The call is the result of hitting an abitrary limit on the number of online activations, and waiting on hold during peak hours. The duration of the actual conversation is usually 5 minutes, including ranting about craptivation.
Well, to be fair, Linux is the same way. Well that's not quite true; both nautilus and konqueror will display SOME of the folder contents while it's loading, but only a tiny portion, then freeze as you wait and wait and wait for the rest of the folder contents to load. This isn't a Windows-only flaw; it's a quality inherent in accessing CIFS shares over a slow WAN, regardless of OS or file manager. What WOULD help is if the file managers were fully multithreaded.
Yes. However, Microsoft has stated that they're in a mad rush to compile and ship Windows Se7en to replaced the failed abortion that Vista is.
Seriously though, what the hell are they thinking? A public beta, minus GUI changes that are not significant, then the general release? That does not live up the standard definition of Beta, certainly not the one endorsed by Microsoft Publications. Do they even glance at the software development model books they publish?
I'd vote for another "feature" to be removed even before DRM: activation. Granted, Activation is DRM but it's specific to Windows registration.
Why?
Activation has not deterred "piracy" (arrr!) in the least; if you visit any torrent site you will see many torrents of "activation cracked" Windows XP and Vista. When I reinstall Windows XP or Vista and need to install updates for testing client projects, I need to activate Windows; This requires a 20-minute call to the Activation hotline each time. This is even with the MSDN version, which allows for 10 concurrent installs on separate workstations (PER subscription - I have three subscriptions, which allows me 30 seats). I should never, ever have to call in to activate Windows for a distribution which is intended to be frequently reinstalled.
Every time I have to call Microsoft about anything, or any time they ever call me, I rip the rep a new one about the activation scheme. I refer them to the torrent sites and pointedly ask them why I should be penalized with this activation scheme when I paid literally THOUSANDS for Microsoft Windows while non-paying ("pirate") users don't encounter any inconvenience at all. I ask them why I should buy genuine Windows when the counterfeit is actually SUPERIOR to the "genuine" product.
I also drop the L-word every time they call me; it is a five-letter word which has Microsoft shaking in their boots. I inform them that Windows only hangs around for Quickbooks, Adobe's creative suite, and for Windows development projects, and that our servers and the workstations for day-to-day productivity run Linux. It's a better solution which requires less downtime (er, "scheduled maintenance windows" in Microsoft-speak - redefining "downtime" is how they boast less downtime in their marketing drivel), requires less resources, and maintenance can be fully automated - and administered remotely via a command line shell. In fact, I have scripts running in nagios to automatically correct many minor faults and warning conditions should they occur.
The reps are usually apologetic but does upper management have ANY clue?
We sell systems with Windows preinstalled - many to the DoD however I flatly refuse to become a Windows OEM. I'd rather pay $10 to $15 more to continue buying from the distributors I'm buying from because the OEM agreement is 100% one-sided. Why should I give Microsoft permission to enter my office at-will? They won't find license violations - they'd probably claim 'patent infringement' however since I run the F/OSS distros I don't have RedHat or Novell covering my back.
My mail server is currently scalix (probably going to switch to Openxchange soon since Scalix has stagnated with Xandros' buying them out - I needed a single support incident but they sell them only in blocks of five - forget Scalix! I dug in and fixed the problem myself, although it probably cost me more time than it was worth).
Microsoft really needs to consider long-term impact of how "anti-piracy" features devalue their products compared to the counterfeit options. and how IT personnel recommendations are going to affect adaptation of their future offerings. Hell, as it is Vista was as close to stillborn as a monopoly OS can get. People buy it only because Worst Buy, Circuit City, etc. did not offer a choice. I've had quite a few customers call me and ask if I can still get Windows XP (Yup! Sure can, and because I didn't ever sign the OEM agreement I can legally purchase OEM Windows and resell it without hardware, per first sale doctrine) and I've UP-graded (not downgraded) them from Vista to XP.
