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WGA Turning Off PCs in the Fall?
Posted by
Zonk
on Thu Jun 29, 2006 12:41 PM
from the no-more-clippy dept.
from the no-more-clippy dept.
thesaint05 writes "We all know about Microsoft's WGA initiative that started last July. Most of us were troubled to learn that the WGA has been 'phoning home' to Microsoft at every boot. Well, get ready, because eventually Microsoft may be turning off copies of Windows without WGA installed. According to a Microsoft technician, 'in the fall, having the latest WGA will become mandatory and if its not installed, Windows will give a 30 day warning and when the 30 days is up and WGA isn't installed, Windows will stop working, so you might as well install WGA now.'" A new version of WGA was released on Tuesday and, at least for the time being, Windows users have the option of removing WGA from their systems.
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Readers left more than 800 comments on yesterday's report (based on the say-so of a Windows tech-support provider) that Microsoft may be turning off copies of Windows without WGA installed, as of this fall. (WGA is Microsoft's "Windows Genuine Advantage," a program using software of the same name installed on Windows users' computers intended to verify that the OS is correctly licensed.) Many suggested reasons that this sounds like no more than a rumor, while others took the opportunity to critique WGA as it currently operates on Windows machines, or to describe what they see as opportunities for the users and makers of operating systems other than Windows if (or perhaps when) Microsoft actually does shut down copies of Windows which it suspects are being used out of license. Read on for the Backslash summary to see some of the comments which defined the conversation. Update: 06/30 21:28 GMT by T : A cut-and-paste mishap gave the word "people" one too many Ps; now corrected.
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suntory writes "Paul Thurrott, one of the most important Microsoft advocates, has been bitten by Windows Genuine Advantage. As some Slashdot users have reported, Paul installed a bunch of updates in his machine and now Microsoft thinks that he is using pirated software." From the post: "Truthfully, I can only imagine what triggered these alerts. The software was installed to a VM a long time ago and archived on my server. I no doubt used a copy of XP MCE 2005 that I had received as part of my MSDN subscription. If the WGA alerts are to be believed, it's possible that Microsoft thinks I've installed this software on too many machines, though that seems unlikely to me. I can't really say. Anyway, that's what it looks like to be a suspected pirate. Like many people who will see these alerts, I don't believe I did anything wrong. I'm sure that's going to be a common refrain in this new era of untrusting software and companies. Ah well."
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WGA Turning Off PCs in the Fall?
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A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://jason.c.kay.googlepages.com/ | Last Journal: Wednesday December 06 2006, @01:32AM)
To keep the current Futurama motif running, quoth Professor Farnsworth, "The Jedi are going to feel this one!"
Seriously, though, doesn't Microsoft realize that significant number of users aren't going to go out and suddenly buy Windows? Sure, most (half?) will, but the rest will go hunting for a truly free (read: no-cost) alternative until a hack comes out.
How could this possibly be a good idea now ? Maybe if it had been there all along, or was introduced in a new release (XP, Vista, whatever)... but why spring it on the unsuspecting masses mid-cycle? That just screams massive user migration.
Not that I'm shedding any tears in reaction to that concept!
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Funny)
(http://jason.c.kay.googlepages.com/ | Last Journal: Wednesday December 06 2006, @01:32AM)
Wait, wait, wait... Apple just convinced me that my Mac was a PC... 'cause it can run Windows... how does getting a Mac help if I still install a pirated copy of Windows under Boot Camp?
Oh... wait, right - I'm *NOT* supposed to use/install Windows, I've already got Mac OS...
(Okay... so this post was *pure* sarcasm. Spoken like a true self-deprecating confirmed Mac user for many years...)
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Insightful)
Uh... the average gamer will find a hack for their copy of XP, Turn off windows updates, and firewall the microsoft domain.
Non gamers, on the other hand who might be inclined to buy a new computer after microsoft decides to hold the one they have for ransom may very well be inclined to buy a mac. Especially as it will give him the satisfaction of giving the company that reached into his house and took his data hostage the one finger salute.
Frankly though I'm surprised MS would be stupid enough to disable XP BEFORE VISTA ships though. People would be more inclined to buy a NEW product when their computer demands money than to fork over money to use a product they've had for free for 4 years.
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Insightful)
OTOH, if you've been paying attention, you know a lot of legitimate users run into trouble too. When you're sitting there with a legitimate copy and the best MS support can tell you is buy another copy, that's a problem.
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:4, Insightful)
(http://kim.biyn.com/)
The pirates WON'T be the ones encountering this problem.
The folks running pirated corporate editions or counterfeit install keys? They already work around WGA as it is. They know the score and will not be affected in the slightest.
