That software might be free, but what is it going to cost you in future computer repairs and computer support? Read this article to find out why to avoid it.
More often than not, we all will hear about someone who has access to a cracked or pirated copy of software. If you have spent any time in Asia, you will know how easy they are to buy. Modern and sophisticated software comes with a range of features, including a range of online and live help desk and computer support. Trying to avoid the cost of a software package may end up costing you a lot more in the long run. Here is a list of reasons why you should avoid pirated and ‘fake’ software at all cost.
It is illegal.
While we all know pirated software is illegal, not many of us think we will ever get in trouble for it. This is not always the case anymore. There are more cases, especially in the US and the UK, where people are finding lawyers or police knocking at their door. Everything you download can be tracked, and more software developers are putting flags inside their software so they know whether your application is licensed or not. You might find yourself in very hot water over a small application you downloaded for free on the Internet.
It won’t upgrade.
Most software needs to upgrade to be of any use. Each software application we use is regularly connecting with a host server from the software developer. This is so the software can stay in touch with imperative updates and fixes. If you can’t update the software, you will soon find it is lagging behind other applications it communicates with, and it may even fall out of date from your system. Paid software with a license nearly always means that license includes all future updates.
You don’t get any support.
If there is a problem with your application, you won’t have anyone to turn to. More and more, applications require more dedicated online support or other help desk tools. Your software does not have any warranty and basically, if something goes wrong, you have no one you can talk to. Further to that, more software applications, such as WhiteSmoke, actually need to communicate with their host server to work properly each time you use them. Without the software license, you are essentially using a dead copy.
Do you know what you are downloading?
Software that appears to be one thing, and is actually malware designed to infect your machine is very common. You download what you think is an excellent free copy of some expensive software, only to find it did not work. You have probably infected your computer with some malware, and it is now opened up for attack or is regularly communicating with cyber criminals without your knowledge. You are lucky if it only damages your computer ending in your need for the help of computer repairs professionals. With such high risk of identity theft, this must be more of a reason than the hefty fines or jail time you can get from owning pirated software.
Trial versions are available.
In most cases, you can try before you buy a piece of software. 14 – 30 days is a substantial amount of time. You will know in this period of time if the piece of software is worth the money they are asking. If you are not happy with the price, you don’t have to buy it. This kind of market pressure has caused a real decrease in software and application prices. If the application is that good, we will buy it. It takes a lot to have software that commands a price. There are so many applications fighting for space on the marketplace, many of them are for free for a number of years. Software that has a price tag has that price tag for a genuine reason.
If these 5 reasons have not deterred you enough, all you can expect is trouble from your applications at any time. You will find they no longer work, or they no longer work as they intended, and in the worst-case situations, they really mess up your computer. They could even destroy you’re your hard drive after they have allowed criminals access to all your online banking and other online accounts. At this point, your computer is totally destroyed and every detail of your life has been stolen. It sounds extreme, but it happens a lot more than you think.
Thanks Sachin.I agree with all your points .I have seen many people using pirated version just because they’re cheaper.But they need to see the overall cost spend afterwards on system maintenance.The pirated versions cause problems in future resulting in increase of repairing cost and support.
i hate piracy but i always use pirated software’s only lol 😀
Think before you next time click OK to free stuff online.
It may be a contract you enter into – and a fat bill to expect.
– My experience tells me that the only thing that is free in this world is the cheese in the mousetrap.
I don’t understand why people use pirated software when there are many open source alternatives available.
New PC’s in India come with Windows pre-installed so, it does not need any alternative.
For MS Office, you can use Open Office.
For PhotoShop, you can use GIMP.
Almost every paid software has an open source alternative, so, there is no need to use pirated products. One should always try the free alternatives instead.
I think amongst all of the points included the most important is the fact that its illegal! From my experience of pirated software (and we’ve all experienced it), is the quality of it, often the resolution is distorted, more so with films but software occasionally is the same.
Totally agree with @ Akhilesh Sharma. I use to pirate some of the software back in the days, say, 10 years ago, but don’t see the point anymore. Web is full of freeware/open-source programs for you to use either as cloud-based applications or as more traditionally, and their quality is at least ok these days. I haven’t really needed anything that isn’t available as freeware/open-source (I don’t play much) in a long time.
I gotta say I totally disagree with this post in every point.
Really full of lies. Yeah , u might get ur pc infected but to say the cracked software is a disaster, you really need to revise your lessons.
Millions and Millions of people use cracked software all over the world and have no problem with it. If u actually know the definition of it and have even 1 week experience in technology u would have written a lot better one.
I’m not vouching for Cracked Software here but I’m totally against false content !
I totally agree with you!Downloading cracked or pirated software, people pay attention only on the one criteria- it’s free. But the don’t think about future problems and consequences, that would occur for sure.
There are a lot of software in companies, sometimes you have free licenses for software and then you forget to registrate for the next years. You can avoid pirate software to use software asset management.