Having said that, I'm ordering a new notebook - either a Dell E6500 or M4400 (the Precision is tempting because of the workstation chipset and I'll still get decent runtime with the power slice!) and it's going to come with Vista Ultimate + Windows XP down^H^H^H^Hupgrade rights. It's more than enough to run Vista well (It should run even better than my desktop workstation runs Vista) but 300GB of the drive will be L
"'Carrying around an iPhone in Japan would make you look pretty lame.'"
God, how I wish I could get that Japanese cellphone with built-in 3" TV (Panasonic P905i) because I've always chosen cellphones out of regard of what Japanese teenagers might think of me!:-p
Sorry, I'll just stick with the iPhone, and upgrade to a phone based on Android when it matures. I would have love to have gone with an openmoko phone but that platform was pretty much stillborn.:(
Japanese cellphones are way way ahead of ours? Next thing you know, you'll be telling us that third-world countries have faster interweb access than we do - without bandwidth caps. This is old news.
The only reason I'd want Futurama in HD is to see Amy's erotic tattoo.;-) Other than that, will HD make much of a difference? It's an animated series and even on a 1080i set I don't care whether or not there are minor jaggies and upscaling artifacts. I'd watch Futurama even if it were broadcast in 320x240 resolution.
That is not to say I dislike HD programming - I do like it, but I still stand by my opinion that HD does not make poor writing watchable. I don't like "reality TV" shows (a relative was on one and I still have not seen it. I refuse to watch such drivel!) and no resolution, bitrate, or other visual improvements will entice me to watch it.
What DO I like HD for? Cooking shows, documentaries, and so forth, and of course, movies. However, most TV series and movies are just fine in standard def. The primary reasons I'm upgrading all my sets to high-def are:
* increased size (good CRTs were not available any larger than what I purchased ten years ago. There were a couple of larger models but they had terrible failure rates)
* aspect ratio - the widescreen aspect ratios are more "natural"
* flat screens free up a LOT of space
* ease of integration with PCs, not to mention supporting either 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 natively
I bought all the Futurama DVDs. I won't be wasting money on the blu-ray releases unless they provide additional commentaries, additional episodes, or something else that is otherwise compelling.
However, a new Futurama season? Who didn't see that coming? Fox has had to eat crow when it came to Futurama (Adult Swim and then Comedy Central proved Fox wrong when Futurama topped the ratings for the re-runs, and when the DVDs became best sellers), Family Guy (DVDs became best sellers), and Arrested Development (DVDs were best sellers, now they have a film coming out). It is also worth pointing out that all of those shows are series that Fox execs intentionally went of their way to sabotage due to corporate politics, and yet their popularity has endured, forcing Fox to begrudgingly admit their mistake and allow production of more episodes/movies/etc.
Firefly? Not so much - the reason is its target demographic (Sci fi fans) were already watching the Sci-Fi channel friday nights, or going out (yes, some sci-fi fans actually have lives!) so it was kind of a crappy time slot. It didn't pick up much of a following initially because it was airing opposite Stargate SG1. Had they picked a timeslot not opposite an established science fiction franchise, it might have done better. On another network, the same was true of Enterprise - it was in a lousy timeslot.
I'm extremely happy that Futurama is making a comeback. I'm hoping we get at least a few more seasons out of it.
To get back on topic: the direct-to-dvd movies were 16:9 and it's very likely (probably 99.999%) that any new episodes will be 16:9 and rendered for 720p. I really enjoy that it's 16:9 but being an animated series, the increased resolution doesn't make a whit of difference to me. Yeah, I can take it or leave it, but it's not something I'll pay a premium to buy on blu-ray without additional content - and on top of that, I can easily rip DVD on Linux to my PocketPC, laptop, and iPhone. The same can't be done with Blu-Ray (yet). Heck, can blu-ray even be played on Linux yet?
