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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.
Buy XP or something else instead. Problem solved for us, Next?
It would only make sense that they force user security down our throats at the time of installation. I don't agree with this or condone it, of course. It is also quite naïve of them to think that they can win the cat n' mouse game of license control with the hackers.
Just one more reason to stick with XP for those applications that only run on Windows. I'll buy in around SP5. I hope this keeps the hackers busy so they don't have free time to dream up mythical Firefox bugs.
My work here is dung.
"Nothing for you to see here..."
How fitting... Guess my hour is up!
Just what a business dependent on their software needs - an unproven "validity tester" shuts down your operations for three days while you're on ignore at the MS help line.
About enought time to find a crack.
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. ;-)
From what I can tell, that's an improvement, which is why I use Opera.
Microsoft announced this 6 months ago at the same time they pushed out the Windows Genuine Advantage update. The fact that a paper thinks this is newsworthy now suggest they just haven't been paying attention.
This is a question I saw somewhere else regarding Vista, but I thought it was a good one, so I'll post it here. MS has partially justified their high OS prices in the past to help cover the costs of sales lost to piracy. If they make it virtually impossible to pirate the OS (which it sounds like their goal is with Vista), will the cost of the OS come down at all?
so it's not news. When Singularity is released, you will have to have a MicroSoft representitive on-site to be able to use it anyway.
Besides, I won't be buying Wondews Vespa anyway.
Shiny. Let's be bad guys.
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
i see this a the SOLUTION to not being on slashdot excessively
i support the right to offend.
"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."
;)
That's about how long it would take me to find and download a crack
"Anything tastes good if you deep fry it."
I'll stick with OS X and XP under Parallels, no ways I am letting MS install software on **MY** computer that can prevent me from accessing **MY** data. EVER! And its not going anywhere near my corporate network either. Fat chance! What if someone uses the same key as me, does this mean they can lock me or my company down remotely? Yikes!
There is only one....
Remember, you DO have a choice in which OS you want to install. If you don't like this then don't subscribe to it.
The thing about this that worries me most is how long will it take a virus writer to learn how to mimic the invalid reply. I know Vista is supposed to be Virii proof due to how it will ask the user about any changes. However it seems that these types of strict DRM measures could be a hole in their anti-virii armor...
Sure that web-site has content.. But so does a garbage can!
I'm sure this will be cracked before it even comes out. Why should I even switch to Vista? XP is stable (relatively) and runs fast enough. When I was running 98, upgrading to 2000/XP was a huge improvement in terms of stability, but I don't see any improvements that I'll find useful. Unless games start only running on Vista, I don't see myself changing over to Vista. I wish games ran on Linux natively. I would have switched a long time ago.
...lines of code too, I bet. This is a "master of the obvious" type of article and it frustrates me.
Perhaps the interesting comment isn't that there will be anti-piracy measures, but how the anti-piracy measures will be deployed. To point, what is the technology behind this statement: The company also said it has added more sophisticated technology for monitoring whether a system is pirated.
"If you're a pirate, we're not going to give you all the functionality!" Um, OK. This isn't really news.
How to Download YouTube Videos
From the Ars article:
Unlike Windows XP, Vista will monitor the activation status of the computer even after the initial 30-day period. If the technology later decides that a key is no longer valid, through either a software update or via some other means, it will give the user another 30-day period to rectify the situation.
So, in other words, MS has every right to revoke your license for whatever reason they desire? Am I the only one who finds this disturbing?
I think we've heard this with every Windows release since 2000.
"Oh, but this one will stop pirates."
"Oh, but this one will be much more secure."
"Yes, we'll play more nicely with the standards."
Frankly? I hope they make the anti-piracy measures 100% effective. More people might be pushed over the tipping point, and give Linux a try.
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Geeks with curiosity, knowledge and a hankering for tinkering have a choice.
Joe Muggle and his gramma and grampa don't have a choice. Not yet anyway.
Unless they buy a mac, that is. And then, they'll be at Apple's mercy.
The "Civilized World" jumped the shark ca. 1973.
M$ has all the right to do as they want, as you have the right to install whatever OS you want on your Computer.
Well, that leaves two options:
1) Their system is cracked. Then everything is as before and piracy runs rampant to the benefit of MS's monopoly.
2) Their system is not cracked, in which case people just stick with (cracked) XP for years to come. When they are finally forced to upgrade (by artificial planned obsoletion, of course), they either wait for a crack to be made (go to option 1) or finally dump Windows.
But I know people who will never pay for software. My hope is that by that time (>5 years from now) Linux will be a viable gaming platform, either sufficiently Windows-compatible, or with many Linux-native releases. Then everyone will just switch over, sooner or later.
I have had several genuine advantage bugs even on our volume license copies. If you switch out motherboards it sometimes thinks you stole the OS for no reason. I have also seen this happen to computers randomly, where one day it just decides your OS is pirated. And with Genuine Advantage Notifications it likes to remind you, a lot. With Vista your computer would just stop being useful, great. This really makes me angry and I wish Microsoft would stop stomping on their customers. Product Activation is horrible, Genuine Advantage is horrible and my guess it will only get worse as Microsoft thinks that by pissing everyone off they will somehow increase their profit. I feel really sorry for the smaller businesses that cannot afford Microsoft's horrible pricing for volume licensed products.
"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds, and the pessimist fears this is true." --James
Here is the official announcement made today by MS, if anyone cares. :P
I don't reply to Anonymous posts; if you have something to say to me, identify yourself or I won't reply.
