These are the actual costs of some of the popular softwares we use:
| S.N. | Software | Price of Genuine Copies | Price of Pirated Copies | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US$ | N.Rs. | US$ | N.Rs. | ||
| 1. | Microsoft Windows 7 | 200 | 17,073 | 0.6 | 50 |
| 2. | Microsoft Office 2010 | 120 | 10,244 | 0.6 | 50 |
| 3. | Adobe Dreamweaver | 120 | 10,244 | 0.6 | 50 |
| 4. | Adobe Photoshop | 200 | 17,073 | 0.6 | 50 |
| 5. | VMWare Workstation | 200 | 17,073 | 0.6 | 50 |
A fact: It would cost around N.Rs. 40,000 to buy the genuine copies of
Windows, MS Office and Photoshop!!
BUT WHAT CAN WE DO?
We can't work without softwares and we can't afford to buy them. So we need to use the pirated copies. Right?
WRONG!!!
There are plenty of free software products available which are as good as the ones we normally use .
The following table shows some of the alternatives:
| These Cost a Lot | Free Alternatives | Are the alternatives better? | Where can I find these alternatives? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | Ubuntu | Linux is much more secure than windows and there are over 30,000 absolutely free (and useful) softwares available for Linux. | UBUNTU |
| Microsoft Office | Libre Office | Anything you can do with MS Office, you can also do with Libre Office. | Libre Office |
| Adobe Dreamweaver | Kompozer or Bluefish Editors | I have not used dreamweaver, kompozer or bluefish extensively, so I won't judge. | Kompozer BlueFish Editor |
| Adobe Photoshop | GIMP | I think, Photoshop is somewhat better. But with Gimp, you can write your own scripts to get the desired graphical effects. | GIMP |
| VMWare Workstation | Virtual Box | Both have similar features. So both are equally good. | Virtual Box |
Final words...
Piracy is theft.
There is no reason for us not to use the free alternatives.
"It is not wrong to be poor but it is wrong to steal."
