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Microsoft Sued Over WGA
Hope Thelps writes "The Seattle PI is reporting on a lawsuit being brought against Microsoft in response to their WGA spyware. Groklaw is also covering the story. Although there are a lot of similarities to Sony's rootkit, the actual harm done is less concrete. It'll be interesting to see how this turns out."
Amen to that! Maybe someday Microsoft will realize that WGA doesn't prevent piracy; it's just another thing to annoy legitimate users.
OK, I guess that's not going to happen anytime soon. Oh well, I can dream, right?
It came as a Windows Update, if you wanted to protect yourself you should have turned automatic updates off...
Wait... so he's selling money?
-William Brendel
Clear notice that this was an optional install. I could have elected not to install it and had my machine function as before. I had to read a statement and check a box saying I understood and agreed.
We can argue the merits of the actual software that is installed.
17 usc 117 provides you with all the legal right you need to make all copies needed to actually *use* the application...you don't need a license from microsoft to "copy" windows to run it.
i'm not a lawyer, but i can read.
(a) Making of Additional Copy or Adaptation by Owner of Copy.-- Notwithstanding the provisions of section 106, it is not an infringement for the owner of a copy of a computer program to make or authorize the making of another copy or adaptation of that computer program provided: (1) that such a new copy or adaptation is created as an essential step in the utilization of the computer program in conjunction with a machine and that it is used in no other manner, or (2) that such new copy or adaptation is for archival purposes only and that all archival copies are destroyed in the event that continued possession of the computer program should cease to be rightful.
"Evil will always triumph because good is dumb." -- Dark Helmet
Just thought that you guys might wanna know that Microsoft has came up with an article on removing WGA.
w00t
I mean, I'd be just a little less bad (WGA) if it worked properly. I've seen most of my old HS's comps get the "not genuine" notice, and it takes a while to fix.
By reading this, you have given me brief control of your mind.
You forgot the part right after where it sends the key number where it sends a list of applications loaded on your system and your hardware configuration.
http://news.com.com/5208-1029-0.html?forumID=1&thr eadID=18274&messageID=157697&start=-16
With the possibility of barring access to Windows...
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/06/29/165 7241
... then how much of downtime must a user suffer from this?
http://www.firewallleaktester.com/removewga.htm
I CANNOT vouch for the legitimacy of that utility (so scan it first, try it on a staging machine, etc., YMMV, Batteries not included, and all that jazz). I just did a quick search for utilities for removing WGA, but being a Linux user I don't have much use for it myself. There are reviews of it on legitimate sites (for example, PC World) but then they've also unknowingly recommended scumware in the past as well.
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
I use the same proceedure to install but I have a corporate copy that does not even ask for a key. I also have the file that disables WGA, you should be able to get it over the internet so do not change your policy just because the bully boy says so. The file is called twk-winupdatepatch.exe.
I love stacking my barbecues in the shed at the end of summer - you can't beat a bit of grill on grill action.
It has been eons since I read the EULA, but it basically says that MS owns the systems. That means that they can do whatever they want. OTH, sony or any 3rd party who does not have explicit permission from MS can then be sued. Oddly enough, if MS and Sony had not been fighting over playstation/xbox, MS probably would have given permission.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Now, a few years down the road WGA is going to force me to reinstall--now that I have many important business apps installed.
You don't have to if you have a legal copy. You can always change the product key of an installed instance of XP using the registry and msoobe.exe. More info here: http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-1035_11-5034890.h tml
You don't need a license to copy windows for archival purposes, but you do need a licence to run it, since you don't actually own the program (you own the licence to use the program, which almost always comes with a copy of the program).
Computers allow humans to make mistakes at the fastest speeds known, with the possible exception of tequila and handguns
From the Linked Page:
SUMMARY
This article applies to the version of Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Notifications that is distributed during the pilot program. For example, this version is included in the pre-release version that accompanies the Microsoft Software License Terms. To safely and easily uninstall the pilot version, you must install the general release version of WGA Notifications. If you do not install this version, you can follow the steps in this article to disable or uninstall the pilot version. Important These instructions have not been tested on the general release version of the WGA Notifications. Therefore, these instructions are not supported. Microsoft will offer the general release version of WGA Notifications to users who uninstall the pilot version at a later date. These users will obtain the general release version through the Microsoft Automatic Update service. WGA Notifications is part of the Windows Genuine Advantage program.
You might find this press release from a couple days ago kind of interesting.
j un06/06-27WGA.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2006/
It discusses the history of WGA, the licensing, the server-side communication, etc, as well as what they changed in the update that was released on the 27th.
You're granted the license to use the program. You don't own the license. The license may be removed by the copyright owner if you violate the EULA, which is akin to land in a fiefdom that can be removed if you cross the rules of the owning lord.
You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
WGA and a ROOTKIT are NOT similar. The Sony RootKit was also exploitable, so that other malware could hide themselves. The only similarity is they both called home.
Obviously you've never used Solaris.
When they say killall, they _mean_ killall.
ND
This statement is forty-five characters long.
WGA communicates with Microsoft HQ. The information transferred may or may not be 'sensitive' but this could be considered an invasion of privacy.
