Slashdot Mirror
Linux Passes the Microsoft WGA Test
Wil writes "Here's a good one for the Linux fans -- running Wine on Linux and attempting to download a Windows Genuine Advantage protected file from the Microsoft website works just fine. It seems that Bill Gates has a soft spot for Tux after all, or at least isn't bothered about him downloading updates."
"Here's a good one for the Linux fans"
Does that prepositional phrase really narrow it down on Slashdot?
domain combinatorics
If the WGA check works under WINE on Linux, then Microsoft gets made fun of. If it doesn't, they're accused of anti-trust violations, malfeasance, and generally being bad.
I too have felt the cold finger of injustice.
This is useful because ?
Wine (as mentioned in one of the links) shows up as Windows 98 to microsoft, which, as far as I know, isn't even supported anymore. So, I guess since it isn't supported, it won't be validated or not validated and just lets the user pass through as if it was.
Right. Microsoft, with about 90% of the market is afraid of the 2% of the market that uses linux, of which perhaps 5% (one tenth of a percent of overall market share) actually uses WINE. I'm sure it's a huge focal point for them to bother preventing Linux using SWINE running users from getting MS updates.
Reminds me of crazy 7-11 cashiers who swear the government is after them for all of their super-sophisticated 7-11 employee slurpee knowledge.
I wonder if a pirated copy of Windows could use Cygwin running WINE to bypass the WGA...
Help a poor college student. Send a couple cents via paypal to chucks86@gmail.com
Wine doesn't even use MS code, so that's why it's kinda interesting.
Pretty amazing considering I can't get a legit copy of XP to pass WGA.
Mike
Too bad it won't work on my XP Volume license anymore without a crack . . .
If you go to tools->manage addons and disable "windows genuine advantage" then you'll have no problems downloading any updates. They only fixed the javascript exploit.
"Religion is the most malevolent of all mind viruses." - Arthur C. Clarke.
I'm sure it can be contained within the user Wine-Box (Hmmm.. sounds too much like Boxed Wine?) (yes, I know it's not a sandbox, but the Linux user permissions tend to be more sane than Windows), but ActiveX anywhere just doesn't make me feel warm 'n fuzzy.
Help save the critically endangered Blue Iguana
But Zonk is still posting articles.
But it turns out that it was destined to become the MS patch download wrapper of choice.
As reported in Microsoft Admits Targeting Wine Users.
This is clearly something that those out to criticise Microsoft's attempts at reducing software piracy will jump on and crow about. However, the fact that a windows application checking for the characteristics of a pirated copy of Windows cannot find them on WINE shouldn't be a surprise to anyone rational. At the end of the day, its important to remember that Microsoft are just trying to raise the bar. They aren't trying to stop Joe Cracker and his friends from reverse engineering the activation process and hex editing the checks out of the binaries (at least with this measure), they're trying to stop small computer shops loading systems with pirated 'free' copies of Windows by making the piracy visible and clear to the end user.
I don't agree with Microsoft's policy of restricting updates (such as the essential SP2) from unlicenced products, but cheap headlines like this help noone
Business Voyeur
Well, you usually miss the ones that are right under your nose. ;)
Bill Gates (billg@microsoft.com):
* Fixed bug in verdetect.cpp that allowed WINE under GNU/Linux to pass the WGA test
* WGA 1.0.0.2944
My favorite WGA experience was recently trying to download some WMV codecs from microsoft.com . For the first time since I've been doing that for upgrades after installing Win2K, I got a "we suggest you verify your Windows installation with Windows Genuine Advantage" message. Though it was a "suggestion", I couldn't proceed to download until I let them install software that went through my computer's HD, siftin whatever data, with the "Microsoft assurance" that they weren't uploading any data to their server. After forcing me to let them frisk me, while presenting it as a mere "suggestion", their assurance of course had no credibility. But it was a tabula-rasa new install of a legit Windows OS on my machine, so it passed me without really bothering anything but my dignity.
:P.
