Legalising software

I've been playing a pirated copy of the game Anno 1404 sporadically ever since it was released. Returning to try to complete a scenario earlier this week after a six month gap, I felt guilty enough to see what it would cost to buy a copy. Amazon had the Gold version (which includes the expansion pack Venice) for only £7.70, so it was an easy decision to buy it and basically legalise my playing of the game and give something back to the developers and publisher.

Having started my IT career as a programmer, I feel it is important to purchase legal software whenever possible. I purchased the latest Adobe Photoshop Elements recently to upgrade my five year old version and it was a small price to pay for a fantastic piece of software which is well used. You can also legally install it on two computers which is even better value.

I do however admit to recycling software sometimes, especially Windows XP and Vista which you cannot purchase anymore. If I scrap an old system, I occasionally retype the licence key into an installation of a new system. Legally the OEM version should die with the original machine but I'm basically giving it a second life and not really copying it.