Re: Copy Protection (Minor Flame)

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From: info-mac@uw-beaver (info-mac)
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Subject: Re: Copy Protection (Minor Flame)
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Date: Sat, 14-Jul-84 02:05:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: uw-beaver>.1144
Posted: Sat Jul 14 02:05:12 1984
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From: allegra!cbosgd!mark (Mark Horton)
Working for a large corporation, perhaps I can shed a little light
on the reasons for copying. (No, I haven't done any such illegal
copying, nor do I know anyone here who has. But I've been tempted
a few times, and I can't say I never will.)

Big organizations have big bureaucracies to deal with. Chances are
very good that these bureaucracies, called "purchasing", "receiving",
and the like, are unionized. This means they effectively report to
nobody - they sure don't report to anybody who has anything to do
with the people we technical types report to. They are also very
secure in their jobs (due to the union) and tend to get rotated
around to ensure that a new purchasing person is always being broken in.
They seldom have any incentive to make me happy. (I'll have to tell
you about our clerk sometime - plays a mean game of rogue and gets
xerox copies back to us in about a week on the average.)

If I want a copy of the Framus C compiler, which costs $500, to get it
legally here's what I have to do. First I have to talk to my supervisor
and orally get him/her to agree that I should buy it. Then I fill out
a Xerox copy of a purchase order, listing what I want, what it costs,
a recommended supplier, what account to charge it to, and who I am.
(I'm luck that it's under $5000, if it weren't I'd have to either put
it out for bids (!) or write a letter explaining why I'm not putting it
out for bids.) I take this form to the person who types up purchase
orders. (I can't type it up myself because this person has to decide
what people have to sign it, and assign it a temporary PO number.) The
form sits in this person's inbox for about a week until the person gets
around to typing it up. They type it onto an official PO form and route
it to a half dozen or so people for signatures. It's dropped into the
company mail to go to the first person (no, I can't wait and pick it up,
unless I want to wait a week.) The first 3 or 4 people are all here in
the building, so if it doesn't get lost on someone's desk, within another
week it may have most of the signatures. Then it goes via company mail
to the official purchasing organization in New Jersey. They sign it,
assign it a real PO number, and phone it in. If I'm not real anxious
for it, they'll drop it in the mail a few days later, and the supplier
will ship it after their own bureacracy is placated (often there are
a few passes through the mails to get a license signed.) Then they
ship it. It gets shipped UPS, and appears on our loading dock a few
days later. If I'm lucky, the person on the loading dock won't lose
it or steal it (the unionized employees will sign for anything, but
this does not mean they take responsibility for it - if it disappears
that's our loss. You'd be amazed at the things that have been stolen.)
A few days later, it suddenly shows up on my desk. Total elapsed time:
one month minimum.

Or I could walk down the hall to my friend and borrow his disk for
5 minutes.