Then I downloaded the codecs, and copied them to my Linux machine's ffmpeg folder
--
make install -not war
Bill doesn't sell computers, he sells operating systems and software. Why on earth would he code windows to NOT run under Wine? Those are paying customers.
I'd be willing to bet they specifically tested it with Wine. (maybe not like they tested it with a real PC, but it got tested I'm sure)
Now on the other hand, if this were say, Mac OS X....
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
Wouldn't one be more than willing to allow people the ability to easily install and run any of their wares?
"If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer
Will systems running WINE pass WGA validation?
p x
WINE is a Win32 emulator which allows Windows applications, such as Office, to run on top of X and UNIX. When WGA validation detects WINE running on the system, it will notify users that they are running non-genuine Windows, and will not allow genuine Windows downloads for that system. Users of WINE should consult the WINE community for WINE updates. It is important to note that WINE users, and other users of non-genuine Windows, can continue to download updates for most Microsoft applications from Microsoft application-specific sites, such as Office Updates.
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/faq.as
Ssshhh..... He might hear us....
EvilCON - Made Famous by
Bypassing WGA isn't some huge deal. There's a ton of Windows flavors that can't pass WGA (the Server family, 98/95, etc). Furthermore, MacOS/Linux/etc users shouldn't and won't be alienated from specific content based on WGA status.
Most code written using WGA checks for either a valid copy or an unable to verify authenticity code. Either result will get you through WGA. It was never meant to be a definitive answer to piracy.
afaict wine isn't really much of a sandbox.
sure windows apps may see what they think is windows but i don't think there is anything to stop them making linux syscalls directly once they realise they are in wine.
note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
Thats pretty interesting, as I am too, a Linux user. I use SuSE Linux 9.3 Professional...and its just pretty interesting that (whoever did it) was able to download a wga...
GSRG.org Senior Administrator and Director
I would be absolutely laughing my ass off if dave wasn't over here
*DrugCheese rants*
You *do* know that WINE Is Not an Emulator (Hence the name, WINE), right? That means (among other things) that you don't have to go copy/buy a copy of windows to make Wine run, it provides the Windows API with its own code to Windows programs with Linux, not Windows, as the OS.
That means that if the "genuine advantage" check works on WINE, then Microsoft's software can't tell the difference between "Genuine Windows" and WINE under Linux, or they just don't care (which seems unlikely). That's big news.
All they did was paste a code in that they no dobt generated from a legit box. This is that 'crack' that came out way back when, where you generate the code on a genuine box, and then enter the code that comes back in the pop up box. I don't believe it checked what OS you were running, it just did a checksum against the code you entered. While certainly amusing and somewhat embarrasing on the surface for MS, it didn't really prove anything.
Yes, it is possible.
The only reason it still works is because Wine just went through some massive changes with regard to configuration. The WGA check works by checking for specific registry keys that Wine uses. The new configuration moved those keys from HKLM to HKCU. It's just a matter of time before they change the check they use. The position of Alexandre is that we're not going to play the insane game of working around their workarounds.
The good news is, there's not much reason any more to need the WGA. We've got a new DCOM and MSI framework that makes those two downloads largely irrelevant. Jacek Caban is hard at work integrating a Gecko engine into Wine as part the MSHTML.DLL (usually referred to as "Internet Explorer" on Windows.) So native Windows DLL's are falling by the wayside.
Of course, Microsoft got so much bad press over the WGA check that I wonder if they'd tempt it all again. Last time it raised the ire of eWeek and PC Magazine, so I imagine the next round will just be more bad press. Headline: "Giant software company continues to squash open source software"
obPlug: Wine is slated for a beta release in a little over a month.
----- obSig
Get a fucking CLUE STICK and beat your self to death.
This was noted on there awhile ago. WGA checks for Wine's registry key, and initially, demonstrated the behavior initially noted; that is, claiming non-valid Windows.
A bit after WGA was initially released, however, the WGA authentication dialog started accepting WINE-generated WGA codes with no explanation.
