Advice Request Why do people use 60/90/120 days licenses from Promotions?

[mazskolnieces]

I don't watch online movies, don't need to. I pay for cable, Netflix and Prime. I also pay for Microsoft 365.

That's just you. You're 1 out of how many tens of thousands of current and former members here and elsewhere. Most of which watch "free" online content ripped-off from vendors.

 

[plat]

But most people on forums like this and elsewhere rarely buy at the end of the trial.

I don't disagree with anything you're saying, except I do object to painting 99/100 folks on this forum w/the same brush. Many seem to be users of Microsoft Defender--actually one of the most expensive antivirus products if you purchased a key at full retail (I did) or bought OEM. Software development is no different from any other commodity: survival of the fittest.

You're disparaging a human trait---to take advantage of low-hanging fruit. That's what these extended trials are: low-hanging fruit. It ain't tasty? Oh well. Many devs of smaller software have day jobs to pay their bills, they're not languishing on the vine.

Extending a trial is a marketing strategy. When the returns fall below a pre-set limit, it'll be time to move on. Home was never as lucrative as Enterprise, esp. thanks to ransomware. That's just the way it is.

 

[Brahman]

The "itch" is the problem, you know people get bored if they stick to something for so long. Bachelors may not understand but married people (like me) will surely know what it means to have a “The seven year itch.”.

 

[FireHammer]

I have stuck with Bitdefender for 5 years now, & of course, I see AV`s that I like(Kaspersky Cloud), but I stick with Bitdefender because first, it has rescued me a couple of times, second I know it is some of the best against RansomWare & other treats.

 

[mazskolnieces]

I don't disagree with anything you're saying, except I do object to painting 99/100 folks on this forum w/the same brush. Many seem to be users of Microsoft Defender--actually one of the most expensive antivirus products if you purchased a key at full retail (I did) or bought OEM. Software development is no different from any other commodity: survival of the fittest.

You're disparaging a human trait---to take advantage of low-hanging fruit. That's what these extended trials are: low-hanging fruit. It ain't tasty? Oh well. Many devs of smaller software have day jobs to pay their bills, they're not languishing on the vine.

Extending a trial is a marketing strategy. When the returns fall below a pre-set limit, it'll be time to move on. Home was never as lucrative as Enterprise, esp. thanks to ransomware. That's just the way it is.

I have access to numbers and I know what they say. Less than 1 % of people purchase at the end of a trial.

Like for decades, the people on forums like this and elsewhere are the types that do not pay for software. It's not a generalization. It is merely pointing out fact. And the attitude of not paying for software hasn't changed. It's not just limited to security and software forums. Given the fact that so few people buy after exhausting a trial shows that most of them had no intention of every paying in the first place.

Microsoft Defender is one of the cheapest cost AV there is. When you buy OEM, you're only paying about $50 for the Windows license. And given most people keep their systems longer than 5 years, that makes Microsoft Defender cheap.

Stealing software is stealing software. That's all there is to it. It's unethical and immoral. It is a cut and dry matter. Software thievery is an epidemic problem. It costs the industry literally hundreds of billions of dollars per year. I for one fully back vendors and governments that aggressively hunt down and prosecute software pirates and other copyright violators. And that includes all the people that buy $3 licenses on eBay for just about everything. The vast majority of those licenses are illegal.

If you had read, I said trials are OK. But the vast majority of the people that use them abuse them. And why is that ? Because they have no intention of paying. Not paying for the software is not the # 1 driving force behind most people using trials. However, it most certainly does figure in the top 3 reasons.

 

[mazskolnieces]

You are making all that as if it is totally the user’s fault. If the company doesn’t want illegal licenses to be sold or trials to be abused, they can take the necessary measures. I don’t want to remind the times when Norton trial was 14 days.

That is merely dismissing the illegal choice that the criminal buyer made. It's like saying if you don't lock up your goods, then you should expect to be robbed. That doesn't change the criminality of the thief's actions. It's not a valid argument. Software thievery is software thievery. There is no valid argument to justify the actions of users that buy or use software or content illegally.

All thieves are responsible for the actions. It is never the victims fault. Saying that it is the victim's fault is preposterous.

 

[Digmor Crusher]

Many will steal software but wouldn't even think of going into a store and stealing something such as a shirt. Why, what's the difference people?