If Microsoft can thumb their noses at the EU to the tunes of millionS per day (they considered violating antitrust laws the cost of doing business) then Microsoft can overlook 1.4 million or even many times that if it comes to avoiding yet more negative press.
They want gun owners to buy 1 million dollar life insurance policies, or else not be allowed to have a gun (funny, I can't find that restriction in the constitution).
Very few politicians and police officers understand the phrase "shall not be infringed"
Agreed, except I consider OS X to be a Unix with a pretty UI and crippled CLI. KDE is a much more functional GUI and when combined with compiz-fusion+emerald/beryl it's much prettier than even OS X.
Ah, but socialism, communism and entitlement are politically correct now. America is well on its way toward becoming a communist nation. The government now owns many of the largest banks, parts of the auto makers, and private ownership has been effectively eliminated through property taxes. Think you own your house? Try not paying your property tax and see how long you're allowed to keep it. Property ownership is a thing of the past. It's all owned by Uncle Sam now.
Our legislators forgot who the boss is, and we as a people keep reelecting the same tyrants because as a whole we're too shortsighted and stupid to comprehend the consequences.
I went rock climbing with no gear, dived into flooded quarries from extremely high heights (got winded one time when I landed on my back. ouch!), rode bicycles and even dirt bikes with no helmet, and, ZOMG, rollerskated and rollerbladed with no kneepads, elbow pads, helmet, etc.
I also got zapped by CRTs more than once - I got my first television from my dad's friend who took it to a shop and they wanted too much to fix it, so I got some books from the library and learned how to fix it. That is also how I got my first VCR when I was about 11 - the shop wanted over $600 to fix the VCR and new ones were still in the $800 to $1100 range at the time. I had it fixed in 20 minutes. All it took was some minor adjustements to the pots in the AGC and chroma circuits.
I also made homemade bombs with my brother. He wanted to blow things up and wanted to make them bigger, so I helped him with the designs (he was doing it badly and was tamping the chemicals down by impacting it - if he kept it up he'd have lost a hand or worse). He went a mile into the woods and set them off. We heard him set them off about two and a half miles away (the area is built up now, unfortunately. Quite sad, really! I hate visiting home and seeing that it lost its rural feel)
I knew the risks, I could have gotten helmets, etc. but I didn't like them. I could have not made those bombs, but heck - it was a fun way to pass the time in what was at the time a rural town. Heck, in the '70s when I was a toddler my dad used to hang out with some town cops and they used to come over and make pipe bombs and set them off in the field and also shoot. If that were to go on today DHS and the FBI would be all over and we'd be branded ter'rists.
Sure, I have some scars to show for it all (and arthritis in my knees from soccer and my wrist from a fracture) but surprisingly I survived -- and my parents didn't sue anyone when I got hurt.
Too bad personal responsibility is a thing of the past. It's downright depressing.
Now, first, second, and with this, fourth amendment rights are distant memories. Back in my dad's day they actually used to have rifle leagues in his school. The kids brought guns into school. Now with this "zero tolerance" bullshit if a kid even draws a PICTURE of a gun or has a gun-shaped keychain, the kid ends up suspended or expelled.
My, how things have changed when personal responsibility and liberty were exchanged for a nanny state under the guise of "security" -- and yet, despite effectively eliminating legal gun carrying (no license is required apart from the second amendment, mind you!) violent crime is way up.
Despite more and more restrictions on pr0n and drinking and drugs, drug, alcohol abuse, and sex addiction and sexual assault are way up.
How do these security goons explain all of this? By god, we need MORE laws and MORE restrictions - not simply enforcing basic laws which come down to the equivalent of the golden rule (love your neighbor as yourself/do unto others as you would have them do unto you).
In that case, the courts will suddenly remember the interoperability clause and inform you that you ought to have known you can bypass encryption for any kind of reverse-engineering or interoperability (on that note, compatibility with backup or duplication software IS interoperability. $.02).
This bill is about as useful and practical as asking people to keep a filing cabinet full of photographs of every shoe-footprint that ever shows up in their back garden.