I don't know if WGA still checks for WINE, but if it does, it's something Microsoft can disable on their end quickly and easily, any time they want.
This isn't newsworthy, and it's not even news. The above comments about how WINE is being checked for were noted in the first March issue of WINE's newsletter, and the fact that Microsoft began accepting WINE-generated WGA validations was noted a few issues thereafter, though Google can't seem to find it.
It's only an insult if it's not true.
Bullshit. It's EMULATING a winapi interface on a Linux kernel and accompaning libraries accessable to X.
according to http://www.answers.com/emulate&r=67
Computer Science. To imitate the function of (another system), as by modifications to hardware or software that allow the imitating system to accept the same data, execute the same programs, and achieve the same results as the imitated system.
There's nothing about "doing binary machine language translation" or things like that.
There was no copy of Windows acquired, period. Wine is a reimplementation of the Windows API for Linux and family. It doesn't run Windows it runs Windows programs.
Game! - Where the stick is mightier than the sword!
Microsoft's efforts to fight counterfeiting have hit another snag with the posting of a new method claimed to get around a Windows piracy check.
p iracy+found/2100-1002_3-5821113.html& file=GenuineCheck.exe&action=Find
http://news.com.com/Another+way+past+Windows+anti
http://www.sinhack.net/GenuineAdvantage/
http://www.filemirrors.com/search.src?type=begins
the name wine is a recursive acronym of Wine Is Not an Emulator. Check it out at winehq.org. It's refering to the fact that wine is not a PC emulator like bochs or vmware. Therefore you do not need to purchase or install an OS to run on it. So it was an appropriate comment, saying wine users are not MS customers, like a bochs or vmware user might be. Of course, wine is a windows emulator...that's the point, it is not genuine windows, is emulating windows, but WGA recognises it as genuine.
http://marriedmansexlife.com/
This isn't new, it's a known exploit. WGA only cares about XP and 2K3. If GenuineCheck.exe is run on a 2000, ME, 98 and 95 system it will generate an authorization code and allow you to pass onto the download.
When I spoke to MS about it last week they said it was "By Design".
Using the same technique if you download GenuineCheck.exe with a pirate copy of XP and set it's compatibility to Windows 2000 or Windows 98 you will also get a valid code and can then use it to proceed to download.
I think that, more important than ways to defeat WGA, is that the user experience for Firefox people is harder and more dangerous than those using IE. For example if you use IE and elect to use the ActiveX control you just have to press one button. If you use Firefox you are forced to use GenuineCheck.exe every time you want a download. This requires a download, a run of the program, a copy paste a button click and then you are free to download. Firefox people should bombard MS to write an XPI or better yet scrap this stupid scheme.
Orationem pulchram non habens, scribo ista linea in lingua Latina
If I write my own JDBC driver, am I emulating a JDBC driver, or am I implementing the API?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Product activation exists to make Windows (slightly) more difficult to pirate. WGA exists to warn consumers if they have bought a computer packaged with an illegal copy of Windows from an unscrupulous salesperson.
That said, an unscrupulous salesperson could probably implement someway to bypass the WGA test easily as well.
I'd assume Microsoft doesn't care if Wine is considered genuine or not. It can certainly be annoying for legitimate Windows users, so I would assume the test errors on the side of not-hassling the user.
That said, I wish it would go away. It is annoying extra step on the rare occasions that I do have 2 deal with it.
http://brandonbloom.name
Ah, an 800k UID user trying to help out another 800k. The blind leading the blind, am i rite?
It's always nice to hear that Linux/WINE users can download updates from Microsoft.com, menwhile my legit Windows 2000 install can't.
Seems like the more they try, the worse things get.
I'm really thinking of wiping the drive and installing good-old NT4. Never had any problems with it, and it smokes 2000/XP by a longshot. Who really wants DirectX 7+ anyhow?
Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
Windows 98 still does have its share of support. It does still use the old non-WGA WindowsUpdate site, with critical updates only. The end dates are below, and a year or two away yet.
