Comments on: Windows Genuine Nagging http://techliberation.com/2006/07/05/windows-genuine-nagging/ Keeping politicians' hands off the Net & everything else related to technology Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:51:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Steve R. http://techliberation.com/2006/07/05/windows-genuine-nagging/comment-page-1/#comment-51894 Steve R. Wed, 05 Jul 2006 20:10:08 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2006/07/05/windows-genuine-nagging/#comment-51894 <p>M$, in the best traditions of 1984 newspeak, is not being candid about what it is doing. One of my paranoid delusions is that this technology could be used to disable WindowsXP when M$ declares WindowsXP obsolete to force a migration to VISTA.<br><br>Coincidently, it has been announced that security updates for older versions of Windows, such as Windows98 will be discontinued by M$. What troubles me is that I have not heard of a FINAL version of Windows98 being released. Please note, that I am NOT advocating that M$ continue to support Windows98, but that it simply make available, at a nominal cost, a FINAL CD. A lot of computers do not have the capablity to run WindowsXP and having a final Windows98 CD would allow the users to continue to use their existing hardware. Soon this will be an issue for WindowsXP and a FINAL CD of WindowsXP should also be made available, at a nominal cost by M$.<br>------------------------------------------------<br><br>Ed Foster has an article on WGA at <a href="http://www.gripe2ed.com/scoop/story/2006/6/27/0543/50236">http://www.gripe2ed.com/scoop/story/2006/6/27/0...</a><br>Ed wrote: "When will the last genuine copy of Windows XP fail to successfully run Microsoft's ever-growing gauntlet of anti-piracy weapons? If you think about, it would seem to be just a matter of time until all copies of XP are deemed counterfeit. The only question is just how long after Windows Vista ships that day will come."<br>-------------------------------------------------<br>Also see the Elder Geek discussion on WGA at <a href="http://www.theeldergeek.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=18401">http://www.theeldergeek.com/forum/index.php?sho...</a><br>Which is a discussion based on Cnet <a href="http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-6081286.html?part=rss&tag;=6081286&subj;=news">http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-6081286.html?pa...</a><br>--------------------------------------------------</p> M$, in the best traditions of 1984 newspeak, is not being candid about what it is doing. One of my paranoid delusions is that this technology could be used to disable WindowsXP when M$ declares WindowsXP obsolete to force a migration to VISTA.

Coincidently, it has been announced that security updates for older versions of Windows, such as Windows98 will be discontinued by M$. What troubles me is that I have not heard of a FINAL version of Windows98 being released. Please note, that I am NOT advocating that M$ continue to support Windows98, but that it simply make available, at a nominal cost, a FINAL CD. A lot of computers do not have the capablity to run WindowsXP and having a final Windows98 CD would allow the users to continue to use their existing hardware. Soon this will be an issue for WindowsXP and a FINAL CD of WindowsXP should also be made available, at a nominal cost by M$.
————————————————

Ed Foster has an article on WGA at http://www.gripe2ed.com/scoop/story/2006/6/27/0…
Ed wrote: “When will the last genuine copy of Windows XP fail to successfully run Microsoft’s ever-growing gauntlet of anti-piracy weapons? If you think about, it would seem to be just a matter of time until all copies of XP are deemed counterfeit. The only question is just how long after Windows Vista ships that day will come.”
————————————————-
Also see the Elder Geek discussion on WGA at http://www.theeldergeek.com/forum/index.php?sho…
Which is a discussion based on Cnet http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-6081286.html?pa…
————————————————–

]]> By: Matt Cline http://techliberation.com/2006/07/05/windows-genuine-nagging/comment-page-1/#comment-51893 Matt Cline Wed, 05 Jul 2006 19:30:21 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2006/07/05/windows-genuine-nagging/#comment-51893 <p><br>I haven't heard that MS was denying security fixes for installations that don't pass WGA. It appears that MS is specifically *not* denying security fixes for WGA-failing machines, precisely because of the botnet issues.<br></p> <p><br></p> <p><br>Another, more minor, nitpick: pirates didn't remove the activation feature from XP. Saying that implies that they modified the XP code, which is completely false.<br></p> <p><br></p> <p><br>What really happened is that certain license keys don't require activation. These keys were intended to be used by large corporations, where activating each individual machine would be too time-consuming. Of course, some of these "Volume License Keys" eventually got out into the public.<br></p> <p><br></p> <p><br>Hate on Microsoft all you like, Tim, but do your research first.<br></p>
I haven’t heard that MS was denying security fixes for installations that don’t pass WGA. It appears that MS is specifically *not* denying security fixes for WGA-failing machines, precisely because of the botnet issues.



Another, more minor, nitpick: pirates didn’t remove the activation feature from XP. Saying that implies that they modified the XP code, which is completely false.



