Microsoft decides to look into Steam like verficiation.

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MS decides to look into Steam like verficiation.

http://news.com.com/Its+Windows+vs.+Windows+as+Microsoft+battles+piracy/2100-1016_3-5561113.html?part=rss&tag=5561113&subj=news.1016.5

In its most serious bid yet to reap revenue from those who've been getting
Windows without payment to Microsoft, the company plans to require computer
owners to verify that their copy of Windows is properly licensed before
allowing them to download software from Microsoft's site. By mid-year, the
once voluntary Windows Genuine Advantage program will become mandatory.
.....
Poole said that 92 percent of software in China is pirated, which means the
software on 13 million computers. And though the rate is estimated at only
22 percent in the United States, that still amounts to 12 million PCs,
because the computer market stateside is so much larger.

------------------------------------------

Sorry about the headline. Things were dying down and this dog just had to
howl at the moon.

Wonder what kind of picture we can expect of Bill Gates as? Hilter has
already been taken.

 

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OldDog wrote:
> MS decides to look into Steam like verficiation.
>
> http://news.com.com/Its+Windows+vs.+Windows+as+Microsoft+battles+piracy/2100-1016_3-5561113.html?part=rss&tag=5561113&subj=news.1016.5
>
> In its most serious bid yet to reap revenue from those who've been getting
> Windows without payment to Microsoft, the company plans to require computer
> owners to verify that their copy of Windows is properly licensed before
> allowing them to download software from Microsoft's site. By mid-year, the
> once voluntary Windows Genuine Advantage program will become mandatory.
> ....
> Poole said that 92 percent of software in China is pirated, which means the
> software on 13 million computers. And though the rate is estimated at only
> 22 percent in the United States, that still amounts to 12 million PCs,
> because the computer market stateside is so much larger.
>
> ------------------------------------------
>
> Sorry about the headline. Things were dying down and this dog just had to
> howl at the moon.
>
> Wonder what kind of picture we can expect of Bill Gates as? Hilter has
> already been taken.

I really don't see this as a problem. Even if you're using a
"less-than-legit" version of Windows, you can still use Windows even
after this comes into effect. All it's stopping you of doing in
installing new updates, many of which may not really be that necessary
with the right software (i.e. firewall/Firefox).

So Microsoft wants to protect it's product? Surprise, surprise. I still
think the activation methods for XP are a heck of a lot better than
Steam. It's really not that bad.

 

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On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 03:42:45 GMT, "OldDog" <OldDog@citypound.com>
wrote:

>MS decides to look into Steam like verficiation.
>
>http://news.com.com/Its+Windows+vs.+Windows+as+Microsoft+battles+piracy/2100-1016_3-5561113.html?part=rss&tag=5561113&subj=news.1016.5
>
>In its most serious bid yet to reap revenue from those who've been getting
>Windows without payment to Microsoft, the company plans to require computer
>owners to verify that their copy of Windows is properly licensed before
>allowing them to download software from Microsoft's site. By mid-year, the
>once voluntary Windows Genuine Advantage program will become mandatory.
>....
>Poole said that 92 percent of software in China is pirated, which means the
>software on 13 million computers. And though the rate is estimated at only
>22 percent in the United States, that still amounts to 12 million PCs,
>because the computer market stateside is so much larger.
>
>------------------------------------------
>
>Sorry about the headline. Things were dying down and this dog just had to
>howl at the moon.

I personally don't mind this that much (of course depending how
draconian this check-up will be), because you'd be online anyway when
trying to download software from Microsoft's site. The same may not be
true when you try to play a SINGLE-PLAYER Steam game.

And like someone said, you can still install and use WinXP even if you
could not connect to Microsoft's servers. The same does not apply to
single-player Steam games.

 

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"Schrodinger" <no@1way.com> wrote in message
news:saYOd.1503939$B07.220985@news.easynews.com...
> I've thought they'd do this since activation came about. I don't
> understand, however, how they can possible tell if a properly installed
> XPpro from a multi licence installation is illegal?
>
> My father just gave me a copy of XP Pro that came with 15 licences. AFAIK
> it has only been installed in one machine (the company he worked for went
> bust and this is one of the things still at his home that the liquidators
> never chased), but could have been installed on 50. How will they
possibly
> cross reference the number of PCs on the one multi licence? Do they let
the
> first 15 download updates, then stop the rest?

They probably just check the key to see if it's valid and not blacklisted.
That's how they do it for Windows Update now, they plan on doing it to the
manual downloads as well.

This is the best thing Microsoft can do to shoot themselves in the foot and
speed the adoption of free, open source operating systems like Linux. Sorry,
but Asia doesn't care about lining Bill Gates' pockets; they will continue
to pirate Windows. So will the rest of the world. I have absolutely no
sympathy for them as long as they continue to be an anticompetitive monopoly
and I doubt anybody else does either. They're just the RIAA / MPAA of the
software industry.

In the meantime, all you have to do is download the patch elsewhere from the
mirrors that will inevitably show up, this just means not downloading from
Microsoft's site. Big deal.

 

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> with the right software (i.e. firewall/Firefox).

Joking? Firefox is a security on its self

 

[nostromo]

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Thus spake "Kroagnon" <kroagnon@kroagnon.com>, Fri, 11 Feb 2005 09:35:05
-0600, Anno Domini:

>
>"Schrodinger" <no@1way.com> wrote in message
>news:saYOd.1503939$B07.220985@news.easynews.com...
>> I've thought they'd do this since activation came about. I don't
>> understand, however, how they can possible tell if a properly installed
>> XPpro from a multi licence installation is illegal?
>>
>> My father just gave me a copy of XP Pro that came with 15 licences. AFAIK
>> it has only been installed in one machine (the company he worked for went
>> bust and this is one of the things still at his home that the liquidators
>> never chased), but could have been installed on 50. How will they
>possibly
>> cross reference the number of PCs on the one multi licence? Do they let
>the
>> first 15 download updates, then stop the rest?
>
>They probably just check the key to see if it's valid and not blacklisted.
>That's how they do it for Windows Update now, they plan on doing it to the
>manual downloads as well.
>
>This is the best thing Microsoft can do to shoot themselves in the foot and
>speed the adoption of free, open source operating systems like Linux. Sorry,
>but Asia doesn't care about lining Bill Gates' pockets; they will continue
>to pirate Windows. So will the rest of the world. I have absolutely no
>sympathy for them as long as they continue to be an anticompetitive monopoly
>and I doubt anybody else does either. They're just the RIAA / MPAA of the
>software industry.
>
>In the meantime, all you have to do is download the patch elsewhere from the
>mirrors that will inevitably show up, this just means not downloading from
>Microsoft's site. Big deal.

Yup, or at worst, just wait for the cracked service packs to come out. Will
leave you vulnerable w/o all the interim security patches, but let's face
it, we don't use Windows for it's awesome security, now do we?

--
No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again.
Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit?
I feel like the maid; "I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for... for ten minutes!"

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