; %5Bln%5D;LifeWin
Windows Lifecycle Policy - see note 17
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh
Windows 98/ME extended support press release
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifean1
Relevant information (taken from the extended support press release):
* Paid incident support for Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium Edition (Me) is available through June 30, 2006.
* Critical security updates will be provided on the Windows Update site through June 30, 2006.
* Customers may request non-critical security fixes for Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Me, and the most current version of their components until June 30, 2006 through typical assisted-support channels.
* Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Me downloads for existing security issues will continue to be available through regular assisted-support channels at no charge until June 30, 2006.
* No-charge incident support and extended hotfix support for Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition ended on June 30, 2003.
* No-charge incident support and extended hotfix support for Windows Me ended on December 31, 2003.
* Online self-help support will be available until at least June 30, 2007.
I've been wanting to emulate more Windows software, I hate Evolution and FireFox so much; back to Internet Explorer and Outlook Express I go!
THIS IS SUCH A BIG WIN FOR LINUX!
Check out ioquake3.org for a great, free, First-Person Shooter engine!
because WGA passes on Windows 2000 and lower. WINE emulates Windows 9X, IIRC.
There is a trick to download the Geneuinecheck.exe on XP and run it in Windows 2000 mode to fool it into passing.
This is not due to WINE, or Microsoft, just the way Windows WGA was designed to work.
This is all common knowledge, why did it make it to a Slashdot story?
Remember, Slashdot does not have a -1 disagree moderation, and no, troll, flamebait, and overrated are not substitutes.
Microsoft, and even past Slashdot articles have reported, time and time again, that such measures used in WinXP SP1, WinXP SP2, and WGA, are to deter "casual pirating".
In other words, the guys who sell CDs in Hong Kong with the generic Devilsown key.
In more succinct words, "Sure, get it for free, but expect to WORK for it".
Actually, a sweat equity OS doesn't sound that bad.
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
I would play Half-life + Counterstrike under WINE on Linux, and eventually it got to the point where you needed to run Punkbuster to be able to play it online. Basically, the servers look for Punkbuster to scan your system for cheat tools and make sure that everything looks kosher before they let you play.
I downloaded Punkbuster and was sure that it wouldn't like the looks of WINE's environment. I connected to the server, waited for it to verify and... it worked! I was feeling two types of way when that happened.
1. WINE is god damn amazing.
2. Punkbuster is stupid. I could have any number of hacks running under Linux, I could have been running WINE under ptrace() the entire time, injecting evil as needed into the Counterstrike game world, and Punkbuster would have been completely oblivious to it. No matter how hard it tried it would never be able to inspect the host Linux system for evil. Client side anti-cheat systems are doomed.
---So it was an appropriate comment, saying wine users are not MS customers, like a bochs or vmware user might be. Of course, wine is a windows emulator...that's the point, it is not genuine windows, is emulating windows, but WGA recognises it as genuine.
Well, I call that doing a darn good good at emulation.
129 comments when I start to write this post, and it doesn't look like anyone paid much attention to what this guy has done. Read his description: "Being a Linux Zealot, this is the first time I've actually seen it, but I've obviously heard lots about it. So, I think, lets see what Microsoft makes of a Linux box then.....
clicketyclick. copy-paste-code. clicketyclick.
What copy-n-paste code? I've done WGA tons of times, and I never had to enter any codes?! Then, if you look at his screenshot (here), you will see a dialog box that says "Copy and paste or type this code into the dialog box in Step 2. Then click Validate. Once the code has been accepted, close this Window." Very unusual. It seems to me that he's doing something sneaky. I've never had to do anything with WGA, as stated before, much less enter any codes. Why has no one else noticed this?
Am I paranoid? Yep.
I agree, particularly when you consider that MS meant to exclude wine users with WGA
http://marriedmansexlife.com/
As said in grandparent it is not a sanbox.
