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Vista to Include Stepped up Anti-Piracy Measures

snuffin writes to tell us the Washington Post is reporting that Microsoft announced stepped up anti-piracy measures being implemented in their latest operating system, Vista. From the article: "If a legitimate copy is not bought within 30 days, the system will curtail functionality much further by restricting users to just the Web browser for an hour at a time, said Thomas Lindeman, Microsoft senior product manager." Ars Technica also has coverage available on this new development.

14 of 549 comments (clear)

  1. Guys, just don't buy/download Vista by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Buy XP or something else instead. Problem solved for us, Next?

  2. Slashdot Error by shawngarringer · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Nothing for you to see here..."

    How fitting... Guess my hour is up!

  3. Oh... Perfect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    About enought time to find a crack.

  4. So what? by Ice+Wewe · · Score: 4, Funny
    "If a legitimate copy is not bought within 30 days, the system will curtail functionality much further by restricting users to just the Web browser for an hour at a time

    As everyone at Microsoft knows, (or should have already figured out), everyone has too much of a life to spend more than an hour a day on the internet. ;-)

  5. Only use the web browser for an hour at a time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    From what I can tell, that's an improvement, which is why I use Opera.

  6. Re:They Had Better by russ1337 · · Score: 5, Funny

    >>>"That's right, if you buy one copy, you will have all levels of Vista on the disc.

    Cool! That'll saves me having to download a full OS when the crack comes out.

  7. Re:legal quagmire (I hope) by Rob+the+Bold · · Score: 3, Funny
    Over here in Germany, it is highly illegal to excert de-facto power of this kind. You can't just disable software "because you can" just like you can't just fire someone "because you can". The courts have a very dim view on what is, essentially vigilante "justice", because this kind of action directly undermines the power of the state.

    Careful with that terr'ist, talk . . . you might just find yourself renditioned.

    --
    I am not a crackpot.
  8. Thank you, sir, may I have another? by Kadin2048 · · Score: 2, Funny

    But what happens when something goes wrong, and a paid user gets locked out of their operating system? What happens when I sneak a peak at your Microsoft licence number while you are working on your PC at the airport, and I post it on a website, and then Microsoft restricts your licence?

    Yep.

    Do you hear that? It's the sound of a few million Linux* users, sniggering to themselves.

    * - Mac users can snigger too, but not too hard, because it could happen there, too.

    --
    "Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
  9. Re:They Had Better by Firehed · · Score: 3, Funny

    ?

    If you need to crack it, you don't have a legal copy. If you don't have to download it, you bought a legal copy.

    One can only assume that Microsoft's logic here is to encourage would-be pirates to at least buy the cheapest version, then crack their way up to Ultimate Deluxe Vista Supreme Meat Lover's Edition.

    --
    How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
  10. Re:Great! More Linux Users! by codepunk · · Score: 4, Funny

    Linux is user friendly, it is just careful about who it's friends are.

    --


    Got Code?
  11. Re:Genuine Advantage is evil by HardCorePawn · · Score: 3, Funny

    Totally agree, a Volume License Key is no defense against the WGA... as this story shows. Microsoft even admit they have problems.

    The department of education here in NZ did a deal with microsoft so they basically have a country-wide enterprise agreement with MS, where the schools gets all the software free...

    My father is responsible for administering the "computer lab" at the local intermediate school, and they recently got 20 brand spanking new machines, all with VLK's... 1 of these brand new machines suddenly decided it was an illegal copy and started spitting out the 'illegal copy' messages. Thats some quality software you got right there :P

    I will not be splashing out and taking my chances on the Vista/WGA 'Wheel of Fortune'(tm)... might be good for the adrenaline junkie/gambling addicts tho... perhaps they should have called it "Vegas", because it seems to be a bit of a lottery as to whether or not WGA is going to work for you!

  12. Child Net Monitoring for Free by einnar2000 · · Score: 4, Funny

    So if I don't buy a license, I can restrict the kids in my house to 1hr Internet usage a day?
    I don't see the problem here.

  13. Re:With an OS like this who needs Viruses? by Repton · · Score: 2, Funny

    Come on, it's a standard latin plural! Didn't you learn that in school?

    One virus, two virii, three viriii, four viriv, five virv...

    --
    Repton.
    They say that only an experienced wizard can do the tengu shuffle.
  14. Combination of family filter and rights management by livingdeadline · · Score: 2, Funny

    Finally, the average citizen can trust an out of the box installation of *the* operating system with the increasingly important task of limiting the childrens use of the internets. Just install the Operating System, ban the children from using it for a month, after which the computer will be ready to provide a safe internets for an hour. Good parents should see the opportunity here, combined with a slow internets this restriction makes sure that the young ones won't have time to download any samples of the new threat: high definition porn!! We have waited for this feature, but now it is finally here! Micorsfot will be in your computer, protect your internet and make sure that your computer won't run any pirated products, including the operating system itself!