Yes, it is normal. I don't say "sadly" or "This is outrageous/lock them up/kill them all", becouse I'll be just unhonest. And I don't like being unhonest.
As stated in the article, people see it as a free source of programs and games, and not an economical threat. Especially teenagers and gamers like it very much, cuz they can enjoy games without blind-buying them. I mean, a demo is not the full game, it only shows very little of a game or program, and encourages you to buy it. There are no trial version games outside, or not the *great* ones.
If you enjoy playing the demo, that does not mean you'll enjoy the entire game, for example. I've played with the demo of Warcraft 3 before and I liked it, then me and my friend bought it, and the rest of the game was a c*ap, so to say. I've spent lotsa money for nothing...
And the free games are also very attractive for the kids, "Why buy a game from a store, when you can download it for free?" I'm not a big time leecher, never was or will be, but... don't say you never touched a ripped or pirated program in your life <_<
The next part of it, that teenagers nowdays are BORN in the pirate industry. They see downloading games/MP3s/movies as an everyday normal thing. Kids downloading games and stuff probably won't steal anything from a shop for instance. Or not becouse they are leechers.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not here for promoting piracy, but this is just a matter in wich almost nobody is spotless. I'm not denying myself, I used to get games from friends, but nowdays I'm not playing that much, and now I can actually buy the games I play. If I cannot afford a game, I just wait a few week until the price goes down to a reasonable level or just leave it. That's why I play classic games in the first place
They are free, and legal