^^ @gx_saurav, Even for learning and education, most of the big software now come with academic editions that make it a bit more affordable, which may not always help though...
If you are inclined towards Linux, this topic becomes more or less meaningless. Even though there are many commercial software in Linux, most people who enter the Linux world usually do it to get away from MS stream where they neither want to pay for the OS nor pirate it, or they believe in the OSS/GPL philosophy...
In Mac, I wont comment, as I have no idea... I believe piracy is happening there also, but I am not aware of what extent it is...
In Windows, the situation is complex... In developping countries, you have to look at the monetary situation... While piracy is wrong, many people are either unaware of the piracy, or feel that there is no alternative to piracy... But, even if they want to stick to Windows (which is now becoming a little more affordable to middle-class Indians due to increased standard of living), there are many free alternatives to many popular software these days (Photoshop, MS Office are awesome, but there are decent free alternatives if you dont need the high-end features that may be missing)... It is necessary to create awareness in people to either buy Windows, and try these alternatives, or to try out Linux and see if it fits their bill... Sometimes, even very costly software like 3D Studio Max has freeware alternative like Blender... However, in specialised fields, penetration of good free alternatives to costly software is limited. And the prices of those software are beyond reach for the people in developping countries...
I feel that the big companies can release country-specific software (for example, saying For Sale and Use in India only), and provide the same software at a lower rate based on relative GDP or something (the poorer a country is, the cheaper the version will be, but the version will be legal for use within that country only)... If they release such versions and provide full features, I feel that they will gain more in the long run by covering many converts from piracy... But of course, I dont have any idea how this will work out in practice since some people in the developped nations may use software purchased in the developping nations at a lower rate illegally... With enough awareness though, I think it will help bridge the gap between developped and developping nations, but I dont know for sure...
Arun