I actually made pretty good money in the early 80's from programming games and later selling licensed software on the net.
Yes, large numbers of BBS's were dedicated to piracy but large numbers of meters of shelf space in retail stores were dedicated to 'boxed' software too.
I think trotsky is referring to sneakernet piracy, not the odd BBS. I was very young in the '80s, but I remember all the computer users I knew were extremely liberal in their sharing of programs, the same way that people were with music cassettes. "Oh, I bought this cool game. I think you'll like it. Here, let me make you a copy."
Yes, large numbers of BBS's were dedicated to piracy but large numbers of meters of shelf space in retail stores were dedicated to 'boxed' software too.