I purchase OEM windows from MA LABS all the time along with the system builder tools, and have never, ever signed the OEM agreement with Microsoft, and my company never will because the agreement is wholly one-sided. Why should I give Microsoft the right to enter my premises at their will? Fuck that - even though they'll find only F/OSS on most of the systems, and MSDN software on non-production/testing systems.
However, even if I/my company were to agree to those terms, the folks I sell systems with Windows preinstalled to retain their first sale doctrine right to resell unused/retired Windows seats. They are commodity goods, not works for hire.
Now, while we at thepiratebaytimes.org do not condone nor encourage piracy, in the interest of investigative journalism we have downloaded the torrent and wish to report that not only are the crack and serial generator fully functional, they do not install any malware on your system.
It is the opinion of the editors at this media outlet that anonymous coward ought to be ashamed for himself by engaging in such willful promotion of copyright infringement. Shame on them, again, for posting the torrent at [ ref: http://www.thepiratebaytimes.org/AdobeCS4-Windows/.torrent ]. If you doubt our integrity and honesty we heartily encourage you to view the source [read: download the evidence] and test it for yourself.
As always, we thank you for reading our news site and will be bringing you the latest news on alleged copyright infringement shortly."
disclaimer for stupid sue-happy ambulance chasers: the links above are totally made up. If by freak chance they happen to link to infringing material, it is by sheer coincidence or the will of the LORD. I made the URL up based on the fake(?) domain referenced in the parent post.
Slashdot Mirror
The call is the result of hitting an abitrary limit on the number of online activations, and waiting on hold during peak hours. The duration of the actual conversation is usually 5 minutes, including ranting about craptivation.
Well, to be fair, Linux is the same way. Well that's not quite true; both nautilus and konqueror will display SOME of the folder contents while it's loading, but only a tiny portion, then freeze as you wait and wait and wait for the rest of the folder contents to load. This isn't a Windows-only flaw; it's a quality inherent in accessing CIFS shares over a slow WAN, regardless of OS or file manager. What WOULD help is if the file managers were fully multithreaded.
Yes. However, Microsoft has stated that they're in a mad rush to compile and ship Windows Se7en to replaced the failed abortion that Vista is.
Seriously though, what the hell are they thinking? A public beta, minus GUI changes that are not significant, then the general release? That does not live up the standard definition of Beta, certainly not the one endorsed by Microsoft Publications. Do they even glance at the software development model books they publish?
I'd vote for another "feature" to be removed even before DRM: activation. Granted, Activation is DRM but it's specific to Windows registration.
Why?
Activation has not deterred "piracy" (arrr!) in the least; if you visit any torrent site you will see many torrents of "activation cracked" Windows XP and Vista. When I reinstall Windows XP or Vista and need to install updates for testing client projects, I need to activate Windows; This requires a 20-minute call to the Activation hotline each time. This is even with the MSDN version, which allows for 10 concurrent installs on separate workstations (PER subscription - I have three subscriptions, which allows me 30 seats). I should never, ever have to call in to activate Windows for a distribution which is intended to be frequently reinstalled.
Every time I have to call Microsoft about anything, or any time they ever call me, I rip the rep a new one about the activation scheme. I refer them to the torrent sites and pointedly ask them why I should be penalized with this activation scheme when I paid literally THOUSANDS for Microsoft Windows while non-paying ("pirate") users don't encounter any inconvenience at all. I ask them why I should buy genuine Windows when the counterfeit is actually SUPERIOR to the "genuine" product.
I also drop the L-word every time they call me; it is a five-letter word which has Microsoft shaking in their boots. I inform them that Windows only hangs around for Quickbooks, Adobe's creative suite, and for Windows development projects, and that our servers and the workstations for day-to-day productivity run Linux. It's a better solution which requires less downtime (er, "scheduled maintenance windows" in Microsoft-speak - redefining "downtime" is how they boast less downtime in their marketing drivel), requires less resources, and maintenance can be fully automated - and administered remotely via a command line shell. In fact, I have scripts running in nagios to automatically correct many minor faults and warning conditions should they occur.
