back to article Every Friday is rat-out-your-boss-for-software-piracy Friday

For The Cure, Friday was a day of love, for most of us it is the gateway to the weekend - but for pirate-haters it is the best time to shop employers using unlicensed software at work. This is the latest statistic from the Ministry of Silly Numbers, aka the Federation Against Software Theft, whose latest research states 34 per …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    58 per cent said they just didn't care

    I don't. But that's because I don't rely on it. So I am indifferent about it. I bet that if I was actively using pirated software, I would have an "opinion" about it.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: 58 per cent said they just didn't care

      Most of the stuff that requires licences here are for tools I absolutely abhor anyway. The only one that I can think of that would be a problem is Oracle (which I also abhor having to deal with), the rest is what I deem 'administrative pish' in the non-sysadmin usage of the word.

      I would say I'd welcome us to be done for not having licences and them being taken away; It's more likely that we'd just end up with a more woeful alternative or a hastily-cobbled home rolled version. Change is seldom for the better.

  2. dorsetknob

    Quote

    "" Hilton said FAST may offer compensation if an employer acts illegally when a protected disclosure is coughed. "If you think that software piracy is taking place in your office, then get in touch.""

    Yeh and Baby's grow under Rhubarb tree's

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Yeh and Baby's [sic] grow under Rhubarb tree's [sic]

      Babies come from under gooseberry bushes - as any fule kno

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Yeh and Baby's grow under Rhubarb tree's

      Baby's whats grow under rhubarb whats?

      Are you sure you come from Dorset? We West Country folks may be main daft but we can spell.

  3. Miek
    Coat

    I would like to rat out my boss. Mr Ballmer is using an unlicensed copy of MacOSX on a Hackintosh computer.

  4. Dan 55 Silver badge
    Facepalm

    "The reasons why are unbeknown to FAST"

    I'll tell them for free: that's the day the they collect their P45.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Friday is the gateway to the weekend?

    It's Thursday when I'm 'ere. Friday is simply a more spirited attempt.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Inspiration

    People in IT are probably just inspired by the latest story from your BOFH and think it would be a great idea to rat out their stupid boss...

  7. Charlie Clark Silver badge

    DILLIGAF?

    NFT

    1. Eddy Ito

      Re: DILLIGAF?

      Does it look like I give a fuck

  8. Khaptain Silver badge

    How did it get there ?

    How did the "illegal / pirated" software get there in the first place?

    Where did the cracking exes /serial numbers come from ?

    How do most people, the non IT crowd, know the difference between legal / illegal software ?

    There are a lot of facts missing from the article......

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What's the legal situation?

    I know I should report any criminal activities by my employer - to the police, though, not to some stupid private organisation - but using unlicensed software is probably not criminal, so what's the legal situation if I were to report it outside the company? Would I be breaking the law by doing so?

    (My interest is purely theoretical as my currently employer is very careful not to break that sort of rule.)

  10. gerryg

    It's Friday so...

    ...it's time to recount the Ernie Ball story Rockin' on without Microsoft

    In a peculiar kind of way you've got to have some respect for organisations that stitch up the public sector with their "there was no choice" (see comments) strategy, are light on their feet with their corporation tax policies and then get the state to pass laws and create enforcement bodies to carry out their revenue collection and protection systems. not.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: It's Friday so...

      Small companies do not buy as many lunches or provide as many consultancy jobs to Civil Servants.

  11. David Hicks

    God I would love to

    But we're all FOSS round here so I've got nothing to shop the bugger for.

  12. Wize

    I thought the day that most employees had enough would be...

    ...Monday. "Do I want to work on this crap all week or should I make a quick call?"

    Though most won't want to shop their company. If the place gets shut down, how will they get paid?

    Probably the majority are on Friday as, for most, its the last day of their notice period.

    1. Captain DaFt

      Re: I thought the day that most employees had enough would be...

      I figure it's revenge motivated. Boss announces you're working the weekend, on friday afternoon, so a quick phone call to give him a two fingered salute.

  13. kororas

    <quote>Hilton spent a near 12-year stretch at Microsoft </quote>

    You make it sound like a prison.

    1. James O'Shea

      "You make it sound like a prison."

      You mean it's not?

      1. Anonymous Coward 101

        Yes, it is just like prison except you get paid a lot of money and there are no beatings or sex attacks.

        1. Mike Pellatt

          No Beatings, just flying chairs

          N/T

  14. JaitcH
    WTF?

    According to FAST/whomever there are more pirates than computers in Indochina

    It is reasonable to assume that most computer owners have InterNet and therefore the connections are a reasonable indicator of computer numbers.

    The problem is FAST/whomever (often an MS employee) claims there are more pirates than there are computers.

    The question is: How are these non-computer owners using the allegedly hot software?

    More mystery numbers.

  15. IGnatius T Foobar
    FAIL

    Copyright is an illusion; there is no piracy

    Copyright is an artificial constraint manufactured by society. Information wants to be free. There is no such thing as "stealing" software.

    That having been said, if the evil software corporations want to manufacture the idea that a copy of their program can be considered "stolen" ... then the only proper response is for the entire world to switch to only 100% open source software.

    There can be no other way.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Pah!

    MS should pay me to use their shite, nuther great Tuesday coming next week, patch or sit out in the sun?

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Yay - rat out your boss

    Rat out your boss. And if your employer works out it's you, find yourself not needed at the next round of redundancies and also find it strangely impossible to get another job. Truth be told, no one likes a grass.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Stay Legal Programme?

    Stay Legal? Stay Fucking Legal? Is that what they call it, the cunts? That's some nerve. And they even get the police involved? Makes *them* look like another bunch of cunts, to be honest.

    At most I might be breaching a private contract, which is itself of dubious enforceability in the first place. Give us a break!

    Really, not that I care since I'm all FOSS, but they do have some nerve the bastards.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Another FAST press release

    hits the pages of The Register. This is getting boring.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    As any fule kno

    Most piracy in the workplace is people using the T1 line etc for their "uber torrent" seeding/leeching rig.

    Normally this is carefully hidden behind the coffee machine or some other innocent looking appliance, in the form of a quad core headless laptop with "SilentFan" (tm) tech and some clever software to make it look like the MFD down the hall when Mr Network Admin goes a'scanning.

    AC/DC

This topic is closed for new posts.