thieved "printer credits".

A bit sad really. They think they are cool but it just seems pathetic.

Pirates are not as bad in my opinion. You get this group of people as well in my school. They download stuff on their cable/adsl connections and sell it on. Sounds like dealers to me. Maybe that's what they should be called... C Dealers.. kind of a nice ring to it hey :)

Grandprix wrote:
I Cheese. :D

You called?

Congrats on the GAD win, sonic

Maybe it's because pirates used to STEAL the WELL EARNED money of other ships by SELLING THEIR GOODS... which is what piracy is about?

Sonic

Maybe it's because pirates used to STEAL the WELL EARNED money of other ships by SELLING THEIR GOODS... which is what piracy is about?

Sonic

I'd probably become one so I have the excuse to terrorise children in a false beard and hook.

But I'd get laughed at.

Yes.
Nobody would mind then would they?

They should legalise piracy, under the condition that all 'Pirates' have to dress up like a 16th century Blackbeard.

Call a rose a 'Stench-blossom' and nobody will buy them, either.

Call money 'processed colon extracts'though, and people will still want it.