 

[plat]

OK, mazskolnieces, but you're generalizing beyond the scope of this topic and that's the extended trial periods. If vendors deduce this is a losing strategy, then it will simply be yanked from the public's grasp. 1% purchase, if accurate, is meaningless unless it's in some sort of context. For a small vendor, that's horrendous. For a big one, hmmm.

Unless you work for one of these bigger vendors, I don't think they need you or anybody to fight their battles. Or spray an entire forum with "sunshine" in order to knock a few good ones . Do you not also see where more than a few are literally begging some of the devs on here to donate to them or pay and the devs refuse?

You are generalizing. Crooks steal. Not OK. Using a trial without intending to pay for a sub is your definition of "stealing." Not mine.

 

[mazskolnieces]

Many will steal software but wouldn't even think of going into a store and stealing something such as a shirt. Why, what's the difference people?

Because they can (on a small scale, what are their chances of being prosecuted, like virtually zero) and it is widely accepted as OK.

Lots of people argue that vendors are OK with it because it generally promotes their product and sales. I can tell you that vendors such as Microsoft, Adobe, and others have long been aware of it, but they're not OK with it. Never have been. The dilemma they face is not being able to stop it. Believe me when I tell you if they could prosecute every last pirate, seller and buyer, they all would.

OK, mazskolnieces, but you're generalizing beyond the scope of this topic and that's the extended trial periods. If vendors deduce this is a losing strategy, then it will simply be yanked from the public's grasp. 1% purchase, if accurate, is meaningless unless it's in some sort of context. For a small vendor, that's horrendous. For a big one, hmmm.

Unless you work for one of these bigger vendors, I don't think they need you or anybody to fight their battles. Or spray an entire forum with "sunshine" in order to knock a few good ones . Do you not also see where more than a few are literally begging some of the devs on here to donate to them or pay and the devs refuse?

You are generalizing. Crooks steal. Not OK. Using a trial without intending to pay for a sub is your definition of "stealing." Not mine.

Vendors are not OK with with anybody stealing their software, ever. They just cannot logistically stop it.

Oh please. Don't even try. Forums like this, Wilders, nsane, mydigitallife, and all the rest... they are gathering places for people who tend not to pay for software. It's not like it is a secret. Everybody knows it. And everybody knows that trials are the most-often, most-widely abused precisely by people who have no intention of ever buying the software.

I never said that using a trial is stealing. But for people that keep doing things to keep using trials over-and-over, then it crosses the line and becomes software theft.

All you have to do is look at the numbers. There's a reason why Microsoft Defender and Avast Free are the top two AVs in the world. And it don't have anything to do with them being first rate AV.

 

[Cortex]

I very rarely buy software that isn't heavily discounted, I could pay double or even more for the same product - AVAST/AVG recently was a pittance. I have no qualms with that if AVAST don't like it they can easily stop it?

EDIT:
I recently bought a pair of quite nice loudspeakers, (not arrived yet) the sound of decent speakers is very personal - if I wish I can return them in 14 days, I probably won't but I could, that's a risk the company takes, if I return them I've done nothing wrong, as with software?

 

[roger_m]

I can tell you that vendors such as Microsoft, Adobe, and others have long been aware of it, but they're not OK with it.

Actually they are often okay with piracy up to a point. Many years ago someone from Microsoft even said words to the effect that they were okay with people in China using pirated software, as long it was Microsoft products. While software vendors would obviously rather people pay for software than pirate it, in order to retain a large market share, they would often prefer that users pirated their software rather than using free or cheaper alternatives.

 

[Mountainking]

I'm at the point where I either buy the software I really need and that works great for which I cannot find decent alternative or find a free alternative that 'gets the job done'.

However, I'm still using a 'loophole' for a software which I figured myself and won't disclose so as not to make people just abuse it. I don't use any fancy functionality and their free version (no longer updated) gets the job done. I'm still waiting for integration of one functionality before waiting for a deal on it! So, is that stealing or not? I know for a fact that the free version 100% fills my needs as at now also.

 

[mazskolnieces]

Actually they are often okay with piracy up to a point. Many years ago someone from Microsoft even said words to the effect that they were okay with people in China using pirated software, as long it was Microsoft products. While software vendors would obviously rather people pay for software than pirate it, in order to retain a large market share, they would often prefer that users pirated their software rather than using free or cheaper alternatives.