:)
But if you run it under a non-privileged account under linux you will have it (sort of) in a sandbox enviroment.
Guess you could put it in user-mode linux too.. if you are really paranoid
Thanks. Absolutely fantastic. You go and sidestep the weak copy protection for the most common OS in the world - which is pretty much only designed to stop CD-key sharing and eliminate the most common Windows activation hacks - and you post it to Slashdot.
Are you brutally retarded?
I am almost waiting for Microsoft to issue a cease and desist order against WINE for allowing unauthorized access to Windows updates when you never purchased a copy of the OS.
On that note, I really would like to see less of the retarded pro Linux, anti MS stories that have been popping up recently: I pooped on a Windows CD using Linux! Quick, post it to Slashdot! I drew a Dirty Sanchez on Billy G's picture! Quick, post it to Slashdot!
---
Slashdot: news for retards, stuff that nobody else (rightfully) gives a shit about.
"On that note, I really would like to see less of the retarded pro Linux, anti MS stories that have been popping up recently"... Next time try http://www.microsoft.com/ for news. They are MUCH less biased. YEAH RIGHT!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - The Celtic - =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
I'm a firm believer in the duck test. Why doesn't the site management level with patrons on this one? Doug Hettinger www.SoftwareObjectz.com
http://www.softwareobjectz.com
I am e-teet, give me wares, dudes!!!
Obviously, you need to hand in your slashdot ID.
...so no, there is no possibility that it, or any other privately owned software company will ever have more than a token share of any horizontally focused market space. It's already been decided - why do we keep asking qustions about events with known, predetermined outcomes? Doug Hettinger www.SoftwareObjectz.com
http://www.softwareobjectz.com
Now they (MS) will claim again that hackers (as in crackers) use Linux to pirate Windows. (why else would people use Linux to download Windows updates..)
Ooh.. then might we be able to replace MSHTML.dll with a Gecko engine on Windows machines? Yummy...
Most of us are logging on from work. And following links, whether we actually log in and post or not, that still counts as bieng a "windows user" as opposed to being at home and logging in from my *nix/*nux boxen. Big diff.
Most IT joints use windows because having "Microsoft Partner" on your shirt and car means you must know something about ripping others off of their hard earned money. It also means you are a FUD Spreading Professional. Linux has no claims against such marketing might. Linux can't even achieve such a small thing as "total virus compatibility" while Windows Vista has achieved "preemptive virus compatibility" with production ready viruses being released before its even out of beta.
" What luck for rulers that men do not think" - Adolf Hitler
Yeah, that description really sucked. Here's the path: IE -> Internet Options -> Program -> Manage Add-on's.
Belief is the currency of delusion.
..then how is it going to stop the pirated copies that it's supposed to be stopping? What was the point of this "feature," again?
Now I'll be able to actually download the ms anti spyware tools that my MS infected friends ask me for.
Normally I'd just give them adware and other more available tools.
Wine IS NOT an emulator in the traditional sense, it does not actually emulate anything. Wine (unlike VMWare, Virtual PC, or others) does not emulate the hardware of the PC. What the Wine project tries to do (mostly successfully) is to write an Open Source version of the Windows API. Again, Wine does not emulate anything. Windows' code runs natively on Linux, what Wine provides is the Open Source API for Windows' programs to access. One could theoretically copy Microsoft's APIs to Linux and accomplish the same thing that Wine is doing; but that would require buying a Windows license.
Calling Wine a Windows emulator is the same as calling Linux a glorified Unix emulator.
I think in rality you might want to take a big chnk out of Windows numbers.
Consider all the people that use Windows at work and something else at home. Really I am an OS X user but I am giving the Windows numbers a boost by reading far more often from work than at home. So the Windows number is not nearly as big as it would seem.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
"Eat your vegetables now Bill or the big bad wolf will come to eat you!" :-)
On the other hand, if the solution was too strict it would only cause too much badwill for denying legitimate users from downloading software. It seems like it is scanning for known leaked corporate keywords and nothing else.
So maybe it is time for an update to the licensing model of Windows instead? The cost of maintaining a multitude of versions (XP Home, Media Center, Professional etc.) can actually be a problem too.
If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
But seriously, many applications rely on the IE engine being available. So if WINE wants to run these, it needs some equivalent that duplicates the API.
The rendered screens might still look slightly different because Gecko != IE, but at least the apps will work.
C - the footgun of programming languages
go find a friend with a linux box to download WGA files and burn them to disk.
God what a fucking wanker!
Do you have a T-short with "My Slashdot UID is 164K therefore I am godlike"?
So far the main argument for WINE not being an emulator is that it doesn't emulate hardware. I guess if the definition of emulation means imitating hardware with software, then that is true. But I don't understand why we have to draw the line to software/hardware. It would be clearer to speak of hardware emulation specifically, if needed.
Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
im `Zidane from Bit-Tech, who posted this over there. in response to those people who think i "cheated" somehow, i didnt, and im sure just about anyone with wine can do the same thing. i just ran the checker exe in wine and copy-pasted the code into the site, and it worked. is it news? i'd have thought so, its checking if i have a valid copy of windows, and i dont, im completely linux based here. as for the windows updates, i dont think you could use this method because the windowsupdate site doesnt like firefox, it demands IE, although, you could probably forge IE's useragent to appear as IE, but iirc the windowsupdate site needs activex to run for the updater thingie. is it an uber-31337 haxx0rizing of microsoft? hell no, its just a funny thing i noticed whilst trying to get Black&White to run on my nix box.
FallenSword, a free MMO you can play at work!
That is news indeed !
Chris ,
Php Programmers.
Can you name an emulator that does not implement a programming interface (software or hardware)?
That's a poor way to define the word 'emulator' though, since that would make any implementation of any API an 'emulator'. Heck, your web browser could be said to be an emulator.
Back 30 years ago or so, emulators were pieces of hardware wich did the same work as other pieces of hardware. Doing so in software was a 'simulator'.
The word 'simulator' has mostly been replaced by 'emulator' to refer to a hardware simulation.
'Emulating' software is a meaningless word because it would include anything which implements some defined interface. In software there is no difference between 'simulating' an interface or 'implementing' it.
So it's not clearer to speak of 'hardware emulation', because 'software emulation' simply does not exist. Things only get confused if you try to paste the word 'emulator' onto software-on-software.
Then there are virtual machines and interpreters as well, but that's another story.
As a side-note: There is a very large practical difference between emulating hardware and implementing a software API. The former is far more difficult, since in emulating hardware, you usually need to replicate the internal functions of the hardware in detail. It's more complex, and harder to estimate what level of detail is needed.
With a software API, things are far simpler. You have a clearly-delimited interface with defined inputs and outputs. You do not need to follow the internal functionality to the same extent. (Although this depends on the API. But it is never as bad as with hardware.)
I believe it is because Microsoft knows that the OS market has been saturated. Many people feel that 2K/XP are 'good enough' and feel no need to upgrade. This is particularly true for corporations. So one way of trying to squeeze out the last drops of cash is by enforcing licensing. People who buy computers from shady shops will either have to buy a license when they try to get updates or fight for some kind of refund from the retailer. Companies that might have had a few unlicensed windows installs will now have to buy those extra licenses so they can keep computers secure to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley.
I see this as the first step in moving Microsoft customers to a subscription model. Once you've hooked people with the 'Genuine Advantage' and provide an easy way to pay for a license over the web, it's only a few more steps to charging their credit card $20/month for the right to use Windows.
Microsoft's stance is interesting. Not too long ago they were trying to discourage piracy by saying that pirated software was more likely to come with viruses and trojans. Now they're saying those people with pirated Windows software can't get patches that will keep their systems from becoming zombie spam houses (yes, I know critical updates will still be installed even if the system doesn't pass WGA, but reportedly even that functionality will be going away).
