XP SP2 Torrent Shows Legal P2P's Promise

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XP SP2 Torrent Shows Legal P2P's Promise

Posted by simoniker on Monday August 9, 2004 @08:21AM from the come-get-some dept.

Downhill Battle writes "With Congress debating new legislation that would ban p2p networks (along with other innovations and beloved products), we thought it was important to demonstrate the huge potential of p2p software to benefit the public. So now at SP2torrent.com you can get Windows XP SP2 via BitTorrent." Update: 08/09 21:10 GMT by S : As commenters note, you can also get XP SP2 from Microsoft's site, but it's explained: "DO NOT CLICK DOWNLOAD IF YOU ARE UPDATING JUST ONE COMPUTER: A smaller, more appropriate download will be available soon on Windows Update."

17 of 529 comments (clear)

Now, really... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-08-09 08:24 · Score: 5, Insightful

...would I want to download a Windows operating system upgrade from an unknown source? Why not just wait for Windows Update?
1. Re:Now, really... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-08-09 08:26 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Why wait? Get it Here :)
2. Re:Now, really... by riscthis · 2004-08-09 08:36 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Yes -- it's linked from here:
  
  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?Fa milyId=049C9DBE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displa ylang=en
  
  Although Microsoft would prefer people that only need to install on a single machine wait for it to be pushed via Windows Update, which will be a considerably smaller download specific for your OS version.
Go Team Go! by Short+Circuit · 2004-08-09 08:24 · Score: 5, Insightful

It definately helps to have object examples of good, legal use.

Though I'm not sure if the XP SP2 torrent is legal...What's in the EULA about redistribution?

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1. Re:Go Team Go! by ultranova · 2004-08-09 09:14 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Why is it risky? Microsoft provides the download to anybody with a web browser. I'm downloading XP SP2 on a Mac right now, directly from Microsoft's website. So they're clearly not checking for valid serials before allowing the download. Perhaps the *install* is a different matter, however.
  
  Or it could be another fine example of quality Microsoft coding: since your Mac doesn't have a Windows serial number, it obviously can't have a serial number that's on the blacklist, and thus is allowed to download. This, in turn, means that your Mac can be used to circumvent the copy protection of the XP SP2 patch, and is therefore a copy protection circumvention device and in direct violation of the DMCA.
  
  Report yourself to the police immediately, citizen !
  
  Of course, the same would also be true for Linux, making Linux too a copy protection circumvention device and thus illegal. It seems I've uncovered the secret plot of Microsoft - will they sue me now for violating their patent on "method of having every competing operating system declared illegal to maintain monopoly position" ?
  
  --
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2. Re:Go Team Go! by pyrrhonist · 2004-08-09 09:53 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I'm downloading XP SP2 on a Mac right now, directly from Microsoft's website.
  Well, knock it off!!! Let people who can actually install it use the bandwidth.
  Sheesh, I don't go around downloading OS X patches for the fun of it. Fucking Mac zealots!!!!!
  </SATIRE>
  
  --
  Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
A Good First Step by wackysootroom · 2004-08-09 08:25 · Score: 5, Interesting

That's great and all, but lawmakers won't listen until MS or is using Bittorrent themselves to distribute updates.

My prediction is that MS will do the "embrace and extend" thing with bittorrent once they catch on to it.
Loads of uses on legal P2P by barcodez · 2004-08-09 08:26 · Score: 5, Informative

Check out The Linux Mirror Project for example. Which has torrents for Slackware, Slax, Fedora, Mandrake, Knoppix, Debian, Gentoo & FreeBSD

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Get it direct from Microsoft by Anonymous Coward · 2004-08-09 08:28 · Score: 5, Informative

You can now get it directly from Microsoft.
Re:Slashdotted ? by barcodez · 2004-08-09 08:29 · Score: 5, Informative

Yes, it is entirely possible to slashdot a torrent. Each client polls a central server (or in more modern clients one of a number of servers) for new hosts and to update the server on its progress. If this server can't service all the polls from all the clients then a torrent has been ./ed.