End result? Microsoft will alienate legitimate customers. They're taking cues from the RIAA in the worst possible way.
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Insightful)
windows stickyness.
Once you switch to mac, and start buying mac applications you might want to to use a mac at work, you might decide not to deploy exchange server because it won't work well with your mac, you might choose a pda with PalmOS instead of Windows Mobile 5 because Activesync won't sync to Mail.app, and when you launch your browser it will be safari not internet explorer, and you won't be taken to the MSN home page, and when you hit search you won't see MSN results. You'll probably rip your music to AAC or MP3 instead of WMA, etc.
Big whoop, they aren't making money either way.
The hell they aren't.
Why do you think dell pays like 15 bucks to install XP Home on a PC? Sure Microsoft wants to convert as many 'pirates' into paying customers as possible, but given a choice between having users run pirated Windows or Mac OS, Microsoft comes out way way ahead with pirated windows.
Their monopoly on the desktop feeds their search, advertising, applications, browser, and server divisions. Microsoft would be dead if they lost their desktop monopoly. Most of their products aren't priced competitively and most of them are not best of breed, but they perform well simply because of leverage they get from the desktop.
How many people do you know that use MSN search that do not use Internet Explorer?
Zero? Pretty close to it.
And if someone has critical data on a system running a pirated OS, I'm not inclined to feel much pity.
Who said "critical data". We aren't talking enterprises with pirate xp installs for servers here.
The average home user will have their vacation photos, some music, their resume, and so on. Its may not be "critical" but anyone would be pissed if microsoft tried to hold it hostage. Not to mention blocking you from doing online banking, chatting with friends, reading the news, listening to music, and playing solitaire.
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://68.48.55.94:27015/)
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Funny)
They probably got tired of waiting.
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://www.otbp.org/)
I am a legitimate user of Windows. I know I am, because I bought a licenced copy from a reputable dealer. Thus, I figure, I don't need the WGA to *tell* me if I have a legitimate copy. I *do* have a legitimate copy.
And Microsoft doesn't get to know anything else about anything I do, or affect me. The idea that I can be held hostage because I don't want to trust software from Microsoft. Well, that's kind of crazy.
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:4, Funny)
I should have read the EULA before I installed it, though. Now they own my soul.
-Eric
Re:Of course they won't go to Linux (Score:4, Funny)
(Last Journal: Wednesday March 27 2002, @09:26PM)
We all remember Terminator. We are simply doing our best to forget those crappy movies.
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:4, Funny)
(http://www.mangaschool.com/ | Last Journal: Tuesday January 03 2006, @07:51AM)
Oh shit, you're gonna get it now. MODBOOOOOMB! Hit the deck!
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Interesting)
They might move to MACs. I've been doing windows support for decades and in the last several months, I've actually had some users ask about hooking their MACs into our network....I was shocked because these users are not savy with the tech. I would have thought moving to a MAC would be a big deal for them...but it wasn't.
I helpped them and I am hopeful about Apple's new sleek laptops. Doesn't hurt that they have such nice ads for the MACs now....
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Insightful)
I've had conversations about those ads with probably a dozen people - none of them Mac users; most are Windows people - and all of them LOVE them. A few of them have wondered aloud why Microsoft, with all its millions, can't produce engaging ads like that.
I wonder if maybe, just MAYBE, the Slashdot crowd isn't the target audience...?
<aside>My brother is an ad copywriter/director and has worked on some Microsoft campaigns. He tells me there are just too many people within MS that have to give their "thumbs up" before a campaign gets the go-ahead, which pretty much guarantees banality.</aside>
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Informative)
It's like those people who call it OS/X or OS-X. Where are they getting these magic hyphens and slashes from?
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://www.pie2k.com/ | Last Journal: Monday June 30 2003, @12:52AM)
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://www.brendansstudentloans.com/)
Sure... they could go to Linux or other open source based systems but the fact that most have never heard of it and just want their PC to work exactly as it did before basically precludes this possibility.
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://stinerman.livejournal.com/)
This really smacks of cutting off one's nose to spite one's face. If they do go through with this, I can see them losing their monopoly status within a few years.
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://openlaws.com/)
Money is a suprisingly efficient motivator.
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Insightful)
(Last Journal: Tuesday October 25 2005, @07:16PM)
If the pirate knew everything that you and I know, including (1) how to install, configure, and use linux, and (2) how to recover all his important files and make them work in linux, then he might consider switching to linux full-time.