I wouldn't have any problem with this provided that it:
a) Lets me do offline authentication in a non-cumbersome manner.
b) Lets me do (a) for, say, an officeful of machines... again in a non-cumbersome manner
c) Is accurate, and doesn't decide to accuse me (or my users) of pirating a copy that's actually legit
d) Doesn't require me to call microsoft, and either sit on hold, talk to some guy with a thick foreign accent, or talk to a bloody voice-agent...
e) For corporate, see (d), but I never want this to happen.... talking to VA's for multiple machines again and again sucks
f) Allows me to move to different hardware without breaking a-e
g) Doesn't decide that my copy is suddenly illegitimate for stupid reasons (like the date being wrong, like XP currently does)
h) Doesn't send any of my personal information home
I highly doubt that anyone could accomplish the above, because the simple fact is that anti-piracy and convenience are generally mutually exclusive, and strong anti-piracy seems to always end up with a stronger inconvenience to the customer (while the good pirated copies run just fine without).
I am a member of the Microsoft Action Pack (MAP) subscription. It comes with, among other things, 10 Windows XP Pro licenses. I am currently using only one Windows XP Pro license from my MAP subscription and the WGA Notification Tool flags it as counterfeit. Apparently Microsoft is distributing counterfeit copies of Windows XP Pro themselves. Of course, the WGA Notification Tool says that I owe Microsoft a wad of cash to get a "legal" copy. I got it from them, how can it not be legal?
My daughters have a computer direct from Dell. The hard drive went out. When I reinstalled Windows XP Pro on it using the activation code on the sticker, Activation flagged it as counterfeit. I had to call Microsoft and go through a long and complex process before I could get to a human who let me activate. Guess what, the new (refurbished) drive from Dell went out and I had to go through the whole process again. This time they asked some rather pointed questions, but eventually let me Activate.
I have told all of my clients *not* to accept the license agreement for the WGA Notification Tool. Too bad they won't have that option when Vista comes out.
Microsoft had better get its house in order with this WGA stuff or expect a huge class action suit. My understanding is that it is illegal to tell people that they owe you money when they do not.
this signature has been removed due to a DMCA takedown notice
I really don't think it will make a dent in MS's real piracy problem, anyway, which is CD manufacturing operations in places like Russia and China, not penny-ante copying by Uncle Fred. Yes, some corporates probably do make and use more installations than they pay for. If they put this in the corporate editions, though, the lawsuits when the first corporate customer is crippled by a "Genuine Advantage" malfunction should be entertaining. (Just think: Groklaw could become bigger than Google. [g])
But if I am in IE, in anything dating back to win98se, I can type in the address of what part of the computer I want to get to.
I wonder how they are going to curtail that, seeing as how IE is so tightly integrated with the rest of the OS?
So rise up, all ye lost ones, as one, we'll claw the clouds.
I can't believe why so many Slashdotters are complaining about the decision to limit internet access for a product that isn't activated/paid. Do you get better treatment at Wal-Mart for walking out with products that you ignored to pay for?
Microsoft is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on development and marketing of Vista, so it is only fair to ensure that piracy isn't as ongoing as it is today.
After all, it's your free choice to select from many other fully functional operating systems if you refuse to use Vista. Or even stick to a fully functional Windows XP.
Full Tilt
if someone hacked into Microsoft and changed the licance validator to reject all valid licenses. All copies of Windows would grind to a halt and ...
There is only one....
...because if the did (what I doubt), it might seriously force a lot of people into the free alternatives. I think M$ might find out that this wasn't so good of idea at all.
Vista stepped up to include all new anti-privacy measures. Microsoft execs will personally watch what you do with your unactivated copy of Windows and decide within the first few hours whether you will handle all your base over to them. If they suspect you of open source treachery, you license will be revoked, your GPU will be overclocked, and your laptop battery will explode.
I read that as:
"Vista to Include Stepped up Anit-Privacy Measures"
Nothing says it won't, but I was darned surprised that they'd have the gall to announce it as a feature!
Yes, I am a biological organism. All rumors to the contrary are just that, rumors.
I just wish people would use their evil powers for a good purpose. I want a worm that extracts the product activation code and emails it out to everyone on their Windows Address Book and Outlook Address Book contact lists. This would totally ruin Microsoft's activation scheme and then they'd have to remove it along with the other junk they've tacked onto it (Genuine Advantage).
"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds, and the pessimist fears this is true." --James
Now how do I tell the difference between a Windows crash and a licensing issue? Just want to make sure I'm cursing Bill Gate's name for the right reason.
Where thousands of copies of Windows are unknownly purchased but Microsoft does not actively try to refund them? I have a workstation right here that has a Windows key on it, but it runs Linux. (our SDK is linux only). Why hasn't Microsoft noticed that this product key was sold and never accessed their site, they know who bought the license they should just cut us a check.
Getting the actual windows refund is a lot harder now than it used to be. And with microsoft strong arming the industry to preload machines with Windows, I'm not sure why they are worried about piracy. If you bought a computer it probably has a legitimate copy of Windows on it (whether you want it or not). or am I wrong here?
Also, Vista isn't out yet? Will it support Duke Nukem Forever?
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
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.
I certainly hope that some big company gets its IT systems disabled by a bug in the restriction management and sues MS to hell and back. I know a few companies who'll suffer tremendous losses if their entire IT is down for a day or two.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
This will force those that illegally use Windows to switch to a REAL OS... Linux. :)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - The Celtic - =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Brilliant!!!