The reps are usually apologetic but does upper management have ANY clue?
We sell systems with Windows preinstalled - many to the DoD however I flatly refuse to become a Windows OEM. I'd rather pay $10 to $15 more to continue buying from the distributors I'm buying from because the OEM agreement is 100% one-sided. Why should I give Microsoft permission to enter my office at-will? They won't find license violations - they'd probably claim 'patent infringement' however since I run the F/OSS distros I don't have RedHat or Novell covering my back.
My mail server is currently scalix (probably going to switch to Openxchange soon since Scalix has stagnated with Xandros' buying them out - I needed a single support incident but they sell them only in blocks of five - forget Scalix! I dug in and fixed the problem myself, although it probably cost me more time than it was worth).
Microsoft really needs to consider long-term impact of how "anti-piracy" features devalue their products compared to the counterfeit options. and how IT personnel recommendations are going to affect adaptation of their future offerings. Hell, as it is Vista was as close to stillborn as a monopoly OS can get. People buy it only because Worst Buy, Circuit City, etc. did not offer a choice. I've had quite a few customers call me and ask if I can still get Windows XP (Yup! Sure can, and because I didn't ever sign the OEM agreement I can legally purchase OEM Windows and resell it without hardware, per first sale doctrine) and I've UP-graded (not downgraded) them from Vista to XP.
Having said that, I'm ordering a new notebook - either a Dell E6500 or M4400 (the Precision is tempting because of the workstation chipset and I'll still get decent runtime with the power slice!) and it's going to come with Vista Ultimate + Windows XP down^H^H^H^Hupgrade rights. It's more than enough to run Vista well (It should run even better than my desktop workstation runs Vista) but 300GB of the drive will be L
"'Carrying around an iPhone in Japan would make you look pretty lame.'"
God, how I wish I could get that Japanese cellphone with built-in 3" TV (Panasonic P905i) because I've always chosen cellphones out of regard of what Japanese teenagers might think of me! :-p
Sorry, I'll just stick with the iPhone, and upgrade to a phone based on Android when it matures. I would have love to have gone with an openmoko phone but that platform was pretty much stillborn. :(
Japanese cellphones are way way ahead of ours? Next thing you know, you'll be telling us that third-world countries have faster interweb access than we do - without bandwidth caps. This is old news.
The only reason I'd want Futurama in HD is to see Amy's erotic tattoo. ;-) Other than that, will HD make much of a difference? It's an animated series and even on a 1080i set I don't care whether or not there are minor jaggies and upscaling artifacts. I'd watch Futurama even if it were broadcast in 320x240 resolution.
That is not to say I dislike HD programming - I do like it, but I still stand by my opinion that HD does not make poor writing watchable. I don't like "reality TV" shows (a relative was on one and I still have not seen it. I refuse to watch such drivel!) and no resolution, bitrate, or other visual improvements will entice me to watch it.
What DO I like HD for? Cooking shows, documentaries, and so forth, and of course, movies. However, most TV series and movies are just fine in standard def. The primary reasons I'm upgrading all my sets to high-def are:
* increased size (good CRTs were not available any larger than what I purchased ten years ago. There were a couple of larger models but they had terrible failure rates)
* aspect ratio - the widescreen aspect ratios are more "natural"
* flat screens free up a LOT of space
* ease of integration with PCs, not to mention supporting either 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 natively
I bought all the Futurama DVDs. I won't be wasting money on the blu-ray releases unless they provide additional commentaries, additional episodes, or something else that is otherwise compelling.