Unfortunately, I don't know the profile of the average windows pirate, but I would assume that he doesn't know the things that we know, and that retaining access to the files that are important to him and the other software (office, iTunes, digital camera, etc.) that he is used to - and may have paid for - is going to outweigh the cost of purchasing windows (which is like $88 [newegg.com]).
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:4, Insightful)
(http://www.icytruth.com/ | Last Journal: Friday September 08 2006, @12:20AM)
Oh, I've still got XP on a tablet. Too bad the inking and character recognition were better on Linux, or I'd switch that over too.
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:4, Informative)
then run the WGA crack that you got from here..G [torrentspy.com] enuine_Advantage_WGA_v3_3_1_5_540_0_Taag
http://www.torrentspy.com/torrent/782179/Windows_
Most pirates, don't need to know anything about cracking/pirating other than "what bitorrent" is..
I have never knowingly pirated a commercial software program. Ever. And I have been using computers since 1982.
However, if this WGA thing turn out to be true (which honestly it may not), then I will have no qualms about starting. I built my own computer and paid retail for XP Pro. If they are going to screw it up, it will be the last dollar from me.
I never illegally downloaded music until I started having spyware and rootkits installed on my machine, now I never buy CD's under any circumstances.
Morally, I consider it fair compensation now. Treat me right, I treat you right. You fuck me, I fuck you. Not a pretty motto, but I've always lived by it and it has worked for me more often than it hasn't.
In 2004 I bought an Averatec laptop computer with XP Home pre-installed. I have been using it for 2 years. Just last weekend I had a WGA pop-up telling me that WGA had determined that my copy of Windows was "not genuine" and to click a box to "correct" it.
I did not click the box, and I used Tiny Personal Firewall to block the phoning home of WGA. I paid for the Windows on the machine, and I am not jumping through hoops to prove it. Now, only very select connections can use the Internet through the firewall (which can suck while trying to use Wi-Fi in the airport), and I have to make sure that it cannot possibly phone home.
My main concern is that they will find a way to make it "phone home" during boot, before the firewall loads.
In any event, if the copy is disabled, I am actually one of the few who will actually take the time out of my busy life to file a civil suit at my local courthouse. Everyone says they will do these things in internet dick-swinging contests, but I actually will. I may not win, but I will do it anyway.
Also, I will pirate the living shit out of Microsoft software.
Again, assuming this rumor us true, which it very well may not be.
If i'm going to do the time, i'm going to do the time. Period.
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:4, Interesting)
Indeed it is.
Especilally to a user with a ten to fifteen years investment in Windows software and hardware to protect.
To him migration to Linux has all the appeal of root canal.
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://www.covenantspice.com/)
What about the guy who DID buy his copy of Windows, or got it bundled with his machine. If his copy got turned off by mistake, he will be QUITE unhappy to pay again for something that he already owns. In some circles this is called "extortion" if done intentionally. This will breed a LOT of ill will.
The other thing that totally honked me off is that WPA was supposed to reduce piracy. If it actually worked, Microsoft would lose less to piracy. Shouldn't the consumers get reduced prices to compensate for the inconvenience? After all, Microsoft is now making more money, right? Somehow, I bet that Microsoft will not lower the Vista prices even after WGA turns on fully.
Personally, I am grabbing some popcorn and am going to enjoy watching the meltdown of Microsoft if this thing happens. If I were suddenly forced to give up Windows, the only thing that I would miss besides games is my accounting package (and no, Gnucash can't replace that until it learns how to handle inventory tracking).
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://www.inphinity.org/)
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Funny)
User: "You can't possibly attack us, we are peaceful and have no defenses!
Bill: "You prefer another target, a litigious target, then name the systems!"
Bill: "I grow tired of asking this, so it'll be the last time. Where are the cracked installations of Windows XP Professional Edition?"
User: "Pirates' PCs... they're on Pirates' PCs."
Bill: "You see, lord Ballmer? They can be reasonable. Continue the operation, you may update when ready."
User: "What?!"
Bill: "You're far too trusting. Pirate PCs are too remote for an effective demonstration, but don't worry; we will deal with your rebel friends soon enough!"
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A disturbance in The Force? How stupid is this? (Score:5, Insightful)
First of all, they did have this all along: it's called Windows Product Activation. C'mon, you should have seen this coming from the beginning!
Second of all, doing it slowly like this actually works out better for Microsoft. If you put a frog in a pot of boiling water, he'll jump out. But if you put him in a pot of cold water and heat it up to boiling, he'll get cooked. Similarly, if you started this with Vista people would simply choose to keep their existing XP, or upgrade to Linux instead. But doing it this way, by stealthily installing it and then turning off the software they already have, you get more of them to "fix" it (by doing whatever they have to do to make it "genuine") because they're already invested.