, 2006-07-05
A recent lawsuit filed against Microsoft should have all companies reexamining their privacy policies to determine what information they are actually collecting about customers, and what they can possibly do with it.
Expand all |
Post comment
Windows genuine disadvantage
2006-07-06
Chris (5 replies)
Chris (5 replies)
Windows genuine disadvantage
2006-07-06
Anonymous (1 replies)
Anonymous (1 replies)
Re: Windows genuine disadvantage
2006-07-06
Mark D. Rasch (1 replies)
Mark D. Rasch (1 replies)
"Presumably, the consumer who obtained a ***perfectly functional computer*** from an OEM manufacturer at a fair market price (well, lets assume a slight bargain) was now given the opportunity to give Microsoft more money to prevent piracy."
Just one problem: Functional or not, did the OEM pay Microsoft for the copy of Windows that came with that "perfectly functional computer?"
In my experience, if they did (see that shiny label attached to the PC?) WGA doesn't harass the user for more money. I build systems and as a system builder I'm allowed to buy OEM XP without hardware, as long as I resell it with hardware. In all cases where I've bought XP and resold it, WGA hasn't harassed my customers, slowed their boot time, added pop-ups or asked for more money.
My favorite scam is the OEM sticking a Windows Millennium Edition product key to a machine, installing Windows XP with a volume license key, and then selling it to the customer as "genuine." "See the label? It's there, look." Is the OEM being disonest? Hell yes. Is the customer going to look? Not unless WGA told them to. Will the customer sue the OEM for the money they paid MS for a legit license? I hope so.
Rasch also confuses WGA with WPA, or Windows Product Activation, a lot here. He explains that changing a component or two will cause WGA to flag the system as "pirated:"
"the software looks at a bunch of things in the hardware to develop a profile of the user - the MAC address, the serial number of the hard drive, its size, and so on. Thus, if you get a new hard drive or other hardware, the key won't match, and you could be flagged as a pirate for using your licensed software."
Um... Product Activation does this, not WGA. And WGA hangs off WPA's input. I've had to phone MS's product activation number on more than one occasion to reactivate an installation after major upgrades, and not one operator denied me the reactivation. Assuming, of course, the upgrades happened less than three or four months after the last activation, otherwise you could just reactivate over the Internet.
Rasch tossing the spyware allegations in makes this an eye-catching, sensational story though, even if he didn't do enough research.
[ reply ]
Link to this comment: http://www.securityfocus.com/comments/columns/409/33782#33782