All it takes for one non-technical person to somehow get a machine with a pirated/falsely tagged copy and he/she will tell all friends that Windows looks like shit and doesn't support any word processors or games - only a web browser. I am just waiting for screenshots of the damage in a "I am a PC and I am a Mac" ad early next year. XP Activation screen was already "featured" in this WWDC keynote.
They need to adopt redhat's approach IMO. Offer some kind of Windows Support program, a phone line to answer retarded windows questions for old people. Then just sell the OS for say 80$ or something..
In other words, "Microsoft should lower prices".
A noble sentiment (Windows' prices are too high, but still worth it on some levels), but a bad way of putting it.
By summer it was all gone...now shesmovedon. --
Hopefully the inevitable dependence of Windows software on Vista will send a lot of pirates over to Mac OS X for x86, which has had its copyright protections nullified with ease at every new release. Hell, if Red Hat were smart they'd work some sort of DRM-lite into a new desktop version of Red Hat just to pick up some pirates.
It's draconian, sure, but you don't have to buy Vista.
The Microsoft tax has been repealed?
Coincidental, perhaps, but not ironic.
I am not a crackpot.
after all, most Windows users are already used to their OS curtailing their activities after an hour of uptime. So instead of being a bug . . . now this is a feature?
We saw it in the "war against terrorism" and we see it in the "war against piracy".
We're at a point where we have way too many false positives (this includes not only improperly flagged people, but also the extra hassle of activating, phone support etc. etc. etc.).
When this happens, there's either outrage pending (why I don't see this coming though: people are afraid and/or ignorant in both cases), or smoother reform from competition.
Just one thing is certain: this situation is NOT sustainable. Expect big changes in the next 3-4 years.
Microsoft can use any means to curtail the piracy of their OS, I simply don't care. I will continue to use my two (2) Windows 2000 licenses till they force me off of them. I'll just continue to use Linux as my primary OS. I only keep Windows 2000 around for a few legacy apps, Windows 2000 as far as I'm concerned was their last good OS, a major step from NT. But until I can find a 'legal' DVD player for Linux, and a good Linux version of MAME, Windows 2000 will be tucked away on a small partition just for these needs.
"I bow to no man" - Riddick
I'm not sure how you read it, and it's certainly open to interpretation, but I understood "the system will curtail functionality much further by restricting users to just the Web browser for an hour at a time" to mean, we will only allow you to use Internet Explorer, and we will only allow you to use that for one hour at a time.
As in, no Firefox, no Opera, no any-other-application-except-IE.
The computer effectively becomes nothing but a crappy time-limited, IE-only web kiosk.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
I read thiss headline twice as anti-privacy, and it made perfect sense!
I'm hoping that this proves to be 100% successful. I hope that it is impossible to find a cracked copy of Windows Vista. Why? 1) It's not just h4xx0r5 using illegal Windows anymore. I know tons of non-nerds that are currently using hacked XP. If they don't buy Vista, and M$ stops support for XP, it could open their minds to alternatives (a Slashdotter's dream), and (most importantly) 2) I bet over 90% of computer nerds haven't paid for their XP (I'm excluding OEM). If Vista can't be hacked, they won't pay for it. Why would Microsoft care? After all, they aren't making money off of them now, why would it matter with Vista? Because nerds are a majority of Microsoft's customer service staff. When someone's having computer problems, they don't call up Microsoft - they call the guy down the road that works at Best Buy. If he doesn't use Vista, it could "convert" more people. Of course, lots of people will still use OEMd Vista. But if this works, it could turn out being very bad for Microsoft.
I guess they are following the trend and missing the obvious.
For economic reasons, there is a maximum amount that people are willing to spend on software licences.
If you crack down on people making copies, that does not mean that they all rush out and pay for a new copy.
Some stick with what they have, some switch to Linux or ReactOS (eventually).
The copies served as free marketing. Some would get hooked and eventually buy a copy.
This is similar to music. Cassette/CD/MP3 copying did not kill buying music, it added to demand.
Too much copy-protection, drm and controls will not increase demand, and may actually decrease demand.
If you go to the MS web site and checkout Vista basic home it is basically for web browsing, chat and reading email according to them. I don't know if MS has crippled it in some way so that it is only useful for those items, but I think a lot of OEM's will include the Vista Basic home version and tell people if you want more you need to upgrade to Home Premuim or whatever.
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."
And, now this: AI in Vista dedicated to ensuring that the OS will be crippled if some algorythm is not satisfied.
I wonder how code we could find like that in Linux - oh... um... NONE. Gee - I wonder which operating system might be a better choice...
Hmmmm, let's do the math: Windows OS - $116 (Approx. base upgrade/OEM), MS Office $118 (Approx. base OEM), Anti-virus - $11 (Approx. base OEM), Setup and install - 2-3 hrs at, let's say $20/hr, Patches and updates - 2 hrs more @ $20/hr: Grand total: $305
Linux OS: 2 hrs install and config $40 (don't forget to used depricated hardware and save there too!)
Hey, all you bean counters out there - why the heel-dragging? Get your act in gear and MANDATE the move to Linux - you'll be heroes!!
*** Don't be dull.***
How does this make Microsoft any different from the writers of those blackmail viruses that encrypt your data and won't let you access it until you pay them?
Many small and medium sized companies don't use Enterprise licenses. In my experience they typically buy Dell/HP/IBM or just some noname PC boxen from the local computer store that offers the best price and use whatever version of Windows is pre-installed. This type of customer makes up a significant part of the Windows user base. I know for a fact that these types of companies are already getting pretty annoyed with WGA false positives. I have had to deal with two of those myself, at the same company (as a favor to a friend), on Dell PCs running a perfectly legitimate Windows instance. It will be interesting to see how these companies react when they replace a batch of, say... 10-12 worn out WinXP PCs out of their pool of say... 40 PCs with Windows Vista boxen and discover that the familiar "You may be a victim of software counterfeiting... blah... blah..." nag-screens have been replaced by Microsoft crippling the machine forcing them to make a call to Microsoft to get a new license key where some pimple faced Microsoft support worker will make them jump through hoops to prove they are not thieves. With any kind of luck this will cause Microsoft to finally hit the limits of how blatantly they can abuse their monopoly.
Only to idiots, are orders laws.
-- Henning von Tresckow
I think Vista will be the last OS Microsoft ever puts out.
Once Google releases an OS, it's over for Microsoft.
Modern copyright is theft of culture from everyone and it retards the progress of the useful arts and sciences.
License is as it does. M$ is free to do whatever it wants with its licenses. It's just a legal document! Guess what, by downloading xp and not paying for it and clicking thru the license when you install, you're breaking the license terms! Guess what, in Vista they're trying to make a consequence for that! Sounds fair to me: it's their company, their product, their license terms, their right to do what the heck they want with their stuff. If you didn't want to use it you'd be using Linux already.
for the "I keep a windows partition for games" crowd out there, are your games as free as your OS? Guess what, that's breaking their license rules too! Will you complain as loudly here if your favourite game's developer implements an insurmountable copy protection that negates your ability to acquire it on newsgroups or irc? How about Photoshop? Nero? Etc???
for the crowd that managed to say "ho hum" to this, congratulations! You're probably the software developer that understands not wanting your product stolen. ;) If you're working for OSS and use OSS, then fine; the understanding is that you don't mind other people downloading and using, that's the point of what you're doing. You're missing the point of MS being a company, they're in business to make money. If you don't want to pay for your software, then don't buy it and get something free with a license that says it's that. Don't complain about something that prevents you from stealing it though, that'd be like complaining about the Sensomatics at the record store.
My server is a linux server, but I use Windows on my desktop. I own my Windows licence and my server is just happy being Linux. Does this arrangement make me a bad person? I thought I was just following the rules as stated by the respective software packages' licenses...
You have 30 days to comply. enters cd key
You have 29 days to comply.
Awe, crap.
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.
If Microsoft spent all this money and time on DRM and Anti Piracy on actually improving the OS, making it quicker, more stable, and more usable, there wouldn't be such a market for Piracy. Increase the quality, drop the price a little, and I'm sure piracy would drop.
There will ALWAYS be piracy however, just as there will always be spam, and theft. If you give ANYTHING a value, at least some humans out there will try and get it for free.
Hell, maybe make a totally cut down version of vista thats 20-30 dollars, remove all but the basic features, allow users to get an OS on to their machine that doesnt cost an arm and a leg, and if they do need or want the extra things, pay for it.
Thats a business model that definately works. Look at cable tv.
Oh and another thing, what the hell is up with the DRM. If i buy an OS I want to be able to do what I want. If i get caught, i face the repercussions. Its not up to the OS manufacturer to impose third party restrictions on what YOU do with YOUR time. That is another subject for another time, and one of the reasons I won't be getting vista. I currently use windows 2003 server on my work PC, and it works, and works very well. No need to change.
Seriously, this is wonderful news! The more Microsoft screws its customers, the more likely they will be to seek out alternative solutions.
I've used GNU/Linux off and on for a few years for various and sundry purposes. Three weeks or so ago, I finally sat down, figured out what I need--and don't need!--from Windows, and made the switch completely. I installed Ubuntu, and so far, it's been relatively painless. For every program I thought I couldn't live without, I've found several that work just as well or better. It's got its quirks, but Windows doesn't, right? And thanks to Cedega, I'm still even playing City of Heroes. :-)
So personally, I hope they lock it down even more. I hope they develop uncrackable locks, and charge people out the wazoo for even thinking about booting up their computers that run Vista. I hope they make it so hard and painful to run software that people have no choice but to switch. For all of the Microsoft-bashers out there, it's a dream come true!
I also hope that they do manage to completely lock out all pirates of the OS. That way, when the 90% of the real world that can't afford Windows all start using an OS like GNU/Linux, its market share will pretty much relegate Windows to that quaint little OS that used to be popular before everyone realized that they could get a lot more without even having to pay for it!
On a related note, a buddy of mine just got a new job and he asked if he could use Linux on his workstation instead of Windows. They said, "As long as you can do your job, we don't care what you use." As more and more people do this, and companies realize that there is productive life after Windows and how much money they can save and how many problems they can avoid by moving out of the room with the 800-pound gorilla in it, I think you'll see things start to change dramatically for the better.
Now, if only they could develop uncrackable DRM that screws up everyone's players. Oh, wait, Sony's already done it! YAY!
FTA - "Reduced functionality mode has been a part of the initial Windows XP product activation process for retail and OEM (original equipment manufacturer) installations since its launch, and, similarly, Windows Vista will have a reduced functionality mode but one that is enhanced."
Enhanced reduced functionality?
Nobody is making you buy Vista.
This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
Microsoft said: "Windows Vista will have a reduced functionality mode but one that is enhanced." and just what the hell does that mean?
"No, no, no, don't tug on that! You never know what it might be attached to."
the only versions they'll ever sell are in new machines via the Microsoft tax.
,right? I saw numbers somewhere that 200 mln PCs are sold each year - give or take 100 mln but it is still a lot . In 5 years most everyone will have Vista simply because it came with their PCs (subtract the tiny minority of Macs , custom built boxes and those 4% of "desktop Linux year" boxes).
And you know that this is plenty
You know....I opted to pay Novell for a SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop OS that works pretty damn good. $50 bux and I am done. None of this BS where you can not put it on another machine when this one fails, you re-install, go online, and remove the dead hardware, and "entitle" the new hardware. Somewhat big brother-ish, but NO WHERE like M$! Not to mention, the 3D desktop with all the whirling and what not is just plain BADASS :o)
"My immediate reaction is "WTF? What kind of moron doesn't make things 64-bit safe to begin with?" Linus
Yeah, I remember. The first time I came across XP's activation was the last time I used Microsoft products in my home. Prior to that I had worked as a Windows developer for five years.
It was kinda coincidental timing. The business was on the rocks anyway and I, along with my boss, had come to the conclusion that the whole MS business model was just an outrageous scam. So, you could say I had a grudge, but the XP activation thing was the straw that broke the camel's back.
I was helping a friend transfer a big video project that he needed before he caught a flight and time was tight. I pulled my brand new XP drive where we had copied the project off of a stack of CDRs a few days earlier. We needed to copy it into another machine with an empty hard drive he had just bought for the flight and assumed he was going to take with him on his trip.
What's this? Product what? . . . Call Microsoft support? Fuck man.
The guy was bummed. It was a huge uncompressed 3D animation he had been working of for months and he needed it for a grad school interview two days later and three thousand miles away on the other side of the Pacific. Sorry dude. Maybe you could cancel your flight and apply to grad school again next year.
At first I was just disappointed and irritated but then later I realized this meant that if I had a virus I couldn't pull the drive and scan it in another machine like I had been doing for years prior to that point. That's when I said no freaking way.
I happened to stumble upon Knoppix about that time and to make a long story short I'm on a Knoppix machine at this very moment.
So, for some people, XP's product activation was indeed the last straw.
I recently increased the memory on my laptop, and voila, since my configuration is changed (WTF?!!!) i have to reactivate. Not only XP, but office as well, which btw requires the CD. I have to find my legal CD which I paid for, find my external cd, connect, and activate....
I should have used crack version...
Short Answer: no
Longer Answer: in an economic sense, and assuming that the firm seeks to maximize profits, the only "justification" necessary for a price is the fact that customers are willing to pay it - so, no
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.
No, no I don't.
Join Tor today!
This my friend is easy ... to change your CD key in Windows XP to a SP2 capable key.
... then goto run and type "cmd" then type cd \ then simply type cdkey (cdkey)
... then simply download The Full copy of SP2
:D activation issues getting you down then you can simply google up on how to remove the activations (it's as easy as a file replacement and a registry entry. Now you find your windows updates don't work ... that's as easy as replacing ONE file ... google the rest up or if you want i'll tell you how to do both.
Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 v2600.xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158
Serial:
s/n:7MD2F-FYJX4-D4R2B-3M7W2-DC9PD
s/n:WGQMG-3622W-4CPWB-YJP6W-RDWGJ
Microsoft Windows XP Profesional SP2 Corporate Edition
Serial:
yq7xw-qpt6c-233qf-rrxc7-vf7ty
x4ptj-6wp7j-bfvcy-wydjt-dmddk
3px6y-7htr8-4pvpq-pyfgk-grk3p
I would assume your running one of those 2 editions.
http://www.solosoft.org/~chris/cdkey.vbs
Download this and put it into your root of C
Without the brackets of course
If it works you should see nothing
It should work like a dream
Solosoft.org - Your Online Resource to Nothing
It makes no difference what MS does here; people won't become irritated with Vista's copy-protection methods, they'll continue buying/cracking the OS all the same. Some might move to Macs, a small minority might try moving to Linux (but then move back to XP soon after), a fraction might move to Linux and stay there, but the overwhelming majority will stick with Vista or XP.
I was surprised once when I read a Slashdotter actually comment how he thought XP's activation policy would cause a large shift to Linux, and was surprised when that didn't happen. Does anyone here actually live in the real world instead of geeks? People stick with what they know. The activation is fairly painless; people put up with it because the alternative was either non-existent (because they didn't know about Linux), or the alternative wouldn't be appropriate for whatever reason. I found it amusing how utterly out-of-touch some people here were about how far people will accept sticking to Windows. Vista (probably) won't be any different.
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!
Nah, they will just invent another crisis to keep the prices up. Much as the oil companies do.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
And they change your default site to the 'pay up buddy, we have your IP and know where you live' Vista ordering page.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Yes they can remotely kill your machines ( if they are getting updates, and are online ).
And how do you propose to stop the upgrade treadmill? Few OSX shops can survive as an island. Remember the new DRMized docuemnts coming to an email box near you soon? Unless you have the latest and greatest MSoffice, and properly 'keyed' you wont get to read that important document from your customer/supplier/attorney....
---- Booth was a patriot ----
I supposed your answer is better, that we continue in this nightmare limbo, where companies like Microsoft let people use pirated copies of their software (wink, wink!) as long as it suits their business purposes to gain almost a virtual monopoly, and then begins to really give them the shaft?
Or maybe you like the part where for people to get the fair use of software they pay for, they have to resort to using cracks and other things of dubious legality and motivation?
