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General discussion

software for reusing expired trial period programs

Mar 23, 2005 3:18PM PST

i have some amazing programs and games whose trial period were expired.

will anyone help me to reuse these type of programs.

or there is any software for that.

Discussion is locked

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you have to buy it...
Mar 23, 2005 6:48PM PST

if you want to get trial versions in full version (one that would not expire), you have to buy it to get the activation code/serial; or get the installer for the full version.

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Not here.
Mar 23, 2005 8:39PM PST

What happens when your test drive of a car is over? Even if your first was a freebie, the results of you attempting to extend the trial could teach you a valuable lesson.

No one here will help you pirate software.

Even asking such a question paints you as a pirate. Don't ask!

Bob

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You could do this
Mar 24, 2005 9:34AM PST

Since these trial programs bury an on/off switch somewhere on your system that you cannot find, you can just reformat your entire drive, reload the OS, all the updates, your other apps, and the trial program every time the program stops running. If it expires after so much time or so many uses, you get to reformat and start over as long as the trial version is of that much value to you. Of course, if the program is of that value, a few bucks in trade for a lot of your time reformatting and reloading your system might just be worth it. Hope that helps.

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Piracy is wrong but Software Companies are the main cause!
Mar 24, 2005 9:16PM PST

I do get exteremely frustrated by the riduculously high cost of some software to home end users as opposed to business users.

I wish more companies would follow the idea that Computer Associates had with Supercalc all those years ago - pile it high and sell it cheap. There is lots of software that I occasionally need, but to pay $200 or more for something that I might only need to use once or twice a year is a ridiculous ratio.

The invevitable result is that many people either end up with second rate software, less user friendly open source offerings or, more likely, a pirated version of what they really need.

For example i could use adobe premiere for the few digital videos that I shoot for fun. If it were say $10 to hire a 30 day full version whenever I needed. That I would go for, but $299 or more for something that will need upgrading in a year - i think not. I recall once looking for software to recover data from a repartitioned and reformatted drive - it's price was over $2,000 to buy - not a chance! - however the nice company leased it to me for 3 days for about $30 which meant I could perform what for me was a one off need.

If I only wanted to drive my car three or four weekends a year I would simply hire one, not pay a huge sum to have it sit in the drive!

So come on companies how about some low cost short term leasing options so we can all use whatever software we need, just when we need it, at an affordable price - you aint getting money from us now anyway so $10 a pop is extra cash for you! go fo it. Its a bit like the poster's request to renew trial periods - but legally!!

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The unfortunate reality is
Mar 24, 2005 10:40PM PST

that the honest always pay for the dishonest. My gripe about the cost is that I must pay for a pirates copy of his/her software. I do think developers work to capture the occasional user by marketing limited versions at a lower cost. You just get to drive a Yugo to buy a loaf of bread rather than tractor trailer to buy the whole bakery.

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Even the Yugo got an upgrade.
Mar 24, 2005 10:46PM PST

They added the rear window defroster so when you pushed it your hands would not freeze to to the glass.

Be aware that I've hit the Report button a few times on this post for any post that could be construed as "helping a pirate."

Bob

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Yogo Upgrade
Mar 31, 2005 2:24PM PST

Bob, I had a Marjongg puzzle that I really thought was the best in the world by a Frenchman, ?KYODAI?, and after playing this puzzle for a few weeks now and again, sent the genious for this $20. This small payment keeps KYODAI willing to upgrade the program year-to-year. I have had his puzzle for almost two years now on my PC.
The best $20 bucks I have ever spent. Love that puzzle!
Wished he would design it for the Mac. Maybe he would if enough spent the $20 to keep him programming!

You can find the Kyodai Marjongg on CNET. Have you ever tried out the trial version? If, you ever find the time.
To keep reloading any trial version is WRONG!
?Shiver Me Timbers?

Kevin

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(NT) (NT) Where yugo?
Apr 11, 2005 9:35AM PDT
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I wonder if you would work for free?
Mar 25, 2005 6:46AM PST

That is what you are asking the software companies to do.

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no I am not
Mar 25, 2005 10:47PM PST

I am asking them to price their software at a sensible level to non-commercial users. These people will not buy software anyway so may as well make a few dollars out of them by burning CDs with non-busines use licenses.
I am a semi-professional photographer and if I shoot for a magazine or big company they pay the price - if a model wants prints for themselves I usually either give them away or do them for the cost of materials only - they have just a very small copyright watermark in one corner.
What I recognise is that the model may work with other people and show them my work - just as I might show some really useful software to my employer etc.

That said there are vast profits being made and the hype about "lost profits" due to piracy includes a completely invalid assumption that the illegal user would have bought the software if they couldnt have copied it. In most cases people will use just what they can afford or really need. For me very little software falls into the NEED category where I would purchase it. So legit purchasers do NOT pay for the pirates as the latter are business the company wouldnt have had in the first place!

I also put forward the suggestion somewhere that software companies could rent their software out for limited time - say $5 for a 30 day use whenever people wanted it for a specific job. Any income from non-users is better than none.