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I just downloaded SP2 from MS... by DerProfi · 2004-08-09 08:33 · Score: 5, Interesting

..and got sustained rates of over 250KB/sec. My P2P Bitborrent download (started at the same time) is still going and chugging along at a whopping 20KB/sec. I think I'll stick with Microsoft's servers.

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3000+ comments meta-modded. 0 mod points awarded.
Lesson for other meta-suckers: Don't believe the hype!
Imagine If... by emkey · 2004-08-09 08:34 · Score: 5, Insightful

Imagine if the vaudeville and stage actors had gotten together back in the early 20th century and gotten motion pictures outlawed. Or if actresses and actors who had horrible speaking voices had gotten talkies outlawed in the late 1920's, etc. The recent legal trend to try to hold back technological progress is disturbing to say the least. Its also stupid and futile in the long run.
Re:I'll Do it anyway by bob670 · 2004-08-09 08:36 · Score: 5, Insightful

How does this get modded as informative? I'll be the first to burn MS as the stake, but IBM isn't rolling out because they failed to udpate thier OWN INTERNAL APPS, not becaue there is something wrong with SP2.
Legal? by Karma+Farmer · 2004-08-09 08:44 · Score: 5, Informative

Has the copyright owner approved the redistribtion of this patch by third parties? Or can this be described as "Legal P2P" only using some brand new defintion of "Legal"?

I think inexpensive distributed file hosting is a great idea, and I think P2P networks are a great way to implement that. But, copyright infringement is still copyright infringement, even if you're able to justify it to yourself.
Maybe the wrong word. by Lord+Kano · 2004-08-09 08:46 · Score: 5, Insightful

Perhaps this should have been titled "XP SP2 Shows Legitimate use for P2P."

LK

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Re:Unless MS Officially Seeded the Torrent... by stratjakt · 2004-08-09 08:56 · Score: 5, Interesting

Infinitely useful? Marginally practical is a better term, I think.

MS has more bandwidth than jesus, and you'll download the patch much faster from them than from some torrent.

I've yet to see any torrent download max out my downstream on this T1 at work. They have no problem maxing out my upstream of course - I wind up sending at 150 and recieving at 20 or so. I've tried big torrents too, new linux releases, spiderman and matrix trailers, etc..

Which makes me wonder how well the bittorrent thing would/will be recieved by the general public. Why should our upstream bandwidth - which we pay for - be used to redistribute MSFT's shit? I don't see them mirroring our ftp distro site. I don't see them telling the Comcast rep to reactivate my account after it was suspended for bandwidth abuse. Fuck that, they already gouged me for 200 bucks for XP Pro, they can damn well foot the bandwidth bill for any patch I need to keep it working.

I mean, would you let (random big corporation) Johnson and Johnson store products in your living room, and deliver them using your car and your gas? Even if you got a 15% discount on shampoo?

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Re:Uh...Legal? by sultanoslack · 2004-08-09 09:07 · Score: 5, Insightful

What the hell kinda thinking is that?
Sound thinking. Give it a try sometime.
SP2 is a free update. If I download it, put it on a CD, and give it to someone else to install, it's not illegal.
Yes, it is.
There's nothing to "agree" to on the download page. The EULA is built into the setup.
That means nothing. You don't have the right of redistribution unless it's explicitly granted.
I'm sure Microsoft doesn't mind the fact that people on P2P networks are sharing it. It takes the load off their servers.
Ah, so now you represent Microsoft too, eh? People, copyright law just doesn't work this way -- you're not allowed to copy it if they don't explicitly say you can't. You don't have to accept a license to not be able to copy it. You don't have a right to copy it. Period. The only way that you would have a right to copy it is if the copyright holder granted you such, which I'm pretty sure MS didn't. This was set up as a "legitimate use for p2p" but basically it's just another case of p2p being used for copyright infringement.