Thanks for letting us pirate

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Nathan Davis05 February 2007, 12:43 AM

Some say Bill Gates is flirting more with his philanthropic side while others say 'thanks for letting us pirate your stuff.'


Piracy: F**k yeah!Piracy: F**k yeah!

 

According to Romania's president, Traian Băsescu, piracy rocks -- and he recently thanked Bill Gates for it during a  conference.

Gates was in the country celebrating Microsoft's new global technical support centre in the nation's capital, Bucharest.

Curiously, thanks in a large part to rampant piracy, employees at the new facility are familiarised with the software giant's wares.

Romania couldn't be more proud of this fact.

"Piracy helped the young generation discover computers. It set off the development of the IT industry in Romania," flaunted the Romanian president.

Piracy "helped Romanians improve their creative capacity in the IT industry, which has become famous around the world," he continued, "Ten years ago, it was an investment in Romania's friendship with Microsoft and with Bill Gates."

Throughout the joint news conference, Gates apparently didn't utter a word. No doubt he was overwhelmed by the deep sense of involuntary charity.

"Yarrr! To arms, me lads! Let's fetch us some Vista spoils," several people weren't necessarily overheard shouting in central Bucharest.

According to 'experts,' Reuters says around 70 percent of all software in Romania is pirated.

Whether a technical support centre will help dilute the whole piracy thing remains to be seen. The waterfront access probably doesn't help.

President "where's me blasted eyepatch" Băsescu and bonafide honorary pirate, Bill Gates.President "where's me blasted eyepatch" Băsescu and bonafide honorary pirate, Bill Gates.
The other option would be open source software, but the piracy-inclined country seemingly gains too much excitement from looting intangible booty.

Looting with a twist, perhaps, because salespeople currently visit central office buildings in the nation's capital and pitch said pirated software to potentially loot-hungry companies.

The sea lubbers over at TalkLikeAPirateDay.com must be prescient, as they foretold an upcoming and likely common phrase in Romania's new technical support facility.

It goes something like, "Ye bent my ear with yer lubberly questions WITHOUT tryin a reboot first? Arrr! It's the plank for you, ye mangy cur... and thank ye for calling Microsoft Tech Support!"

Microsoft tech support is about to be awesome, at least in Romania.


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Vlad Mayzel:

How a president of supposedly civilized country can publicly and proudly acknowledge theft? I am sure it is all true and I think an estimate of 70% of the software being pirated in Romania is grossly underestimated. But even if that is the fact of life there, president’s staff could make up something smarter than that for him. No wonder Gates didn’t utter a word. It would be very interesting to know what he was thinking all that time while he was smiling. I doubt that Mr. President would ever want to hear that ;-)

29 February 2008, 8:29 PM (10 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

ChristopherColumbus:

A friend who is currently establishing a company in China recently met a senior Microsoft official there who has said that they are not interested in stopping piracy in China because piracy is imperative to stop open source gaining ground.

29 February 2008, 8:37 PM (10 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Anonymous:

As far as I see Mr President has aknowledged a truth. Somethign that all the officials presetn there were/are aware of, including Billy.
End of story.


29 February 2008, 8:37 PM (10 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Anonymous:

Reading all these comments, I don't really understand your frustration. Basescu, aside from giving the impression that he is encouraging theft, is actually speaking the truth. Piracy did help raise the level of education (of those interested in learning, of course)...

29 February 2008, 8:37 PM (10 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

ym2004:

"Mr. President" is known - and mostly appreciated, for his blunt approach to conventional rules of diplomacy, personal security, and so on.

Very unconventional dude. Even though in a country like Romania a clean politician would never get that high up, so Basescu is most probably as dirty as everybody else - at least he doesn't have the bad habit of talking for 2+ hours without actually saying anything.

Compared to previous presidents Romania had, he's ok.
First diplomatic blunder i've heard from him was worse than this one - it was a reply to a comentary by the Russian ambasador, concerning US military bases on Romanian soil.
Basescu's reply was that the Red Army ocupied Romania for 15 years, and nobody asked them when they are leaving or why they were there.

Crude, but efficient.

And yes, piracy is a fact of life in Romania. When a VERY good monthly salary is around $500, what do you expect ? How could you afford to buy any software ?
The Romanian IT specialists grew up with pirated software - and most are better than any "specialist" in the West, thank you very much.

People don't usually buy pirated software - only stupid people do that.
Most is borrowed or downloaded - usually you have relative, or a friend, or a friend of a friend, who "knows about computers", he has a pack of software kits, and comes to your house and installs a windows, and office, and whatever you need.

Those charging money for this, or for pirated software are rare - and should be jailed anyway.

29 February 2008, 8:37 PM (10 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Anonymous:

The supposition this is a civilized country, is wrong. True, 70% IS underestimated. This president has no ideea what diplomacy is. You want to know what Gates was thinking? Let me try: "...mmm ... these romanians work for ten times less money then any others... so let this bald'guy say whatever he wants ... i'm making more money and that's all that matters... haar haaaa".

29 February 2008, 8:37 PM (10 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Basescu itself:

As long as Bill's bank account is larger than my national bank account, why would he be offended ?!

29 February 2008, 8:37 PM (10 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Bills a Crook too:

Indeed. If Vista or anything Microsoft could not be Pirated who would buy it? Most of the world cannot afford it! Even if they did buy it, you can bet it would still cost the same! Bill knowns this and that's exactly what he wants, Windows got to where it did from nothing more than Windows 95 / 98 having a dodgy password system, the password was on the CD! When you installed it you could use DOS to view it! Get the picture!

29 February 2008, 8:37 PM (10 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

I bought windows:

Even when I was a student. But saving 6 months to get the windows was not an option for everyone.

And when you have to chose between food and software, I will always go for food ;-)

And if I can get the soft as well, why not.

So it's nothing civilized here; it's just pure economics.

29 February 2008, 8:37 PM (10 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Anonymous:

Well, the president is one of the biggest morrons ever! And I should know... I didn't vote for him in the first place and glad of it. Anyway, I should point out that he used to pe captain on merchant marine ships. That partially counts for his plain old stupidity, stubborness and close knowlegde of piracy. No, not computer piracy. And so you all should know, the average monthly salary of a (good) Romanian worker is just as much as the licence for Windows. And we don't eat bits for breakfast!

29 February 2008, 8:37 PM (10 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

2am:


Billy boy knows this already. Why not admit a well known fact valid in many countries? :)

Without the piracy he wouldnt have opened this cheap center.



29 February 2008, 8:37 PM (10 months ago)