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How is pirating software a thing? (discuss.tchncs.de)

submitted 1 year ago by alexg_k@discuss.tchncs.de to c/piracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com

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I understand that sharing video, photos, documents etc. is relatively safe because the data is not executed in the processor as instructions. How come people are willing to download and install pirated software though? How can one be confident that it does not contain malicious addons? Are people just don't know the risks? Or are there protection mechanisms that I am missing? I mean since the software is usually cracked there is not much use in comparing checksums with the originals, is it?

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[-] WheeGeetheCat@sh.itjust.works 19 points 1 year ago

Meh, how is surgery a thing? You let people just open you up and dig around your insides?

it's a mix of need and belief in a proper vetting process. For computers there's the additional layer that any one machine is probably low stakes. In early internet days most software was prohibitively expensive but gave you the equivalent of super powers - as a teenager / young adult with ability to take that risk you're not going to do it?

[-] alexg_k@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 1 year ago

Well, I prefer to go the hospital with licensed personnel and not to ask some guy on the internet to perform surgery..

[-] nestEggParrot@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 1 year ago

And where those are illegal or prohibitively expensive you have people either traveling to less regulated countries or even straight up illegal operations.

Eg., black market transplants.