Ha ha, Dvorak is a funny guy. I’ve been reading his column on and off for as long as I can remember, but this dilemma really takes the cake for philosophical computer humor:

Wow. This is a new chicken-and-egg conundrum. Is piracy high because users have no alternative? Or is there no alternative to piracy because there is so much piracy?

I have visited many parts of the world over the years where the locals moaned about having to pirate a product because nobody would sell it to them legitimately. And I have always believed that in some particularly underserved areas around the world, such as Southeast Asia, software piracy is tolerated to keep Linux from gaining a foothold. It never ends.

Conspiracy. It just goes to show that Microsoft’s success is often made from making others look bad (in an exaggerated fashion, of course) more than achieving something admirable itself. Competition does not always work best in the absence of (an agreed set of) rules for engagement.

Sometimes when I hear people argue that competition brings out the best in people, I ask “are you a fan of sports?” If they say yes, I ask how their preferred activities would play without referees and judges to measure success fairly. If they say no…well, I ask what they mean by “the best”.

How’s that for food for discussion, John?