What really happened is that certain license keys don’t require activation. These keys were intended to be used by large corporations, where activating each individual machine would be too time-consuming. Of course, some of these “Volume License Keys” eventually got out into the public.



Hate on Microsoft all you like, Tim, but do your research first.

]]> By: Steve R. http://techliberation.com/2006/07/05/windows-genuine-nagging/comment-page-1/#comment-34010 Steve R. Wed, 05 Jul 2006 19:10:08 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2006/07/05/windows-genuine-nagging/#comment-34010 <p>M$, in the best traditions of 1984 newspeak, is not being candid about what it is doing. One of my paranoid delusions is that this technology could be used to disable WindowsXP when M$ declares WindowsXP obsolete to force a migration to VISTA.</p> <h2>Coincidently, it has been announced that security updates for older versions of Windows, such as Windows98 will be discontinued by M$. What troubles me is that I have not heard of a FINAL version of Windows98 being released. Please note, that I am NOT advocating that M$ continue to support Windows98, but that it simply make available, at a nominal cost, a FINAL CD. A lot of computers do not have the capablity to run WindowsXP and having a final Windows98 CD would allow the users to continue to use their existing hardware. Soon this will be an issue for WindowsXP and a FINAL CD of WindowsXP should also be made available, at a nominal cost by M$.</h2> <p>Ed Foster has an article on WGA at http://www.gripe2ed.com/scoop/story/2006/6/27/0543/50236</p> <h2>Ed wrote: "When will the last genuine copy of Windows XP fail to successfully run Microsoft's ever-growing gauntlet of anti-piracy weapons? If you think about, it would seem to be just a matter of time until all copies of XP are deemed counterfeit. The only question is just how long after Windows Vista ships that day will come."</h2> <p>Also see the Elder Geek discussion on WGA at http://www.theeldergeek.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=18401</p> <h2>Which is a discussion based on Cnet http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-6081286.html?part=rss&tag=6081286&subj=news</h2> M$, in the best traditions of 1984 newspeak, is not being candid about what it is doing. One of my paranoid delusions is that this technology could be used to disable WindowsXP when M$ declares WindowsXP obsolete to force a migration to VISTA.

Coincidently, it has been announced that security updates for older versions of Windows, such as Windows98 will be discontinued by M$. What troubles me is that I have not heard of a FINAL version of Windows98 being released. Please note, that I am NOT advocating that M$ continue to support Windows98, but that it simply make available, at a nominal cost, a FINAL CD. A lot of computers do not have the capablity to run WindowsXP and having a final Windows98 CD would allow the users to continue to use their existing hardware. Soon this will be an issue for WindowsXP and a FINAL CD of WindowsXP should also be made available, at a nominal cost by M$.

Ed Foster has an article on WGA at http://www.gripe2ed.com/scoop/story/2006/6/27/0543/50236

Ed wrote: “When will the last genuine copy of Windows XP fail to successfully run Microsoft’s ever-growing gauntlet of anti-piracy weapons? If you think about, it would seem to be just a matter of time until all copies of XP are deemed counterfeit. The only question is just how long after Windows Vista ships that day will come.”

Also see the Elder Geek discussion on WGA at http://www.theeldergeek.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=18401

Which is a discussion based on Cnet http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-6081286.html?part=rss&tag=6081286&subj=news

]]> By: Matt Cline http://techliberation.com/2006/07/05/windows-genuine-nagging/comment-page-1/#comment-34009 Matt Cline Wed, 05 Jul 2006 18:30:21 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2006/07/05/windows-genuine-nagging/#comment-34009 <p> I haven't heard that MS was denying security fixes for installations that don't pass WGA. It appears that MS is specifically *not* denying security fixes for WGA-failing machines, precisely because of the botnet issues. </p> <p> Another, more minor, nitpick: pirates didn't remove the activation feature from XP. Saying that implies that they modified the XP code, which is completely false. </p> <p> What really happened is that certain license keys don't require activation. These keys were intended to be used by large corporations, where activating each individual machine would be too time-consuming. Of course, some of these "Volume License Keys" eventually got out into the public. </p> <p> Hate on Microsoft all you like, Tim, but do your research first. </p> I haven’t heard that MS was denying security fixes for installations that don’t pass WGA. It appears that MS is specifically *not* denying security fixes for WGA-failing machines, precisely because of the botnet issues.

Another, more minor, nitpick: pirates didn’t remove the activation feature from XP. Saying that implies that they modified the XP code, which is completely false.

What really happened is that certain license keys don’t require activation. These keys were intended to be used by large corporations, where activating each individual machine would be too time-consuming. Of course, some of these “Volume License Keys” eventually got out into the public.

Hate on Microsoft all you like, Tim, but do your research first.

]]>