[FM Discuss] pirated software is bad for oss

[Andy Oram]

We all seem supportive of Adam's attempt to talk to teachers. Note that the topic has shifted. Whereas Adam titled his statement as opposition to using pirated software, his real message seems to be that it's wrong to use proprietary software for creative projects. I think we all picked up on that. And just one of the drawbacks of teaching with proprietary software is that some students will use illegal copies--for all sorts of reasons, perhaps just because the school is lax in counting seats and getting licenses.

But if you take this point of view, you probably have to counter the obvious arguments for using proprietary software. The argument "That's what they'll encounter in the workplace" is easy to counter, because any professional has to be quick to learn available tools and to learn principles that lie behind rote practices. But proprietary tools are still enhanced (even though some might say "bloated") with features that some professionals like and that free tools don't have.

Andy