Or maybe it's the way you really dig the way that software developers compelled to write software for an operating system that's closed and very non-conducive to write software for because that's where the marketshare is, thanks to unethical business practices?
Or perhaps you're just one of those misguided people who thinks, "who cares if we don't have free software and Uncle Bill tracks everything we do, as long as I'm not personally being sued, the rest of the world be damned!"
And the question that's burning on my mind, of course, is how the hell did Steve Ballmer get mod points?
Not every install of a product is illegal even though it isn't activated. Essentially I take it that if you don't activate your product in 30 days you are to be considered illegal. The vast majority of users have no idea when and/or if their software is illegal.
Questions for me remain about how they will determine the illegal nature of the software. How often will they check. Looking back at their genuine advantage notification program it was a piece of shit that only the lowest form of life would have though up and/or sanctioned. That's my opinion. Your's may vary. It was deceptive in how they put it on and it was deceptive in what they were collecting and how they were operating. It also opened up the door for alot of other companies to copy Microsoft, hence you might have 10-20 different programs monitoring your computer software use and then reporting back to their servers. Microsoft is no more entitled to put their crap on my computer than any other software vendor is so that just opens a pandora's box. Give them license to do it and you give license to every other software vendor to do the same thing.
Microsoft isn't particularly bright. 40% of those identified as invalid were actually valid. How many of the Vista copies will be considered invalid and still be valid?
What Microsoft seems to forget is that there is no compelling reason to purchase or upgrade to Vista. XP is a solid OS which meets the requirements of the vast majority of the world's users. If Vista had some die for feature or they had some features that were critical or even compelling in some minor way maybe most people would be justified in opening their computers up to Microsoft's heavy handedness. The new version of the OS just has nothing of any real value for the average user to justify the exceptionally high cost of the software (even in upgrade), the enormous cost in hardware upgrades required, and then the repurchasing of software that is more than adequate for what we have today.
If you look at any software product that might be developed for Windows Vista you'll probably not find a single one that has any real upgrade value. What more can you do to an elephant other than feed it more and hope it grows? The beheamouth software of today doesn't need to torture our computers more in the future by adding bloat when everything is in them.
When we had the changeover from DOS to Win 3.x we had reason to upgrade. Protected mode applications, cooperative multitasking, memory management, consistent interface, etc. Everyone could learn the basics of a GUI and they'd have a chance at using any given software product that came out for the OS. When Windows 95 came out it gave us preemptive multitasking and a new interface with alot of major changes that helped in networking, and maintenance. You weren't forced to put up with any Microsoft bullshit about activation, DRM, lockouts, spyware, etc. It did have problems with the system resources, just as 98 and ME had that followed it.
2k and XP were great upgrades to the OS. Alot of existing hardware worked and worked well. It was well designed and it protected applications from crashing the whole OS. There were some seriously compelling reasons to upgrade to 95, 98, 2k, and XP. But Vista just doesn't have it. Even their security features beg the question about what will happen to XP's security once Vista is out. Will Microsoft extort our purchase of Vista by not protecting XP as well as they did Vista? It is mostly Microsoft's fault that XP has the problems they have today and by all measure the security in Vista has never been guaranteed to protect us any more. It hasn't even been hinted at. Right now Microsoft could say XP is the most secure OS on the market (whether that is true or not), just as they will say that Vista is the number one secured OS. Neither would be correct. The fact remains that if they believe it they will try to sell it.
From all that I have read people are able to hack the kernel already in Vista. T
You can lead a man with reason but you can't make him think.
but I do not see a worthless hack brand here. You are not carrying that item."
These stories are free but worth money.
When everybody has to shell out for Windows, the attractiveness of Linux increases a lot. However, I doubt very much that it will stop pirating. It may delay the the release of an unlocked version by a few hours at most...
Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
So you despise Windows, Linux, and OS X for your desktop. Thanks for letting us know that you are just one of those people that bitches about everything. :)
Unreal Tournament 2003, Unreal Tournament 2004, Quake 3, Quake 4 and Doom 3 on Linux do not require the CD while playing. I would expect Enemy Territory Quake Wars to be the same way.
Fully legit, fully working.
Linux can be cool in very surprising ways sometimes.
Just because you get modded "insightful" on Slashdot doesn't mean you actually are in real life.
There will be usable keys posted within a week of Vista's release. Just like there are hundreds+ of working XP keys now. If you get a corporate key, M$ doesn't know where that corp has all their boxes. How are they going to defeat this?
I don't really care because I will never use it but a lot of folks do care.
Professional Politicians are not the solution, they ARE the problem.
The first thing I had to do when the computer was new was to type in the key on the top of the computer. It activated fine--it was when the drive went bad that I had problems.
I am an OEM builder myself (How did I end up with a Dell? Long story short, it was a gift...), and what you describe would be against the OEM agreement on the Windows XP OEM packaging. Of course, Dell can demand a different deal than I get, I suppose.
Also, it does not explain how it is that the WGA Notification Tool accuses my MAP copy of being pirated!
this signature has been removed due to a DMCA takedown notice
fadeware will never catch on.
They're using their grammar skills there.
This "license server" is going to basically crush Vista sales in the enterprise sector. They'll run XP until MS gives up supporting it, and even then they might keep it going.
