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Originally Written: October 12, 2006 at 5:08pm... why was I writing about news on my birthday? who knows...


Article: http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft_to_Lock_Pirates_Out_of_Vista/1159977311

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews
October 4, 2006, 12:01 PM

Microsoft said Wednesday that it plans to clamp down hard on piraters of its next-generation operating systems, crippling both Windows Vista and Windows Server "Longhorn" if users fail to activate their copies within 30 days.

While the restriction of operating system features has been around since the advent of Windows XP in 2001, the new program takes that process a step further. It would also make widely distributed volume-license product keys -- traditionally supplied to corporations -- harder to use.

Called the Software Protection Program, the initiative is made up of several parts. The first move is to make certain features unavailable unless the user has confirmed their copy of Windows as genuine. Only licensed copies would have access to Aero -- Vista's new user interface -- and ReadyBoost, which uses a flash drive to temporarily add more memory to a computer system.

Additionally, the functionality of Windows Defender would be crippled, and optional downloads from Windows Update would be unavailable to the unlicensed user. Microsoft would also place a watermark on the desktop at all times that reads "This copy of Windows is not genuine."

The biggest change, however, is to the Windows activation process. With a number of corporate product keys publicly available on the Internet, activating a pirated copy of Windows Vista was quite easy as it only took one activation to prevent reduced functionality.

With Vista, the activation isn't permanent. If Microsoft discovers that the user has used a product key without authorization, it will force the user to reactivate his or her copy of Windows. Product keys may be blocked for a number of reasons, Microsoft says, including for abuse, stolen or pirate keys, or if the key was seized due to anti-piracy efforts.

"The Software Protection Platform has been under development for several years," Microsoft's director of the Genuine Software Initiative Cori Hartje said. "It brings together new anti-piracy innovations, counterfeit detection and tamper-resistant features into a complete platform that provides better software protection to programs that leverage it."

While Vista and Longhorn are the first to use the new technologies, the program would expand to other products in the coming years.

Hartje cited data from the Business Software Alliance that indicated 35 percent of all software installed in 2005 was pirated and unlicensed. This represented some $35 billion in lost revenue for the software industry.

"Software piracy is not a victimless crime," she said. "It harms consumers, businesses and other organizations every year."


I kind of laugh at this. Unfortunately Microsoft has been digging their own grave for a while. if you think about the costs that are put in for this extra protection. Let me put it this way...

Remember when Windows XP came out, that was when microsoft began the product activation. Product activation basically makes the OS need two keys, one key that is printed on the box, and another key that is obtained either by internet automatically or via telephone operator. If anyone has actually dealt with Product activation, and used the telephone operator, you know this is nothing but damn annoying. There was once a time when you could just use the key you have, install and no problem. but now Windows maps your computer hardware and if more than 3 hardware items are changed (lets say video card, audio card and... new ram?) then you have to reactivate the product. its bullshit for people that have a lot of personal computers and does a lot of hardware work.

Hell, I remember when I actually purchased my first OS. I had a HP with windows 95 preloaded, and i literally bought windows 98 the day it came out (not as bad as those guys that waited till 12am). I loaded it up, looked around, and felt liked I got ripped off. I spent $89 for an operating system that had no improvements that I truly noticed on my computer. Not only that but less than a year, MS stated that they were re-releasing windows 98 (second edition) and it was going to include new features that people who own Win98 cannot get via Windows Update. That was complete bullshit in my opinion, and I swore to never purchase a windows OS again. So that was my first time and last time.

Now getting back to microsoft, I wonder what their increase in sales were after they began product activation, and if it really surpassed costs. When I say costs, I mean including the extra cost to develop the technology, the loss from people giving ms the finger, the cost of telephone operators and and overhead with that, not to mention the consistent servers that need to be running and all of the extra programing that has to take WPA in to consideration.

One thing I have noticed though is a lot of people are getting pissed, a lot are switching to macs (especially because MS lag on vista and macs using intel now) and also linux. If anyone has noticed, we are entering to a free-open source-era of computer desktops with a lot of free subsitutes out there. Good example, OpenOffice, free and gaining a lot of property. People are beginning to realize that there are alternatives. I actually laugh at my friends that refuse to switch to Firefox and would rather stick with IE6 (or IE7) because they are "use to it" they are the type of people that don't embrace change.

This new attempt for product protection is going to work as well as all of their previous attempts to disable piracy, and all have failed. When winXP came out, the Devil's Own product key was out, making WPA not necessary. When that new java script came out to block pirates from windows update came out, it was destroyed by a little address in the address bar. and now all of their Genuine Notification and Genuine Check, the cracks seem to come out even before the actual update does.

So while they might make more money through new, ignorant, users, they are also making activation more of a hassle, that knowledgable users are getting annoyed at, and many newbies are too. So basically I am going to sit back and watch Microsoft dig their own grave, should be interesting, with bill gates leaving too.

But this is just my take on microsoft, by all means buy your OS if you want. I mean the cheapest vista will only be $199, and the 'ultimate' edition will only be $399, but hey you got money to spare right?

Also, quick note, you would have to be a fucking moron if you purchase an upgrade edition.

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