On 1/14/2016 11:44 AM, Frank wrote:
On 1/14/2016 9:49 AM, Don Y wrote:
On 1/14/2016 6:59 AM, Frank wrote:

I would avoid trying to download a free copy of somebody's swiped copy
of a
book normally for sale. Too much potential for a malicious virus.

Books shouldn't (implicitly) contain executables. So, the only potential
for an "infection" would be a buggy reader implementation. In much
the same way that *photos* don't (implicitly) contain code and any
exploits are the result of poor "viewer" implementations.

Contrast this with PDF's -- which *do* contain "code" (albeit postscript
and/or adobe script).

The "swiped copy" issue should be one of morality/legality. Would you
want someone stealing *your* work?

Nobody will say, I stole this. They just say, here's a free-be. In the
beginning I googled for "free ebooks" and could see where they wanted to take
me and said, no thanks.

BTW, working in industry, I did have some steal my stuff. They took documents
I created and replaced my name with theirs. I was annoyed but the company was
paying me.

SWMBO used to prepare elaborate financial reports for a hospital, here.
Folks would pass them off as their own. She quickly learned to put
her name on the documents and distribute them to many people (so lots
of "witnesses") and in paper form, only ("white-out"?)

Writing software makes my "product" very easy -- and likely -- to "steal".
Folks don't even bother replacing "my" name with theirs. They just deprive me
of the revenues associated with the sale.

In the late 70's, (arcade) video games were at their hayday. The market
craved new material. Good games were big moneymakers for the "operators"
(the guys who collect the quarters out of the cashboxes).

Many vendors in the orient would literally copy the hardware and
software in a game, make some token changes to the software
so it wasn't an EXPLICIT copy (something along the lines of
"Rac Man" instead of "Pac Man") and then push it out into the market
at a cutrate price. Possible because they had spent *weeks* on
the effort instead of the *years* the original had required!

We ended up developing elaborate schemes of *detecting* counterfeiting
(can't prevent it). Seize a cargo container full of counterfeit product
and the folks who ponied up the cash for them get annoyed, real quick!