I know we won't be running it with this in place any time soon. We have roughly 2000 PCs at any one time running Windows XP in the hands of College students. I can see if we switch to Vista one of our "WaReZ d00dZ" students putting our key on the net or getting infected by some key stealing trojan, and suddenly, we got to deal with 2000 PCs shutting down and 2000 irate students ringing the support phone off the hook. Yeah! that sounds like fun! That wouldn't be a Tech Support Nightmare or anything! On the bright side, I wouldn't fear Hell anymore because I'd be pretty sure that's exactly what it would be like.
2003 server will sell even less with this. I don't know about most admins, but I can bet they don't like the fact that Microsoft can basically flip a switch and BAM, all your mission critical servers are useless.
This is definitely a Lawsuit or a Mac Exodius waiting to happen for Microsoft. Hopefully they see it that way.
In Soviet Russia, Trojan exploits YOU!
The more you tighten your grip, Ballmer, the more Computers will slip through your fingers...
and then how would be able to play any games?
My completely spiteful answer is I hope that M$ loses as much money as possible through whatever means possible, including piracy and customers lost due to stupid and inaccurate anti-piracy measures such as this.
Why do I wish them so much ill, do you ask? Because I've probably bought around 6-8 copies of Windows that I will NEVER use. I was FORCED to buy them due to Microsoft's predatory marketing practices, which forbid all of the major OEMs (which have the best prices by far--even for desktops, nowadays it's usually significantly cheaper to wait for a good Dell deal than to build from scratch) from selling desktops and laptops without a copy of Windows.
Our justice system has failed us. They convicted MS of monopolistic practices and utterly failed to do anything about it, and I've indirectly paid hundreds of dollars in license fees I am NOT using (I use Linux exclusively, except for a single gaming box.) They include BULLSHIT, UNENFORCABLE crap like "you may not resell this OEM copy", even though this clearly violates the first sale doctrine, and yet shitheads like eBay go along with it and won't let you sell your OEM copies of Windows. And it gets even better--now many OEMs (like Dell) don't give you any reinstallation CDs--you don't even have the option to make your own, anymore. So, even if I did use Windows, I'd be forced to use a pirated copy when it comes time to reinstall windows (and don't give me that "it's stable now!" crap. I have XP and while it's lightyears ahead of 9x, you most certainly can NOT use it regularly for YEARS without experiencing significant slowdowns and other problems, often unresolvable by malware removal programs.)
So, in conclusion: fuck Microsoft. They've stolen hundreds of dollars from me personally (and God knows how much nationally or worldwide), so don't expect me play fair if and when I'm ever forced to use Vista in the future.
...until you want to buy a laptop, that is. What the hell are you gonna do, build one from scratch? Buy one (for hundreds more) from one of the few small-time retailers that aren't subject to the M$ tax?
Why buy the latest development release of this OS ? I have downloaded and installed vista RC1 which is from my understanding stable as i have had no issues so far. There are patches thanks to the h@cker D00ds that allow you to keep it. If i get the latest dev version them im gonna get all the anti piracy measures right ?
The OEM system install is the gold standard for the home and SOHO markets.
No one gives a damn about the Microsoft Tax.
What sells Vista is the thought of your first significant home hardware and software upgrade in five years. The dual core CPU. The big SATA hard drive. The wide-screen monitor. Etc., etc.
And the more annoying and intrusive Vista gets the more people people will consider Mac and Linux.
Activation. One click. Done. Forgotten. Never to be heard from again. Ordinary users rarely crack open the box to do anything more adventurous than snap in more RAM or reset a video card.
Other than those forced to buy Vista with a new machine, who's going to buy it?
Upgrade packages for Windows generally rank high on the software sales charts. The reality is that Windows users do upgrade once a new OS becomes established.
Bah, I'm using Ubuntu anyway. Microflop can keep their viruses and bsods for all I care.
Karma: Bad is the liberal way of saying this guy won't drink the kool aid here on slash dot. I wear my Karma with pride
Where, if you try to run an activation with an 'invalid' code, it just doesn't let you on the system any more?
Another non-functioning site was "uncertainty.microsoft.com."
The purpose of that site was not known.
I live in Ethiopia which is considered one of the poorest country in the world. The average salary is $100.00/year. About a year ago, I went to local a major computer brand authorized dealer and told them that I want to purchase a new computer. One of the question they asked me was what kind of software will I need on my new machine. I then asked them if there will be extra charge for extra software but they indicate to me there will not be extra charge for additional software. Of coruse, I was told I will not get CDs but they will sure install it for me for free. Yesterday, I needed my XP SP2 CD but I couldn't locate it. So, once again I went to a local computer store. The price was 25.00 birr ($3.50US). Well, to make the story short I ended up getting XP SP2 Pro for $3.50US.
1: an unhacked copy of OSX will not install on non-apple hardware.
2: i belive some versions of OSX shipped with machines won't install on older machines (so you can't buy a new mac and use its install CD to upgrade older macs)
i don't belive they do anything to stop you buying one upgrade and using it on multiple macs.
note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
Do you know how hard it is to build an OS?
Building an OS is no trivial matter for any company, not even Google. It is "trivial" when you can control everything about the hardware it's going to run on (for example, OS X being supported exclusively on Apple computers), but when you're trying to build an OS like Windows, which is supposed to run everywhere, the effort takes years, a lot of money, a lot of developers and cooperation with other peripheral-making companies (which you have to convince first). It is a race that Google will not go into, I believe. Think about the fact that even if Google started developing an OS to compete with Microsoft today, they would have to both make a good OS *and* a better one in the same time that Microsoft has to just improve their own current OS. Even if Google is much more efficient than MS at designing and coding, do you still think they can do it?