I know it's hard to believe that answers.com is not up on the subtleties of modern computer science terms, but believe it or not, they're just trying to convey the general idea to a layman. Your parent poster is completely right and arguing an accepeted definition makes you look like a moron.
/syle
Most people won't be able to bypass this very basic security measure until a script has been done. But it is a matter of time.
I still cannot understand why they have released such a stuff.
It may be time. The pressure's getting to me.
I, for one, welcome our new Antichrist overlord.
Pretty much the same story here. I have two OS X systems and three Windows sytems on my desk right now, but to assume that I'm not a Linux user because there are no Linux desktops with which I surf slashdot is absurd. I have two different models of routers on my desk which use ucLinux, my T1 is routed through Redhat, my fileservers run Debian, I have an array of Linux livecd's for system recovery and other assorted tasks, etc.. None of those surf slashdot. In fact, I surf slashdot from one computer, and it's not running linux.
How about a poll to see who doesn't use linux, who does use linux, and who uses linux to surf slashdot?
I wonder if the numbers are skewed by the sheer amount of people who get bored at work and check slashdot from their company mandated windows PC
I am at home and the computer I'm using now has Windows and only Windows on it. I admit it's not the only computer I have, on my right is a PC setup for dualboot with Linux and Win NT4.0 and to my left is a Mac with MacOS 7.5, neither of which has even been booted up in more than a year. Fact is is it's been more than 3 years since I've used a Mac and more like 6-7 years since I've used Linux or any other unix flavor.
FalconShould there be a Law?
I don't work and I'm using Windows at home.
FalconShould there be a Law?
Nah, just kidding. I know that not all M$ partners are scum... but all of the ones I've worked for were. Blood thirsty leeches taking advantage of foolish people who didn't have anyone to tell them they could get better service, support.
That and since the last one I worked for wanted to claim ALL of my work and code for the past 10 years for his company, I have drawn quite a boundary. Not only am I now MICROSOFT_FREE but I also have removed it from the lives of those I care about (friends, family, etc).
And I do believe, my last company was a Gold partner, and the one before was an MSDN partner. I hated them both, but I had to pay the bills. I've changed vocations 5 months ago, so I have NO complaints any longer.
(The first one even was upset that I didn't uninstall linux and bsd off all my machines and install Server 2003 on all of my machines. AS IF I'd destroy a PERFECTLY FINE network to install that buggy, sluggish piece of shit they call New Technology!)
" What luck for rulers that men do not think" - Adolf Hitler
What about XP? If WINE can not pretend to be XP and download IE7, once IE 7 becomes the norm, there goes my reason for having WINE - to run IE to test sites for problems
If WINE won't emulate XP, it can still be used for browsers other than IE 7, but there may be a way to get IE 7 without downloading it, Microsoft Press has published books with cds on IE. I've got one book on IE 5 that includes IE 5 on the disk. So if MS publishs a book and IE 7 itself doesn't check for XP then it may be able to install it.
FalconShould there be a Law?
...if someone can figure out how to grab the updates that their wine install grabs, then one doesn't even have to bother with WGA authentication. Or even find the method by which it's done and transpose that to a script for their wintel system. I can see *why* Microsoft would do this WGA crap, but it still doesn't make it a good idea.
Who cares about the ozone layer?...thanks to CFC's I can write my name......IN CHEESE!!!
Is everybody on this site a 13 year old kid? I mean I have always heard of the "script kiddies" a synonym for a linux developer that spent all their time trying to write viruses to harm Microsoft because of their intense inferiority complex, but I never realized they all had the IQ of a soap dish. Looking at these posts I know why I read someone with the signature:
Linux, love the OS, hate the advocates.
God what a bunch of "WINEY" intensely jealous imbeciles. Grow up kiddies. You advocate an operating system where no one makes any money. Idiots....
Well if it was updates you where downloading then WGA doesn't apply. Wga only applies to additional MSFT downloads such as their Spyware App as well as Windows Media Player. So you really didn't do anything to "pass" the WGA Test.