However, a new Futurama season? Who didn't see that coming? Fox has had to eat crow when it came to Futurama (Adult Swim and then Comedy Central proved Fox wrong when Futurama topped the ratings for the re-runs, and when the DVDs became best sellers), Family Guy (DVDs became best sellers), and Arrested Development (DVDs were best sellers, now they have a film coming out). It is also worth pointing out that all of those shows are series that Fox execs intentionally went of their way to sabotage due to corporate politics, and yet their popularity has endured, forcing Fox to begrudgingly admit their mistake and allow production of more episodes/movies/etc.
Firefly? Not so much - the reason is its target demographic (Sci fi fans) were already watching the Sci-Fi channel friday nights, or going out (yes, some sci-fi fans actually have lives!) so it was kind of a crappy time slot. It didn't pick up much of a following initially because it was airing opposite Stargate SG1. Had they picked a timeslot not opposite an established science fiction franchise, it might have done better. On another network, the same was true of Enterprise - it was in a lousy timeslot.
I'm extremely happy that Futurama is making a comeback. I'm hoping we get at least a few more seasons out of it.
To get back on topic: the direct-to-dvd movies were 16:9 and it's very likely (probably 99.999%) that any new episodes will be 16:9 and rendered for 720p. I really enjoy that it's 16:9 but being an animated series, the increased resolution doesn't make a whit of difference to me. Yeah, I can take it or leave it, but it's not something I'll pay a premium to buy on blu-ray without additional content - and on top of that, I can easily rip DVD on Linux to my PocketPC, laptop, and iPhone. The same can't be done with Blu-Ray (yet). Heck, can blu-ray even be played on Linux yet?
They're just small enough to throw off touch typing.
If Microsoft can thumb their noses at the EU to the tunes of millionS per day (they considered violating antitrust laws the cost of doing business) then Microsoft can overlook 1.4 million or even many times that if it comes to avoiding yet more negative press.
Very few politicians and police officers understand the phrase "shall not be infringed"
In the immortal words of Forrest Gump, "Stupid is as stupid does".
I wish I had mod points today.
I for one will be linking to their site with the string "ambulance chasers"
Agreed, except I consider OS X to be a Unix with a pretty UI and crippled CLI. KDE is a much more functional GUI and when combined with compiz-fusion+emerald/beryl it's much prettier than even OS X.
Ah, but socialism, communism and entitlement are politically correct now. America is well on its way toward becoming a communist nation. The government now owns many of the largest banks, parts of the auto makers, and private ownership has been effectively eliminated through property taxes. Think you own your house? Try not paying your property tax and see how long you're allowed to keep it. Property ownership is a thing of the past. It's all owned by Uncle Sam now.
Our legislators forgot who the boss is, and we as a people keep reelecting the same tyrants because as a whole we're too shortsighted and stupid to comprehend the consequences.
I went rock climbing with no gear, dived into flooded quarries from extremely high heights (got winded one time when I landed on my back. ouch!), rode bicycles and even dirt bikes with no helmet, and, ZOMG, rollerskated and rollerbladed with no kneepads, elbow pads, helmet, etc.
I also got zapped by CRTs more than once - I got my first television from my dad's friend who took it to a shop and they wanted too much to fix it, so I got some books from the library and learned how to fix it. That is also how I got my first VCR when I was about 11 - the shop wanted over $600 to fix the VCR and new ones were still in the $800 to $1100 range at the time. I had it fixed in 20 minutes. All it took was some minor adjustements to the pots in the AGC and chroma circuits.
I also made homemade bombs with my brother. He wanted to blow things up and wanted to make them bigger, so I helped him with the designs (he was doing it badly and was tamping the chemicals down by impacting it - if he kept it up he'd have lost a hand or worse). He went a mile into the woods and set them off. We heard him set them off about two and a half miles away (the area is built up now, unfortunately. Quite sad, really! I hate visiting home and seeing that it lost its rural feel)
I knew the risks, I could have gotten helmets, etc. but I didn't like them. I could have not made those bombs, but heck - it was a fun way to pass the time in what was at the time a rural town. Heck, in the '70s when I was a toddler my dad used to hang out with some town cops and they used to come over and make pipe bombs and set them off in the field and also shoot. If that were to go on today DHS and the FBI would be all over and we'd be branded ter'rists.
