I see what you mean, very good point and I'd never thought of it that way (apart from companies gaining from piracy).
The thing is, as I've said before, I'm into image manipulation and flash and things like that. There is no open source alternative, and I would fully support one if there was.
In my ideal world, we'd all be using BeOS or a Linux, whatever we prefer, and we'd be able to make programs that ran on each platform and I'd be off making something in OpenFlash with image that I'd made in PhotOpenShop. Until that happens, I have to continue using certain bits of software like those mentioned, because of what I want to do.
Office on the other hand, no one has an excuse for using that bloated piece of crap when OpenOffice.org exists.
LA!
ThanX, BYEEEEE!!