Hang about - presumably this is going on all over the world, right?
How does it stand in those parts of the world with Data Protection laws?
For instance, in the UK, the Data Protection Act is supposed to ensure that data is:
* fairly and lawfully processed;
* processed for limited purposes;
* adequate, relevant and not excessive;
* accurate and up to date;
* not kept longer than necessary;
* processed in accordance with the individual's rights;
* secure;
* not transferred to countries outside the European Economic area, unless there is adequate protection.
http://www.ico.gov.uk/eventual.aspx?id=34
This is what will be used against this case. If this case continues and the court allows it in, then it will quickly change from illegal program to one of validity over the EULA.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
>You're granted the license to use the program. You don't own the license. The
>license may be removed by the copyright owner if you violate the EULA, which is
>akin to land in a fiefdom that can be removed if you cross the rules of the
>owning lord.
Copyright owner can only grant you licenses (and remove only such licenses) to rights which they have. Those rights are specifically mentioned in copyright law and only those rights apply. They can't make up their own additional rights they want to license away. "Use" is not such a right hence they can neither licnese that right nor remove that right. Copying is such a right although not all types of copying. COpies needed specifically for running sofware are NOT infriging and reserved to the copyright holder, hence they can't license it nor remove it. Another example is the making of archival copies. There are other examples as well. Look at the copyright law.
Hmmm.... I have no pitty for people who use MS software. You've chosen to use that software. You've insisted on it. There are pleanty of open source altrenatives at your fingertips now. So I don't think microsoft should be sued over this. Its their choice as to what they put in their software. If you don't like the updates that microsoft decides to put in their software you have choices. Those choices are turn off windows updates, switch to linux, or buy a Mac. I'm sick of people whining about what microsoft does. Really if you don't like the software don't use it. You'll probably save yourself allot of agrivation and money by doing so. Linux has come a long way. Its not the hard to use OS it once was. In fact its easier to use then ever. It just takes getting use to. But in the end it will do everything windows will do.
Perhaps samba has gotten much better since I last used it, but setting connecting to or creating Windows shares was far easier with Windows than with Linux.
Well, on my computer at home with GNOME 2.14 I seem to recall Right click folder -> Sharing and the Sharing admin panel, which sets up Samba appropriately. Browsing network shares was simply a matter of clicking the network bit in Nautilus (and it actually didn't keep hanging like explorer, but YMMV -- some Windows networks I tried worked horribly)
try and find an a good open source alternative to something like Soundforge, Cubase or Protools
It is a bit of a problem but progress is being made (see the ANGULA project). If you're willing to mess about at the command line a bit you can get quite a nice setup with JACK and DSSI/VST/LADSPA/LADCCA stuff and using rosegarden as a sequencer, linuxsampler and others for sampling, ardour for recording. Most audio people I've known haven't been afraid to get down to the ugly parts of their Windows systems to improve performance, though.
Some integration needs to be made, and the frontend stuff is inferior to their Windows counterparts currently. The backends still need some work but IMO they're better than the mess on Windows, though in Windows that is hidden by the UI. Plus another advantage is that you can strip the system down to bare minimals with a custom kernel for audio work (low latency, realtime optimisations with ALSA can get extremely low latency of less than 2ms consistently and no stuttering on my low end system but again YMMV).
said that Windows does them perfectly well.
I have to disagree here though. It's not so much that Windows struggles with the tasks themselves, but the OS can end up a bit of a mess when you leave it in the hands of a typical non-geek user for long. I tried my best with my family's laptop, created them an Admin account and a Limited user and told them only to use the Admin to install software. Sooner or later they found stuff didn't work right in Limited user and switched over to the admin account.
Then a misclick in IE just yesterday, one month after getting it (not sure how they got it up, I set firefox as their default and deleted the IE shortcuts) caused their computer to be infected with so much spyware it needed a reinstall. The only experience I had with that on the family linux computer was when someone got the WINE install infected with spyware... I just blew it away and started again.
it can't play some media files (whether it be because of lack of mp3 support out of the box or some random .wmv format) it lacks proper support from many hardware companies (Linux on laptops anyone?).
This is a problem, but it's a very hard to solve one. The solution is sadly getting enough people on Linux that free formats like ogg become more commonplace (or using that fluendo mp3 plugin). Unfortunately it means there's going to be a period of format 'flux'.
Another point of interest is that Windows is often easier to get help on
I agree. At the moment, you search for help on something and you're nearly bound to get something detailing how to do it in RedHat 6 via the command line, despite it possibly being 2 menus away on a modern install of Ubuntu (as changing the resolution is). Possibly more focus should be put on the brand name of the distro and trying to get their help pages (wikis and such) high on the search results as MS tech support articles often are. A better online help system wouldn't go unappreciated either.
Hey you know what? His opinion is valid. If he feels personally wronged by Microsoft, he is perfectly justified in wanting Microsoft to get slapped. If he feels there is overwhelming evidence that Microsoft has wronged others, he is perfectly justified in wanting Microsoft to get slapped.
His stated opinion was not about frustration with MS -- it was about frustration with this particular action by MS.
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai