Slashdot Mirror
Anti-Piracy Windows 7 Update Phones Home Quarterly
Lauren Weinstein sends in news of a major and disturbing Microsoft anti-piracy initiative called Windows Activation Technologies, or WAT. Here is Microsoft's blog post giving their perspective on what WAT is for. From Lauren's blog: "The release of Windows 7 'Update for Microsoft Windows (KB71033)' will change the current activation and anti-piracy behavior of Windows 7 by triggering automatic 'phone home' operations over the Internet to Microsoft servers, typically for now at intervals of around 90 days. ... These automatic queries will repeatedly — apparently for as long as Windows is installed — validate your Windows 7 system against Microsoft's latest database of pirated system signatures (currently including more than 70 activation exploits known to Microsoft). If your system matches — again even if up to that time (which could be months or even years since you obtained the system) it had been declared to be genuine — then your system will be 'downgraded' to 'non-genuine' status until you take steps to obtain what Microsoft considers to be an authentic, validated, Windows 7 license. ... KB971033... is scheduled to deploy to the manual downloading 'Genuine Microsoft Software' site on February 16, and start pushing out automatically through the Windows Update environment on February 23. ... [F]or Microsoft to assert that they have the right to treat ordinary PC-using consumers in this manner — declaring their systems to be non-genuine and downgrading them at any time — is rather staggering." Update: 02/12 02:08 GMT by KD : Corrected the Microsoft Knowledge Base number to include a leading 9 that had been omitted in the pre-announcement, per L. Weinstein.
The Autodesk opinion is calling you a fucking idiot liar. When you purchase software, you OWN that copy of the software forever.
http://bit.ly/ct8D08 (that is to lawupdates.com)
Where do you people come up with this foolishness? So, you put up your corporation and I will raise you an opinion that really matters.
It never ceases to amaze me how arrogant the linux community is. Have you not considered that most users fall into one or more of these categories: 1) Window DOES work for them just fine 2) Windows is PREFERED over another solution 3) this update will not impact them.
Na... it can only be that they're abused.
Just to throw this at you... I actually LIKE the Sony products I've purchased as well, which includes a receiver, three TVs, two laptops, a PSP and a PS3.
I know, I'm abused and deluded... because YOU don't think MS nor Sony could possibly make something people would want.
From everything I read on Slashdot, I've concluded the people here are so far detached from reality that they have no idea just how bad Ubuntu is compared to Windows 7. Really.
Sorry, how is that a scam? Because the OEM's dont provide a CD, (or non destructive CD, as the case may be)?
Because microsoft decided to have 2 versions with Xp and like 10 with vista/7?
Have you ever tried to repair an OEM machine? You cant just use a normal XP cd on that. Often times its much easier just to install a corporate copy, then to try and find whatever magic cd the OEM has decided to use. The user just wants their computer to be up and running again. What would you have the tech do? call dell and get them to ship a new XP cd, wait several weeks for it to arrive, come back and slot the CD only to be told that it whipes the entire hard drive? fat fucking chance! Especially when they know their non professional "technical" friend can reload it in a few hours. This is common knowledge now.
Its 100% microsofts fault. They are the only scammers here. They colluded with the OEMs to make the systems difficult to repair, forcing you to go out and buy another copy retail. The technician installing a pirated copy has the same interest as the consumer in mind - fixing the damn computer, getting people working again and not having to charge an arm and a leg. if microsoft wants to get in the way of that at every conceivable opportunity - well then whoes fault is that???
Microsoft needs to drop the whole TIERED model of software functionality. Release a completely seperate product, ala MCE if you want. What you don't do is make 10 fucking versions of the same OS, but some more crippled then others. Consumers don't know how to buy and OS, or the difference between remote desktop versions. The differences in these artificial demarcations are often trivial or ridiculous. The customer just wants the same shit that everyone else has (read: compatibility). The more microsoft "diversifies" their shit, the more consumers will get fed up with it and switch to MAC OS, which is already happening and even worse for computer evolution - but thats an entirely different flame. For their part, OSX doesn't even NEED a cd key. Apple does occasionally do a few things right.
As a potential lottery winner, I totally support tax cuts for the wealthy
My company has a couple of products that require activation, but only when we're backed into a corner and have absolutely no choice.
So you're just a hypocrite then ?