Don't Copy that Floppy

[trinityvixen]

My good God!

I don't think you need to watch past the first two minutes, but this is super disturbing (not the least for the dreadful rap song in midi going THE ENTIRE TIME). I blame (uh, thank, I guess) umeyard for pointing this out. Proof positive that, while graphics have improved, the plaintive whining about DRM has not. Also, I liked the ads we have now on DVDs (that, presumably, you've bought or rented or else you wouldn't be seeing the PSA on it) where the stupid child actors don't talk. Or pretend to know how to use a computer (I cringe at them banging away on the keyboard--cringe, I tells you).

The highlights, if you don't have ten minutes:
"The law is very clear...you can only put the software on one computer."

"Buy one for every computer you use!"

"I'm too young for a life of crime!"

"Hey! You can buy your own game...with a manual!"

And at the end, priceless: The Software Publishers Association gives you permission to copy this video for the non-profit purpose of promoting the ethical and legal use of software.

Hah! I don't know if that's irony or just plain stupidity, but that cracked my shit up. How awesome would it be without that warning, and then people stole this absolute travesty of a production and spread it everywhere and they got upset about it? Hahahahaahah!!!

The way to get people to not copy = allow them to move their stuff to as many computers as they want and own. It actually reduces piracy to allow for flexibility. Also, it's been proven that when you trust people, they tend to do the right thing (not all, sure, but most).

Comments

[hslayer.livejournal.com]

Better an educational/promotional campaign than lawsuits, lobbying, and technological lockdowns...however sad and 80sish they may be. Which I guess is what you're saying in that last paragraph, so pardon my redundancy. Man, I remember code wheels and looking up the 5th word in the 3rd paragraph on the 47th page of the manual....

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Sheesh, what the F? Why would it even be worth it to go through that much crap for a key? Software piracy for games is waaaaaay down there on the list of things pirated because that actually takes some skill to make work. I say, if you can pirate the bastard, you've earned it!

[hslayer.livejournal.com]

Dude, those WERE the keys. That's what LEGITIMATE users had to do every time they ran the game to "prove" that they owned it. This was before (some concurrent with) key disks, which are basically still in use today with CDs or DVDs instead of floppies.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

No, I mean, I get it, but I seriously would have preferred a hacked and stolen version. I'd never have made it in video gaming if I'd had to do that more than once.

[hslayer.livejournal.com]

I see. Well, fortunately there were tools you could get (I can't believe I don't recall the names of either one I had) that would crack any of 100s of games with the click of a button.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but I bet that would have taken some knowing of what you were doing that I wouldn't have had being a techno-idiot at that period (okay, still am a bit). That's why I say the piraters earned their copies.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

I remember those as well, and remember them as part of the reason I prefered console gaming to PC gaming. (I suspect the fact that I never had to fight for one of the five TVs, but there was always a battle over the one computer advanced enough to play games on, also played a role.)

[umeyard.livejournal.com]

tee hee
i still think its funny :D