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Black Screens For Unauthorized Copies of Windows
arcticstoat writes "In a bid to deter people from using pirate versions of Windows XP, Microsoft is now updating its Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) tool to introduce a few uncomfortable niggles for users of pirated versions of Windows. These include replacing the desktop wallpaper with a black screen every 60 minutes, although you can still replace it with your wallpaper of choice in the intervening period. As well as this, copies of Windows deemed to not be genuine will also have a translucent watermark above the system tray, which Microsoft calls a 'persistent desktop notification.'"
Trying to push people who aren't paying for their products away?
God forbid any company do such a thing! IT'S THE FREELOADERS THAT MAKE THIS COUNTRY FREE!
Seriously, if they don't like Vista, the best thing for them is to either a: buy XP or b: get smart, enterprising geeks like yourself to help them with this "linux thing".
If they like it, use it! It's good for people to use what they like!
Some people won't like it, and they'll decide not having a crappy (to them) experience is worth the X$ MS wants to charge them or the Y$ it costs for a Mac.
But for fuck's sake, don't act like pushing people who didn't pay for the right to use your product away is a bad thing.
Windows XP doesn't "just work".
I've installed linux many times on many different pieces of hardware. More often than not, especially on oem machines, you put the CD in, hit install, and you're ready to roll. All your hardware works, and you can just start using your computer. With Windows XP, you'd better have all your drivers available on a CD, because your network, video, sound, and input devices will all be yellow question marks in the device manager when you reboot. Not just that, you'd better hope they work as expected. I just re-installed XP recently, and the sound on my nforce still doesn't work. The drivers just didn't catch on.
It's been a long time.