The Dangers of Something for Nothing
The hope of getting something for nothing was encouraged with the advent of computers and software. For technically oriented people, it’s fairly easy, and relatively safe, to steal software. You just copy it.
For many, especially in the early days, this didn’t seem like stealing. After all, where is the thing that you’re stealing? I have faced this attitude in offices before. I hate hearing “my nephew/cousin/college roommate can get me a copy of that for free.”
I have to reply, “That may be true, but if so you can get the same person to take care of your IT needs for you.”
I was reminded of this when I read Neutralizing Malware From The WPNull24 Site. I provide WordPress sites to a number of my clients, and I try to remind them regularly about dangerous plugins or themes. I use Imunify360 on my virtual server as a means to provide security even when people ignore my warnings.
The key warning in the post I just referenced is this: People don’t make paid products available for free for their health. They have to modify a premium theme so that you can use it without paying. The old adage, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” comes to mind. If someone says it’s free when you know it isn’t, look for who’s paying.
The bottom line here is “Don’t!” You can do most things in WordPress with free (intentionally free) options. (Who’s paying? Usually those who want the extras in premium versions. Done legitimately, this can be good business.) Premium options are rarely that high in price.
A bit of paying now can save you lots of heartache later.