Why is a leaked driver warez?

[Ant]

My personal opinion on "leaked" drivers is that if they have appeared elsewhere on the Net then they are public domain and I have no problems with having them on the site unless I'm asked to remove them by Matrox. I have had and still have leaked betas on the site albeit specifically for the Marvel/RR-G.

The problem I have with leaked betas is that usually they are very unstable and liable to cause considerable damage to your system, personally I wouldn't use them but if people want to take the risk then it is their fault if their system goes belly up and their hard disk explodes in flames. Unlike other companies Matrox do not employ wide scale public beta testing by "oficially leaking" drivers, so any leaked Matrox betas are liable to be very "beta".

The other problem I have with leaked betas is that we have a lot of official beta testers around here and the fact is certain sections of Matrox want them done away with and will use any excuse to achieve that and fingering them for leaking drivers is one good way I'd assume.

To sum up I will not allow leaked drivers to be premiered on this site, if leaked drivers are freely available elsewhere then I have no objections until such point as Matrox ask me to remove them should they wish to (they never have before).

[Indiana]

Now finally that's a reasonable point of view with which I can fully agree.

(I can't really agree with this warez talk. This would also fit on Microsoft service pack leaks and ways of defeating MacroVision, then, BTW.)

[leech]

There definitely is a difference in 'Leakes' 'warez' 'betas' etc. Just as I feel there is a difference between shareware and freeware. Just like Opensource software is Freeware, but that doesn't mean that all freeware software is open source either. The argument that this is a DRIVER for a peice of hardware and any owners of said hardware should be able to (if they're gutsy/stupid enough) download and install an unofficial driver. Calling everyone who's ever downloaded a 'leaked' driver a software pirate in my eyes is just plain idiocy. Unless that person somehow managed to pirate the hardware, then that driver's not going to do them any good anyhow. Besides, let me ask this..... Is matrox aware of this leak, and did they do it 'on purpose' or what? Anyone have the scoop on this. Because frankly I think we could sit here all day bitching and moaning about wether or not this is legal/illegal and Matrox could just be sitting back laughing 'cause they planned this to see if they should start leaking drivers out like ATI/Nvidia does or not. Anyone think of that yet?

Leech

[Kruzin]

No, Matrox did not authrorize this leak.
If they had, I would have been told, and it would not have been pulled.

[thop]

i think everyone needs to relax a bit. a driver not bushs plan how to attack irak that was leaked.

[T'kul Bastile]

I would just like to say that I agree with everyone here.

[Ryu Connor]

The other problem I have with leaked betas is that we have a lot of official beta testers around here and the fact is certain sections of Matrox want them done away with and will use any excuse to achieve that and fingering them for leaking drivers is one good way I'd assume.

That sort of axe will fall one way or another. There are several more specific issue why closing the beta would/should happen. Them closing it under the guise of leaks would probably make a pretty decent political smokescreen. It's easier to blame some anonymous bad apple for why everyone has to suffer, than to be blunt and say you're not needed anymore.

[Ssin]

Well IMO "leak" means something's going out without it being intended to. So if it's leaked then Matrox didn't permit it. If they didn't permit it, it's Warez. Actually you buy the software with the card, you are entitled to update because you buy a product and that product has to be flawless (not the same thing as for the services). So if you get a leaked driver it should be equal as to get a wares. Well now if Matrox wants to sue you is their problem, they probably don't give a damn about leaked drivers as they do NOT support them... and I don't know alot of ppl really wanting leaked drivers for a Matrox product... well maybe I'm making my case general.

[Greebe]

they probably don't give a damn about leaked drivers as they do NOT support them...

Matrox is majorly concerned about anything and everything "leaked".

This is due to joe schmoe running his mouth off claiming that the so called leaked drivers (n this case) caused him/her problems and then smears their name in retaliation for his/her own dumbfoundedness. That will not be tolerated and as such will seek whatever means neccessary to queltch the offender and nip the issue in the bud.

End of story.