Sure, I have some scars to show for it all (and arthritis in my knees from soccer and my wrist from a fracture) but surprisingly I survived -- and my parents didn't sue anyone when I got hurt.
Too bad personal responsibility is a thing of the past. It's downright depressing.
Now, first, second, and with this, fourth amendment rights are distant memories. Back in my dad's day they actually used to have rifle leagues in his school. The kids brought guns into school. Now with this "zero tolerance" bullshit if a kid even draws a PICTURE of a gun or has a gun-shaped keychain, the kid ends up suspended or expelled.
My, how things have changed when personal responsibility and liberty were exchanged for a nanny state under the guise of "security" -- and yet, despite effectively eliminating legal gun carrying (no license is required apart from the second amendment, mind you!) violent crime is way up.
Despite more and more restrictions on pr0n and drinking and drugs, drug, alcohol abuse, and sex addiction and sexual assault are way up.
How do these security goons explain all of this? By god, we need MORE laws and MORE restrictions - not simply enforcing basic laws which come down to the equivalent of the golden rule (love your neighbor as yourself/do unto others as you would have them do unto you).
In that case, the courts will suddenly remember the interoperability clause and inform you that you ought to have known you can bypass encryption for any kind of reverse-engineering or interoperability (on that note, compatibility with backup or duplication software IS interoperability. $.02).
There are about 20 wifi networks within range of my house, yet every single one is encrypted. It's very hard to find an open wap around here.
Thanks for giving Congress yet more contrived reasons to raise taxes. I pay too many already, thankyouverymuch.
I'm a terrorist then; I keep the constitution and related writings from the Founding Fathers on my PocketPC.
Stop giving Congress even more bad ideas.
To correct your summary:
People who keep reelecting incumbents who legislate nanny-state laws are the problem.
Now this is a great solution from both technical and legal perspectives. :)
. . . such as using the ORCA editor to eliminate the stupid EULA which is void to begin with since it's a commodity good ANYHOW.
I purchase OEM windows from MA LABS all the time along with the system builder tools, and have never, ever signed the OEM agreement with Microsoft, and my company never will because the agreement is wholly one-sided. Why should I give Microsoft the right to enter my premises at their will? Fuck that - even though they'll find only F/OSS on most of the systems, and MSDN software on non-production/testing systems.
However, even if I/my company were to agree to those terms, the folks I sell systems with Windows preinstalled to retain their first sale doctrine right to resell unused/retired Windows seats. They are commodity goods, not works for hire.
First Sale Doctrine says you can. Windows XP is not a work for hire - even an OEM edition.
So it would go like this:
"This just in, user anonymous coward just posted a torrent [ ref: http://www.thepiratebaytimes.org/AdobeCS4-Windows/.torrent ] of Adobe Creative Suite 4. They were so bold they included a serial generator and an activation crack.
Now, while we at thepiratebaytimes.org do not condone nor encourage piracy, in the interest of investigative journalism we have downloaded the torrent and wish to report that not only are the crack and serial generator fully functional, they do not install any malware on your system.
It is the opinion of the editors at this media outlet that anonymous coward ought to be ashamed for himself by engaging in such willful promotion of copyright infringement. Shame on them, again, for posting the torrent at [ ref: http://www.thepiratebaytimes.org/AdobeCS4-Windows/.torrent ]. If you doubt our integrity and honesty we heartily encourage you to view the source [read: download the evidence] and test it for yourself.
As always, we thank you for reading our news site and will be bringing you the latest news on alleged copyright infringement shortly."
disclaimer for stupid sue-happy ambulance chasers: the links above are totally made up. If by freak chance they happen to link to infringing material, it is by sheer coincidence or the will of the LORD. I made the URL up based on the fake(?) domain referenced in the parent post.