Microsoft Places Its Vista Anti-Piracy Concerns Above User Security
Posts: 46
Here's a brilliant article by Scot Finnie lifted from computerworld.com:
Microsoft Places Its Vista Anti-Piracy Concerns Above User Security
By Scot Finnie on Thu, 10/05/2006 - 7:40pm
There was a time when Microsoft was an honorable company. It's getting more and more difficult to resolve any such notion with the 2006 version of the software giant.
In its latest bad decision, detailed in the Computerworld story, Vista and Longhorn to get new antipiracy measures, reported by Eric Lai, Microsoft has decided to place a price tag on security.
If validation code, written by Microsoft, decides that your installation of Windows Vista has been pirated, it turns off the Aero interface and a minor performance technology called ReadyBoost. I'm okay with that. But I am absolutely not okay with the third punitive measure: The disabling of Windows Defender, Microsoft's new onboard anti-spyware utility. Other punitive measures according to published reports include the disabling of Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Media Player. After 30 days, unvalidated copies of Vista will move into "reduced functionality mode," which has been likened by insiders to be something like Safe Mode.
Most people using "pirated" software have absolutely no idea that's the case. Opening up their PCs to Trojans, spyware, and identify theft scams in the name of getting them to pay up on their copy of Windows Vista is not only a very bad business decision, it's an appalling example of just how far Microsoft is willing to go to stuff its corporate coffers.
The true irony is that earlier this decade, Bill Gates promised to make Microsoft software, and Windows in particular, much more secure. And now that Microsoft may have achieved that (and the jury is still out on that), the company is already looking to turn a buck on it?
There's something wrong with a company that totes up the worst-ever software security record, then decides to make security a top priority, and then decides to withhold that security from any user that it deems hasn't properly paid -- even when the lack of validation is most often caused by the sellers users bought their computers from or the repair shops they brought their PCs to. Even when Microsoft's validation process is correct, which it probably is most of the time, it's my assessment that the vast majority of the Windows Vista users were victimized by others. And now Microsoft will be making them pay, first by reducing their security, then by reducing the functionality of Vista.
Hello! Is anyone in Redmond actually paying attention to what it's doing? Do they have any self awareness at all? Because I'm beginning to think that a lot of people are going to take a pass on Vista.
Microsoft is drunk on its own Kool-Aid. It has become this era's Gi-normous ACME Corporation, like Standard Oil and AT&T before it. It has completely lost touch with its beginnings. Because there was a time that Microsoft was David to IBM's Goliath. And Microsoft has more than once gulled the giant. But in its giant suit, Microsoft looks pathetic. Other than attempting month in, month out to deliver profits for its Wall Street masters, Microsoft lacks mission, has gotten far away from its roots and lacks any sense of innovation.
If ever Microsoft needed a course correction -- make that a total change of scenery -- it's now.
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Good hard-hitting piece of writing!
Dominic 
"There was a time when
Posts: 1634
"There was a time when Microsoft was an honorable company."
Uh...when, exactly, was that...before or after they cheated SCP to get QDOS and stick it to IBM with PC(MS)-DOS?
"If ever Microsoft needed a course correction -- make that a total change of scenery -- it's now."
Heh.
I like his writing, and agree--somewhat--with the points he's making. The problem is that these kinds of articles should have been the norm, back in 1989.
Oh well, it's about time. {EG}
"You have two labs?"
"Each has its place. At the university, I try to please the Federal Government. Here, I negotiate with God."
New Motherboard made me use Linux
Posts: 145
Hi All
I was a regular user of Widows XP Service pack 2, until LSLIFOMC, I bought a new motherboard for my pc. I installed said motherboard and because I had sent all my info I wanted to keep to my wifes p.c, I thought it was about time to do my regular Windows Tune up ( LOL Format and re-install ).
I did this no problem and away we went ( so I thought ), Windows activation Key time HEHE put in the code on the back of my nice little fold open disc pack and followed the prompts. Next thing I have to ring someone in a country I don't know where, who couldn't understand me and vice-versa. I explained after some time I had reinstalled due to changes in my hardware and got a new activation code. All is fine for a while and then I get some updates from M$ ( I forgot to do them when I re-installed ) about 172 of em mostly security, after about 6 failed attempts and then some said can't be installed at same time as others, must be installed seperately and blah de blah de blah must reboot for changes to take effect yah da yah da yah. I start thinking HMMM what if. Anyway I'll keep on track, one of the security updates was a voluntary install of a Windoze verification tool. I thought WHAT THE , I goes ok click, BIG mistake ROFL. This tool only lets you download updates etc etc etc, if it's an authentic version of Windoze, ok says I, I paid £150 quid for it at PC World. Away we go, NO my key provided by M$ is a volume license key stolen and used by fraudsters to validate Windoze. It gave me a nice option of paying by credit card and getting a new one.
To cut a long story short, I downloaded Ubuntu, my first step to being a happy Mepis user, and began my adventure with Linux. Oh by the way my wife and son got a replacement for their os of Win 98, installed my LEGAL LOL copy of Win Xp and rang M$ got new key, got updates all OK but is it. What is next on the horizon for a paid for copy of an os.
Sorry for my Rant but it's Sunday morning here in the UK, the clocks went back an hour, so I should have had an extra hours sleep. Except for my little boy who decided to stay up with tooth ache all night and it was my turn LOL
Jacko
World Community Grid. Join the World Wide Ownage team
Nothing new under the sun
Posts: 959
Microsoft and innovation do not belong in the same sentence, or even paragraph unless it is relating to Microsoft stealing anothers innovation. Have you noticed how absolutly lame their rendition of the functions enjoyed by linux users for years is in comparison to the real thing?
I read the license agreememnt for hotmail some 3 years back, then followed up with the same for msn, and you know what I found? When a user signs up for msn or hotmail, they agree to give full proprietary rights to the content of all emails and attachments passed through microsofts servers to microsoft for use in pretty much any way they desire? It would be absolutly ludicrous for any software designer to have a hotmail or msn account, or even to communicate to their clients through the carefully planned legalised theft system (microsofts servers), especially if they send any code or serial numbers to their customers. Microsoft might steal them!!!
Talk about hypocrasy. The theives (microsoft) that call themselves leaders are hell-bent on penalising the thieves (their followers) for doing pretty much exactly what they've been taught to do (to steal)
Good thing the GPL and Open Source are written in such a way as to give the middle finger to the redmond monolith. The best they can do is to try and mimic the excellent code and features of a more excellent way - Open Source.
Disclaimer - I have not read the most recent license agreements for the abovementioned services, so if I am wrong, I apolagise only for an implied error, but not sincerely because I do not care to assist theives, they make their own bed, they sleep in it of their own free will.
Mike P
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Life may not be the party we thought, but while we're here, we may as well dance.
Break M$'s shackles from your feet and free yourself with Mepis
about all this microsoft crap
Posts: 10
microsoft is digging its own grave,.. given enough of this crap with validation, activation, bugs, freezes, bloatware, paying to use beta software, security holes, and forcing users to constantly upgrade hardware to keep up with ms bloat..they are slowly awakening the free linux awareness movement. i love microsoft because with every release, they make more and more users aware of the linux freeware computing and that can only be a good thing. i myself will move fully to linux very soon and be free of the ms tax. just waiting a little to find that perfect distro with all media support and functionality of win xp. mepis and suse are 99.9% there now. long live the emperor : the penguin will rule !!