Their search engine is used by everyone because it's a service which runs on their own servers, where they can control everything. I'd say that building an OS (probably one of the most complicated kinds of client-side software that exists), is at least one order of magnitude more difficult...
The AACS key is NOT 0xF606EEFD628B1CA427BEA93A9CA9773F
I'm sorry but I simply do *NOT* accept that there is any consumer product out there that is a "must have" product and that if you object to the way a product is sold, it's price or it's copy protection mechanisms then the solution is quite simple - DON'T BUY IT!!! In this good old capitalist society of ours, nothing sends a stronger message to any money-making corporation quicker than a drop in sales.
And please, let's hear none of this "there's no point in my not buying product X because everyone else will buy it" defeatist attitude because that is playing completely into the hands of the greedy corporations that just want to crowbar more and more money out of you. The simply matter of fact is that if you pick up a product in a shop and look at its price tag, the only question you need to ask yourself is whether or not that product, and the restrictions around it, are worth the price being asked for it. If not, put it back on the shelf...
If you don't like what protection Microsoft has put around Vista then don't use it - either stick with what you have or get off your fat, bloated consumer backside, buy a book and start teaching yourself how an alternative, free OS works because, with a little effort on your part, you *DO* have alternatives to the "Microsoft Way".
And likewise, if you go into a music store and buy a CD that (due to convenient small print) you did not realise was a copy protected one which does not play on your PC or in your car then *TAKE IT BACK*!!! You walk right up to the counter, hand the CD back to the sales person, tell them it does not do what you expect a CD to do and demand either a non-protected version or your money back. I've done this on a number of occasions now, even demanded to speak to the store manager, and have always got a refund.
And no, I haven't immediately gone back home and downloaded the same CD from the Net - by that point I'm so hacked off that a favourite artist or band of mine can allow a fan like me to be treated like a criminal that I lose all interest in that piece of music anyway.
Rather than wasting energy on these endless anti-piracy arguments, take some *DIRECT POSITIVE ACTION* which, in the longer term, will make things better for all of us consumers.
Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
There's a fix for your OS X navigation issues... Just install quicksilver
:)
I used to know where stuff was on my mac and how to find stuff, then I started using Quicksilver. The other day I was trying to do something on my wife's machine nad I ended up having to install quicksilver first. It's so slick and simple to use that it makes me lazy
I spent $1,800 on a B/W G3 450 mhz tower in 1998. It ran every version of OS X until I bought a powerbook last year. I was doing video editing with that slug using Final Cut Pro 3. The models you're referring to are an extreme minority of all MACs released in the last 9 years.
Seth
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
Plus, isn't this the company that is known for some incredible goofs in its public release versions?
**At a investigative hearing**
"So, the Life support software was running on Windows Vista."
"Yes, Sir."
"And an outside attacker shut down the whole hospital for two hours because of a microsoft measure meant to stop pirated sales."
"Yes, Sir."
"But your copy is legal?"
"Yes. Here is the purchase receipt, here is the authentication sticker, here is the shrinkwrapped CD."
"So how did this happen?"
"Because the external attacker tricked the machine into believing it was stolen".
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
It means your user experience, whilst being limited, is going to be better than anything else on the planet.
/needs/ limiting so there's nothing to compare it with.
That is effectively true as well, because no other OS
See? Marketspeak 101.
(yes, tongue very firmly in cheek..)
Insert
Hundreds more than what? I can get Benq laptops with linux preinstalled for around $400. Welcome to the future.
Something bad is coming when people are suddenly anxious to tell the truth.
Anti-piracy, anti-copy, drm and shit ? This is what vista is all about ?
Why the talk of "stepping up" measures ?
Vista is itself a measure in its entirety. In fact, it is only a measure.
Read radical news here
I have a legit copy of Windows XP Pro, and I went to re-install it on a new laptop (my old one crapped out) and I tried to activate it and Windows was all "This key has already been activated" and then to call the buggers would probably cost money and lots of time. I threw it away and installed Linux. I am telling you now, I bet their stupid anti-piracy crap will falsely accuse people of being pirates so much that we will see a class action lawsuit. Remember, you heard it on /. first!!!
Give me something that does not require my machine calling home.
And give me something that once I bought it is no longer MS's damn bussiness to be checking my machine.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
...there's no cheesy midi loops.
Obligatory Soundbite Catchphrase
The MAFIAA is a bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first up against the wall when the revolution comes
Link? Specs? I don't see any laptops on their official site.
Apparently those of us that have purchased volume licenses will now have to run some kind of auth key server to take away the pain of authorization. I bet anything they will charge for teh necessary tools to "manage" legitimate licensing on their behalf. Typical. The more of their stuff you use the more of their stuff you "have" to use. These bastards seem to think we have nothing but spare time to enforce their intellectual property rights. No offence to alternative lifestyle enthusiasts, but, to quote Jeff Spicoli, "Those guys are fags!". This may come as a shock to the powers that be at Microsoft, but I have better things to do with my time. They need to get over themselves. Their stuff is just not that great, and incredibly nauseating to manage. Linux or OS X is looking better and better all the time.
Actually, ironic. From wikipedia:
Irony is a literary or rhetorical device in which there is a gap or incongruity between what a speaker or a writer says, and what is understood.
So Microsoft spends all of it's time saying how great Vista will be, and they are taking measures to make it's proper use more enforceable, yet we all know that it will be a matter of days before the software's protection mechanism is exploited. Hence, it actually sucks.
You are checking your backups, aren't you?