Social and Ethical Issues

Rights and Responsibilities of Software Developers

Software Developers have the rights in regarding Use, Payment and Credit for work.
Software Developers have the responsibility of providing a work that is reliable, good quality virus-free and able to meet the users needs.

Reliability is the ability of a program to consistently perform the required tasks under the conditions stated, in a particular time.
Reliability with computers includes: Hardware and Software.
Computer software failure can be traced to problems in the initial design of the program.

Customers have the right to expect that software will work and that it will perform the tasks required in an appropriate manner. A good quality product will meet the program requirements in an efficient way.
A high quality application is very time consuming and costly, and often compromises have to be made because of financial constraints.
Quality Assurance is used to ensure that the required standards are met. Factors of Quality Assurance include: Reliability, Efficiency, Integrity, Usability and Maintainability.

Software developers have a responsibility to ensure that any problems users encounter with their products are resolved in a timely, accurate and efficient manner.
Software that does not work as specified or does not meet users expectations maybe able to replace their software, get a refund, or be informed on how to use the software correctly.

Code of Conduct

The code of conduct is an official agreement describing ethical and moral obligations of the employee. It is a set of standards by which developers agree to abide.

Viruses are computer programs that have been specifically developed to cause damage to computer systems. A virus program is self-replicating and can infect other programs. It is clearly unethical to develop a virus program.
To prevent viruses from infecting your computer:
Scan all incoming emails for viruses
Remove scanned media which contain viruses
Update virus protection regularly to ensure that the protection is up-to-date
Scan all other software
Purchasers of software have the right to expect software they purchase to be free of viruses.

A Trojan horse is a program which seems to be performing a standard task, but which also contains hidden code that is written to intentionally cause damage to computer files.
A worm is a self-contained program that is able to spread copies of itself throughout a computer system or over computer networks.

Software Piracy and Copyright

Software piracy is the criminal act of making or distributing an unauthorized copy of a software package that is under copyright.
Affects of illegal software:

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Increase risk of spreading viruses
Lack of support such as manuals and other documentation
No warranty of the product is provided
Software developers are less able to provide support to their legitimate customers
Upgrades may only be done through further illegal actions
Possibility of large fines

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Intellectual property is something that belongs to your mind or intellect. The owner can protect their intellectual property rights using the copyright laws. They have the exclusive rights to copy, modify, sell or distribute the program.
However, buying the software does not give you the rights of ownership, it is just a license to use the product.

Plagiarism is stealing someone elses ideas and using them as your own. Work obtained from elsewhere should be acknowledged.

Shareware is software that has been distributed free on a trial basis. It allows the customer to try a program before they buy it.
The software is covered by copyright
Copies can be made for archival or distribution purposes
Modifications for the software are not permitted
Reverse engineering and decompilation are not allowed
Use of the work as part of another package is not allowed without permission

Copyright gives you exclusive rights to license others in regard to copying the work, performing it in public, broadcasting it, publishing it and making an adaptation of the work. The purpose of copyright laws is to provide economic incentives for creative activity, promoting the progress of creative endeavour.
Copyright doesn’t protect you against another software developer creating a similar program.
Copyright can be described as a collection of rights, which include the rights to:
Reproduce the copyrighted work
Make derivative works
Distribute copyrighted works to the public
Perform certain works in public
Display certain works in public
Common amendments to copyright laws particular to software:
One copy may be made for backup purposes only.
When ownership of a license is transferred all copies must be handed over or destroyed
Decompilation and reverse/ backward engineering are not permitted

Single User licenses allows the customer to install the purchased software on one computer, and to make one copy of the software for backup purposes. Sometimes the software is allowed to be installed on more than one computer (work and home use).
Site licenses permit organizations to install software on a large number of computers.
Multi-user licenses are similar to site licenses, but they specify the exact number of users that may access the software at one time.

Network Use

Concurrent use licenses allows the application to be installed on a server and access over a network by all employees within the organization.
Domain licenses are a license for software to be run on any computer that is part of a specific network domain.

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