I have gotten several spam ads for software really cheap. When you read the fine print, it says they send you an OEM CD from eastern europe without a box or manual, but with the code you need to load and run it. They never say if what they are doing is legal. They also say you cannot register the software or get support from the manufacturer. Some questions- has anybody bought any of this stuff? Are they selling it legally? Aren't most manuals on-line or on the CD anyway? Are there problems with the software? Is it a ripoff and you don't get anything except theft of your credit card info?

 

I would advise you not to go anywhere near this stuff.

 

OhioRacer, are you saying that from experience, or just because it sounds fishy? That's why I asked the question. It sounds fishy to me, but if someone here said they had bought some and it was legal and it was on the up and up, then I might consider it. Barring that, I will avoid it.

 

You can also find this stuff being sold by street vendors in nyc (not the legal ones, but the people who have a watchout looking out for the police).

 

Whenever something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

 

I've been in IT since 1978. As Rob says, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. I get these ads side by side with all the "cheap Viagra" spam ads. It's not worth taking the risk of getting pirated software to save a few pennies.

 

If the software cannot be registered and the manufacturer won't provide any tech support for it, then in all probability the software is bootlegged. I'd stay away from it.

Dean

 

This software is most likely pirated and being sold illegally. With many vendors going to some sort of product activation, you could be spending money for something that will not work after a short period of time.

Add to that the risk of the software carrying a virus or trojan horse program that would turn your computer into a hacker's remote server (unknown to you), and handing over your credit card information to an eastern Europe scam operation that could steal your identity, and to me it's just not worth the risk.

 

If it is a bootleg or an illegal copy, then anyone 'buying' or using the software is aiding a theft.

 

Come to think of it, I think that's where CThree got the revised software for this site!

Thanks for all your comments. I was 98% sure it was not a good idea, and you pushed me to 100%. Although, OhioRacer, it's more than a few pennies. The Adobe Photoshop CS is 80 bucks and at the store it's around 500. But you get what you pay for, I know.

Now what about the spam ad for Viagra? J/K

Reminds me of a joke:
Two old guys, one 80 and one 87, were sitting on their usual parkbench one morning. The 87 year old had just finished his morning jog and wasn't even short of breath. The 80 year old was amazed at his friend's stamina and
asked him what he did to have so much energy.

The 87 year old said; "well I eat French bread everyday. It keeps your energy level high and you'll have great stamina with the ladies."

So, on the way home, the 80 year old stops at the bakery.

As he was looking around, the lady asked if he needed any help.

He said, "Do you have any French bread?"

She said, "Yes, there's a whole shelf of it, would you like some?"

He said, "I want 5 loaves."

She said , "My goodness, 5 loaves...it'll get hard."

He replied, "Does everybody in the world know about this French bread but ME?"