Good software is not copy-protected

Good software is not copy-protected. That's a somewhat controversial position on a highly controversial subject. Many manufacturers try to discourage "piracy" (wholesale copying) of their software by various protective devices. Fine. The problem is, if the users can't copy all or parts of the program easily within their own working environments, the tool is much less adaptable. Another vulnerability and another nuisance factor is added to a situation already chancy and problematic. Software is inherently a communication medium; sharing software is part of that. Buddhists talk about "Right Speech," "Right Livelihood," etc. We think there's a reasonable practice of "Right Copying," the Dave Smith Doctrine, which goes like this: "I've received copied software from friends. Most I played with for an hour or two, then erased. But in the cases of VOLKSWRITER, 1-2-3, DBASE II, and PRO KEY, after trying them extensively and deciding that they would be useful on a continuing basis, I purchased them from a dealer." Smith is president of Smith & Hawken Tool Company. His approach, if widely enough taken, encourages manufacturers who don't copy-protect, thereby helping the user population, and satisfies both convenience and conscience.