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Windows 7 Leaked To Pirates By Microsoft?
nandemoari writes "The beta version of Windows 7 has been widely distributed through torrents and other file sharing systems. But now some commentators claim Microsoft deliberately allowed the package to get into the hands of pirates. 'I'm not being critical here, as some Microsoft Watch commenters will surely claim. It's rather smart marketing. Microsoft fills a big news void with something bloggers and journalists will write about. The suspense of stealth downloads from torrents and races to post the best screenshots first make the Windows 7 leak buzz all the more exciting. For other people, there is delight in seeing Microsoft squirm because Seven leaked early. Not that I see much squirming going on.'"
The copy which is available has a built-in 30 day time limit and, unlike previous editions of Windows 7, 'enthusiasts' don't seem to have found a way around this yet. While this is pretty normal practice for test editions, it would make it possible for Microsoft to leak the software without it affecting the final product.
Anyone tried to reset the clock yet?
On another note, since virtually all of the market for MS Vista is folks who buy a new computer (that isn't a Mac), what good is it to MS to offer something like this up? Is it in the hope that developers will bite? Is this some attrition for Vista?
Prediction: The real iPhone killer is going to be sex robots from Japan. Think about it.
These pirate trackers also have working versions of both XP and Vista that have working Microsoft validation. Supposedly this isn't possible, Microsoft is tracking re-used keys, etc etc - except that the pirates have found a way around it, and all those pirate distributions of XP that come bundled with tools like Adobe and Nero all can be patched using Microsoft Windows Update.
I wouldn't touch them with a 10-foot pole, even if they were reviewed file for file for viruses and you ran a firewall that blocked outbound connections like Comodo or Zonealarm, because if they want to create a zombie machine, they'll do it using SSL for the control channel.
Windows 7 can't be patched online yet, but after release if these sites have copies that can be, then I doubt Microsoft would be so happy.
As to whether or not this is some MS developers idea of a viral marketing campaign: we give those guys in redmond too much credit. I don't think they like seeing it in the wild, esp. with the comments flowing in about how it's no better than Vista.
Though for different reasons, this was tried before.
Because the clever marketing people who 'leaked' the beta do not communicate with the licensing and piracy teams.
Guess we're again seeing that any PR is good PR. W7 is getting 'geek' exposure while it's still sounding squirreled up in development. Cruise various forums and blogs, early feedback from the tech-savvy. Makes enough sense to some of us. Whether or not this was planned very far up the line is a good question, but it's not too bad. If the source, rather than a distro was released, OTOH...
The kicker is that the baseless claim she made was that Microsoft did something to whore attention without any fundamental basis ("performance improvements"!?! Where is that new filesystem we were promised back in 2001?)
OH THE IRONING!
I wouldn't touch them with a 10-foot pole, even if they were reviewed file for file for viruses and you ran a firewall that blocked outbound connections like Comodo or Zonealarm, because if they want to create a zombie machine, they'll do it using SSL for the control channel.
This is why (if you have any sense) you either:
A - Run Windows in a VM and only turn on networking when you need it (VMs also have the added advantage of being able to revert to snapshots, in case anything untoward happens).
or B - Only plug in the network cable when you need to.
I seriously cant imagine anyone stupid enough to run a pirated OS on a box with 24/7 Internet connection (the risks are just too high).
I speak and work with one of the main PR reps who works on the Windows 7 account. Without going into any details, the leaked build was officially sent to a group of testers about a month ago, to ensure that it'd work for the media release/update of the latest build Windows 7 at CES.
I know he's a little upset with the group since it was supposed to be confidential, but with all the positive reviews he's not too peeved.
Conspiracy theories of mythical "pirate" rootkits aside, the source of these installations that require no activation or cd key is from Microsoft themselves. They released this version to Universities who have licensed with MS to provide copies of Windows to all their students. They couldn't be bothered to make a system to issue/track cd keys so they released it without a need for any.
1) It's Microsoft. Frequently, left hand and right hand are barely acquainted. And in this case, they've probably deliberately been kept apart.
2) Like a magician, they're making a big show to distract you, so you don't notice what they're up to with their other hand.
3) They have to be SEEN to be doing the right thing, even if they're not. And they wouldn't be alone in this, there's a lot of ot about. Can somebody remind me of the fairly well-known American band whose album got leaked before release to torrent sites last year, causing takedown notices aplenty, only for it to transpire that the person who leaked it was their manager?
If it's given to you by the company who wrote it is it still piracy?
There's one thing you're not quite taking into consideration: patents. MS can't release anything in any form (including beta) and then file for a patent. They need to file for the patents first, and only once the paperwork hits the US PTO can they release a beta.
They may have a claim here that they didn't really release it, so it probably won't count against them when it comes time to file patents.
I am seriously amazed this is news. This has been happening almost as long as piracy has been around. I used to release for several groups, and helped run sites. We had several people who were friends with industry people (sometimes software producers (but this was rarer), mostly movies/music/tv). This is how we got PRE's ages before the movie/album/show was released. There were instances of people stealing the property, but this was unsustainable and so those people were only able to provide us with 1 or so releases. The people who continually delivered were often from the marketing/producers/execs from the big parent companies and similar. However, there were some people who worked in development, or at cd presses, however this was a much smaller subset of releasers, as this section always got the most scrutiny on security.
I am perpetually amazed by how little people actually know about the scene. It provides us with so much awesome, yet very few people understand it.
You're a little too paranoid.
I trust the pirates and torrents FAR more than the software companys.
One works to screw me over all the time. The other has never let me down.
Metamoderation seems to be broken. All I ever get is a bunch of unmoderated comments, with poorly-defined +- options. If the comments are not yet moderated it is hardly metamoderation.
Well to be honest, I'm looking forward to seeing what Microsoft can do with Win7. The "modular" approach they've taken with Windows Live services is a great start. There's nothing wrong with taking a little inspiration from Linux or OS X for certain features if they can turn around Vista's shortcomings. I say bring it on!
My mantra regarding betas is always: let's wait and see...
There is no knowledge that is not power.