Just doing a little reading and came across this...

Financial Status
Symantec is publicly traded on the Nasdaq National Market System under the symbol SYMC.

2003 Fiscal Revenues: US$1,407 million (THATS $1.4 BILLION dollars)
2002 Fiscal Revenues: US$1,071.4 million*
2001 Fiscal Revenues: US$944.2 million*
2000 Fiscal Revenues: US$826.6 million*
1999 Fiscal Revenues: US$632.2 million*

I wonder why piracy is so high, maybe because prices are insanely off the wall, especially for crappy software like Norton systemworks.

What are your peeps thoughts?

Piracy can't be too much of a problem with revenue growth like that.

Hmmm... if piracy doesn't pay - what about Chartered Accountacy?

Hmmmmmm lots of demand for anti-virus software fueled by lots of virus. I smell a conspiracy

Here's my take on software piracy. This is not comming from out my a$$, but through years of research. Most people who download a program from a warez site, or from a friend, will use it, and either like or dislike it. If it's one they like, and use all the time, and they crash, then they have to try and find it again. Alot of times, the site they got it from no longer exists, or no longer has it. If that person truly likes the program, then they will go out and buy it. But, by this time, the price for the program has dropped drastically. The software is then legal, the company got their money (usually the middleman who loses out in a price drop), and it's a program that the person probably wouldn't have purchased in the first place.

I usually wait for prices to srop before buying a game. $70 or more is a bit high to pay for a game, but does waiting 6 months for it to drop to $20 make the game any less enjoyable? Not in the least, and hate to pay $70 for a game that sucks in the first place. Try before you buy, that's my motto.

My take is a little different. I think a lot of people download software they want but would never buy. How many people can afford (or want to) to pay $700 for Photoshop. If it wasnt there to download they would just make use of a free program or buy something cheap.

I do see that point too Varth. The stuff is too "available" alternatively rather than spending your hard earned cash so they can get rich off of their overpriced programs.

I think those figures above speak for themselves! lol

But yeah, I agree with Ace on this for the most part about software downloading - there have been times when I've needed an application for maybe 1 or 2 days then never used it again in my life - sometimes a shareware version is adequate but then sometimes it isn't. Am I going to pay 100/200/500 bucks for 2 days? I don't think so!

I suppose the same argument could be used with music downloaders. I myself may or may not have downloaded certain musical ditties which I have wanted - but generally it would be one song from an album and not the entire caboodle. The song cannot be bought in any format on it's own - does that mean I need to shell out 10 bucks for one song? Again, I think not!!

G

I want to be a pirate because you get to say "arrrrrr" and wear a patch over your eye.

Last Friday was "Wear a Hawaiian shirt and talk like a pirate" day at the theatre.

Avast!! Shiver me Timbers!! Arrrrr!!!

Pirates are quality!! They get all the cool phrases!!

G

Arrr give me a Port...what are you doing going postside the drink I mean the drink.....(Oy Vay Aaarrr!)