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also
Mar 25, 2005 11:00PM PST

when I work - i tailor my prices to what people can afford - i may charge a company $300 for a photograph of their can of beans - because they are going to make a lot of money using it an advertisement. If a private individual wants a photograph to use on a personal profile or to give their granny I charge about $30 for the time it takes to shoot and send them a digital image to print themselves. This assumes that it takes me say 10 minutes to shoot the pic and no expesnes involved. I dont take any less care or give them a sub-standard product!

All a software company has to do is dowload a file to me. if I am a company then fine i should pay the full $200 or whatever.

For example i use digital photo software which is open source (Gimp) but if I needed photoshop then as someone making money I would expect to pay for it. But if I was an amateur just wanting to use it for fun then I would expect to get it at very low cost as I would be getting no return from it

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Microsoft already does something like this
Mar 26, 2005 5:46AM PST

My wife is a teacher and my kids are in college. They are eligible for reduced price full versions of some MS products. These are sold as "student/teacher" packages. The only trade off is that these will not qualify for upgrades to newer versions. Also, there are many programs that allow use on more than one PC. This is usually for those who take work home and use a laptop or home PC. The intention is still that only one copy is to be used at any one time. I think it's fair.

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still doesnt address the need
Mar 28, 2005 6:05PM PST

for example I have plenty of free photoediting software but very occasionally could use something more high powered like adobe photoshop - I would happily rent it for a week or so at a time for $10 - $15 a time but it isnt worth the total cost of purchase for such infrequent use. Therefore adobe make nothing out of me - so why not find a way to make a few extra dollars out of users like me?

its so simple pay a small amount receive a time limited download, use it for the job and let it expire.
6 months down the line when I need it again repeat the process

After all I may have a "YUGO" parked in the drive but when I go on holiday for two weeks I will hire a decent motor - why cant I do the same with software?

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Rent Adobe Photoshop
Apr 1, 2005 1:30PM PST

Why don't you send a letter to Adobe suggesting just that! You want to rent the latest version for a day and that you would be willing to pay them for their program for a day. After that time period passes, your Photoshop goes ?Poof!? Never to be seen again, until you want to use it again and pay a small fee. May get their interest.
That way you do not have to spend the big bucks for the App and upgrades each year.

Really, I have a better suggestion. Why not let one of your buddies that has purchased Photoshop, freelance the project for you? You can pay for the freelance services and also ask them out to dinner. Plus you do not have to learn Photoshop. Leave that up to the pro's! Just pay-as-you-go!

Apple has a good deal that is presently making them millions of dollars. ipod and download a music track for 99

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thanks for the comment
Apr 4, 2005 10:39PM PDT

photography is an art - contracting out isnt really an option and anyway I dont make, or even want to make, money out of it. I dont think there is a piece of software on the market that is really worth more than about $50 for private use and with windows there are so many bugs and problems we should get paid to use it - after all arent we all beta testers these days.

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(NT) (NT) daily/weekly hire of an app, i like the idea! well done
Apr 8, 2005 5:25AM PDT
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YES
Apr 8, 2005 12:36AM PDT

The software is called 'pay the developers to register the product they let you try, rather than steal it.'

You may first have to develop a sense of morals, but its well worth it.

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morality?
Apr 10, 2005 8:23PM PDT

Software is priced according to commercial demand not in correlation to the effort put in by the individual nor sadly the quality of the product! Is that moral?

Almost all software in terms of what the "developer" receives and its value for money - is ludicrously over priced and reflects the highest price the market will pay - the majority of the profits simply go to big corporations and shareholders. I would suggest that for private users that is immoral.

Wherever possible I prefer to financially support free lance developers who charge reasonable prices through shareware. I also make donations to open source authors but it sticks in my gut to pay the likes of microsoft over

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That is how a free market works
Apr 10, 2005 8:30PM PDT

No one is forcing you to buy what you think is overpriced. Why don't you develop your own software, try to sell it and listen to people like you complain?

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rather negative response lol
Apr 10, 2005 11:06PM PDT

firstly I dont agree with totally free markets but that is a personal issue.

secondly my skill lies in photography and I charge what people can afford - which means a lot of the time I do it for love while working full time as well. As I say I happily support shareware and even open source developers with payments. I believe I have a moral responsibility to share my humble talents with those who cant afford them as well as those who can afford to pay dear for them.

However I stand by my point that large corporations should have moral responsibility to make sure that ordinary consumers can afford to use their products especially where they have used their millions to buy out the (often better) competition.

Symantec for example have just bought out the excellent partition magic programme and seem to be just sitting on the source code until no doubt they can re-release it in a much more expensive product.

The software giants show little morality towards low income consumers so why should they benefit from morality of end users. They then say that "piracy costs them millions" - no it doesnt most of the pirates whoever they are could simply not afford the product in the first place. For example I would like to use adobe premiere to edit the 2 or 3 home movies I take a year but it is ridiculous to spend out almost the cost of a second hand video camera to buy a piece of software that is used this infrequently

the answer is simple sell to big companies for say $300 to a small business for say $150 and to private users for $40 - end result little piracy and everyone is happy - its better to sell some copies cheap than get no money at all.

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Mandrake?
Apr 18, 2005 8:40PM PDT

I like Mandrake it's as easy as Windows.A little learning curve on installing 3rd party software though. Wouldn't mind Powerpack for my Laptop ( So long windows XP !!!)