[_kira_]

lately microsoft has been treating there windows customers like theifs, or so i think

is it just me or are there other people that feel this way to?

[Advertisements]

you're not the only one that thinks this, but this is probably a better topic for the OFF TOPIC forum, so I will move it for you

[gerryf]

you're not the only one that thinks this, but this is probably a better topic for the OFF TOPIC forum, so I will move it for you

[_kira_]

hehe sorry i guess i was a little confused back there lol

[warriorscot]

Well they went for years without anything at all, there WGA was one of the better anti piracy ideas they even offer cheap copies to "victims of piracy". They just didnt implement it properly, to be fair its hard to do and windows is the most pirated piece of software ever.

[dsenette]

as with most things...if people didn't steal it...it wouldn't need to be protected against theft...same as any other product or company or anything...the rules and countermeasures are in place because people DO steal the software...if people wouldn't do this...then it wouldn't effect the rest of us...

[gerryf]

but the way to alienate your customers is to treat them all as thieves.

Thus far, Microsoft has walked a fine line, but that line is getting trod on more and more.

Just yesterday, a guy in, i think, California, sued Microsoft under anti-spyware laws for installing wga notification on his machine

Previously, nothing MS has done has bothered me since my copies of xp are legit, but it is becoming more and more cumbersome....I have one dedicated Linux machine already, and it wouldn't take much more for me to go linux all the way

Not because I dislike MS products...I think they are great...but the company is making bad decisions.

Probably the worst thing about all this is not the anti-piracy stuff--but the lack of transparancy in the company. Time was, they were very outgoing with their plans.

The activation process was documented and explained well before it ever was implemented...wga was too, but wga notification was snuck in without warning

Plans for a wga kill switch have neither been confirmed or denied....changes in volume licensing are vague...it concerns me

With MS's dominance in the OS market, they need to be forthright in what they are doing to maintain the consumer's trust. People already do not trust them--acting in a clandestine manner does not help them.

[warriorscot]

Problem with WGA it can come up with false postitives and of course positve false readings.

[removed], it has in the past failed to recognise my XP home on my old PC even though its an OEM installed copy i had to reinstall and activate by phone that was in the early days but i still dont like it and i dont trust DRM and other simlar devices i remove it on everything as a point of principle and the fact being told what i can do with my stuff really bugs me.

Ive always been of the principle if a product is good and appropriately priced then it wont get pirated to a large degree. obviously there will be some but if you over price you hit the robin hood effect.

Edited by admin, 30 June 2006 - 10:33 AM.

[admin]

I read at one time that up to 40% of all XP installations worldwide were illegal (pirated). Microsoft has seen it's growth slow, and shareholders demand the company be paid for it's products. I can't blame a company for wanting to get paid for products it produces. However, WGA notification was handled very poorly. There was no notification of its rollout, and they essentially installed a beta product through automatic updates. It also "phones home" at every boot, even after activation.

A little late, but they have listened. Here's a knowledge base article on: How to disable or uninstall the pilot version of Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications