[iBook] Re: Used Software/Piracy?

[Charles Pearce]

On Jan 21, 2005, at 8:22 AM, Alex Santos 100MB Neostrada Mail wrote:

> Absolutely True
>
> I tried to convince one of my students to buy the new mini mac, the 
> next day I, in front of a computer I see him surfing sites that carry 
> loads and loads of pc software, all for the taking, free.

If this was a computer in a classroom or lab, you might want to make 
sure that the anti-virus is up to date. Warez sites are notorious for 
being a major source of spyware, viruses, trojan horses, etc. Lest 
anyone think Macs are immune, they're not -- they're just not as big 
(and easy) a target. The more one messes around on warez sites and the 
like, the more likely it is that something is going to attach itself to 
one's computer.

If it were my student and I was watching this, I would use it as a 
"teaching moment" and an opportunity to help the student reach the 
mature and ethical conclusion that this is wrong -- at least in my 
classroom, and in my sight.

Charles Pearce (charlesp at ksu.edu)