No. They've never been OK with it. They just know that they cannot stop it. Acceptance that they cannot stop it is not the same as being OK with it. Given discussions at multiple Ignite conferences with Microsoft personnel, the company would just love to shut down Chinese VL sellers, eBay sellers, and also hold the buyers accountable.

You don't have to allow piracy to retain a large market share. Who is going to be able to replace an entire Microsoft infrastructure with free products ? Nobody. That's who.

Microsoft is like the little boy at the face of the dam... resigned that there is nothing that they can do once the dam bursts.

Anyway, I know this topic triggers a lot of people. So I'll just end it here.

 

[Divine_Barakah]

First, I would like to say that I am not a fan of extended trial. First, most software keep nagging you to buy and throw endless notifications (remember the 6-month Trial of Panda? Each time you open the main GUI you get a reminder of the remaining days.) Second, I believe a one-month trial is more than enough to test a software.

I see extended trials as a marketing strategy and let us not forget that the free trial in security solutions is not free; you contribute to their threat intelligence and this is how you pay back.

 

[russ0408]

I don't think Microsoft really cares anymore, because the more machines they are installed on the more telemetry they gather on everyone. Also now that Edge Chromium is a part of Windows 10 the more installs the merrier.

 

[plat]

And given most people keep their systems longer than 5 years, that makes Microsoft Defender cheap.

Well, of course you're right, lol. But seriously, Defender is never "free." I resent that chracteriization because it suggests Microsoft is some kind of benign and generous benefactor when it's a trillion-dollar corporation. looking to expand its monopoly. <Full Stop>

I felt that your condemnation of those who indulged in trial period hopping was a bit harsh. I mean, I go into a bank to look at the various Interest rates but they ain't got nothing. Upon leaving, I grab one of those little lollipops in a jar. "Oh no, you can't take that, that's stealing."

Folks who deliberately trial-hop shouldn't be lumped in the same category as sellers and purveyors of cracks and fake licenses, really? If you didn't intend that, then I misunderstood somewhere.

Clearly, you have more in-depth knowledge that we regular users do not, that govern the tone of your posts.

 

[roger_m]

No. They've never been OK with it.

They have been, as it helps them maintain a large market share. The following article explains it well.

Yes, Chinese Piracy Has Lost Microsoft a Lot of Windows Revenue. But the Story Isn't So Simple

Yes, Chinese Piracy Has Lost Microsoft a Lot of Windows Revenue. But the Story Isn't So Simple

finance.yahoo.com

In 2015, the year after Ballmer stepped down as CEO, it was indeed the case that more than 97% of PCs in China were running Windows. However, Microsoft’s operating system achieved that position of extreme dominance through piracy.

That proved lucrative for the company, because it meant Microsoft could fend off the threat of the free alternative to Windows, the Linux operating system, by slashing its prices in China in order to get people there to convert to paid Windows users. Note that the Linux threat has always been particularly prevalent in China, as the government has enthusiastically backed local versions of the open-source OS.

Back in 2007, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates described the strategy clearly, telling Fortune: “It’s easier for our software to compete with Linux when there’s piracy than when there’s not. Are you kidding? You can get the real thing, and you get the same price.”

Don't let your hatred of piracy get in the way of facts.

 

[Marko :)]

For me it's just not worth the trouble. Every AV deeply integrates in Windows; it's not just few files in Program files folder and a few registry keys. Much more is being done behind the scenes to keep you protected. That, however, comes with the cost. Once you uninstall the AV, your Windows installation won't be completely clean from the AV software that was previously installed and the only way to remove everything is new Windows installation. This is primarily reason why you shouldn't change AV software on daily/weekly/monthly basis; every installation "damages" Windows installation at some degree which could technically lead to some problems in future.

Because of this, my PCs have very few programs installed, only the ones I use often. If I want to try some piece of software, I'll try the portable version, or if it requires installation, use virtual machine or special program like Shadow Defender.

 

[Divine_Barakah]

Once you uninstall the AV, your Windows installation won't be completely clean from the AV software that was previously installed and the only way to remove everything is new Windows installation.

Or restoring a clean system image you created before which is much more convenient and time-saving.

 

[Marko :)]

Or restoring a clean system image you created before which is much more convenient and time-saving.

Thank you, I forgot about that. I still do system image backup from time to time, but since I've stopped trying the new software which I probably won't use, I rarely restore backup.