Schools and Software

Software Business Alliance, what a sham! Extracting money from the Los Angeles Unified School District for “pirated software”; shame on you, software developers. For many years, ever since personal computers have become popularized, software developers have utilized the natural inquisitive nature of man as a free advertising medium. Why has software been “pirated” for so many years with the developers smiling all the way to the bank? Because they have condoned the pirating of their own software to popularize their product and reap the financial windfall. If it were not for the pirating of software over the last 20 years, there would be no financial empire of software developers. We have been duped!

Only when the software industry is willing to assume its rightful responsibility in providing a measure of protection should the public, much less a school system, be held financially liable for damages.

JERRY BARON

La Crescenta

* The letter regarding the Los Angeles Unified School District’s [alleged] pirating of software was, in my view, very short-sighted (“Software Cops,” Valley Perspective, July 26).

The writer apparently feels that copyright infringement laws should be administered selectively.

The schools do buy at a very favorable price, thanks to Microsoft and others’ generous policies.

Does the letter writer have any idea how many school districts there are in this country? I trust that the writer’s generosity with Microsoft’s products would extend to all school districts.

The pirates in China are hardly easy to prosecute; of course Microsoft will pursue the feasible with more vigor.

Microsoft has revolutionized the world and has a responsibility to it’s shareholders too. Rather than panning them, they ought to be lauded.

JERRY ESTEN

Northridge