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WinXP Keygen Foils Product Activation

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the next-generation-will-require-dongles dept.

Bill Gates' Friend's Brother's Roommate writes: "The Register has a story on a working key generator that produces 25 valid Windows XP Product Activation Keys in a few hours. As author John Lettice summarizes, 'So the question as regards keymaking software is whether or not Microsoft has any way to differentiate between generated keys and the ones it has issued itself. If not, this generation of WPA is now surely toast.'"

1 of 461 comments (clear)

  1. Re:You have the right to use the software you buy by cduffy · · Score: 1, Troll

    ...but what would the ratio of them to users who just need a key to pirate the software be? I'm going with many more pirates to more legit (not totally legal as you are not complying with the EULA [which is a whole other issue in itself]) users

    You know the phrase "Better that 10 guilty men go free than 1 innocent man goes to jail"? Same thing can be applied here; better that 10 pirates find their jobs slightly easier than one legitimate customer gets screwed because the Microsoft reps don't believe he needs his key reactivated for a fourth reinstall on his new machine.

    Also, it's quite questionable as to whether the EULA is binding; there are many cases where it appears to provide no rights not already available to anyone who fully owns their copy of the software, hence lacking the contractual requirement of consideration.