Neowin.net

And everybody poo-poo'd it when I said (in these forums no less) that creating such an unnecessary single point of failure was both unwise (in the case of a software bug) and a potential security threat. The former has now come to pass...how long until the latter occurs?

Sooooooooooooo....

I
Told
You
So

Ummmm... Doesn't Windows already periodically check with the WGA server? I understand that it does from previous reports on it.

Right. It does. All I'm saying, or asking.. is WHY does it have to do that, after it's been done and validated?

I think it's because Microsoft constantly adds invalid keys and new search techniques.

If that's the reason, then OK, but it's still annoying as hell.

I think it's probably there for that Anytime Upgrade nonsense-- "He activated Home Basic, but is now running Ultimate, something's amiss."

I'm surprised they couldn't do "Anytime Downgrade" too... they'd encourage every OEM to ship with Ultimate turned on, which would revert to Home Premium in a month if the customer didn't pay for the extras.

What a true waste of time and resources when they could actually be making the OS better.

You?

Idk about their copy, but mine validates as genuine just fine ^_^

Hahaha this is NOT the first inning. We're like into extra innings without having a tie game.

All of my copies of XP are legit and it's really annoying when I reformat and have to sit there giving my activation number to someone on the phone who barely speaks English.

Why not key in that product key rather than trying to speak it out loud?

I find doing that makes it so I almost never have to talk to a real person.

Because that only works for retail versions, not OEM. For OEM you have to call India and ask permission to continue to use it on your system. As for the automatic speech recognition option, that is a joke as well.

Still more reasons why I'm glad I switched to Ubuntu....

No one cares about your OFF-TOPIC switch to a c. 1970's era command line driven shareware OS.

Flamebait Meter
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Ding-a-ling-a-ling... We have a winner!!

Not only barely speak english, but the call center is so far away, you can barely hear them.

What planet have you been living on? Linux is a full and feature rich OS now and it is FREE as well. It certainly doesn't have the many many many problems that Windows has as shown by this very thread.

More like a wiener.

In this very thread people have discussed only ONE problem, the uber lame WGA DRM crap. Nice try.

And the planet I've been living on grew up from custom recompiling their kernels using cryptic command line driven scripts just to get common driver functionality a very, Very, VERY long time ago. We play games, run professional applications to get real work done, and do more than just browse the Internet and share files.

Vista may be overpriced and released too early, but IMHO, Linux is indeed free and worth every penny you paid for it...ahem.

PS the main point of my post was that your snide comment about "yet another who gives a damn Linux distribution" was OFF TOPIC.

Last edited by excalpius on 26 Aug 2007 - 19:01

Um, is "c. 1970's era command line driven shareware OS" not a completely ACCURATE description of Linux?

Is it or is it not a freeware/shareware version of Unix, the now ancient 1970's era mainframe OS with a GUI strapped onto it as a front end?

Is it not primarily used by sysadmins (file sharing) and programmer types who are as or more comfortable in the command line interface as the GUI than say the other 99.99% of modern computer end users?

I've used every OS since punch cards and tape, and I don't think my description of Linux is the least bit inaccurate or can be seen as flame bait by anyone who actually knows what Linux REALLY is.

Maybe you have trouble grokking that, but that's not MY problem...

And this is one of many such threads, sparky.



Maybe you should move up to the 21st century instead of staying back in the 1970's. Linux has come a long ways. Now if programmers would start making guess for it we can all say goodbye to the nightmare that Windows has always been. Even as it is more and more people are starting to look elsewhere for their OS now. They've finally had enough of M$ and its crapware. You do know that Windows' GUI concept is stolen from Apple which stole it from Xerox?



Too early? It wouldn't be ready enough even if they waited another 5 years.



Didn't you know? The best things in life are free. Linux is a work of love while Windows is cold meaningless consumerism.



No, it was right on topic because it is pointing out yet another problem with Windows I no longer have to deal with. You're off topic by your very existence. Fundies, like you, don't really live in the real world.

Hardly. You have been off planet a long time.



What about MS-DOS, a stolen version of Unix.....?



Popular doesn't always mean better. If this were a religious discussion ( ) the fallacy you just used would be called Appealing to Popularity.



And we all know exactly what Windows really is as well, and thus Linux is better.



No, you have other, more serious problems of your own, apparently. Trolls like you don't really add anything to a discussion, you just distract from the real issues.

Last edited by Foub on 26 Aug 2007 - 20:22

Foub, every one of your "replies" above is fallacious and unsupportable.

"Off the planet?" I have used every OS since VAX and currently use Linux (Ubuntu and Debian), OS X, XP, and Vista. Instead of providing FACTS to counter my position, you hurl uninformed, off topic invective.

"MS-DOS..." What does that have to do with the parentage of Linux, which is OFF TOPIC for a discussion of WGA's flaws within Windows XP and Vista?

"Popular doesn't mean..." Where did I say either? You are being defensive where no insult was given. And you do realize that the opposite argument, that something is inherently superior just because a fraction of the users use it, is equally fallacious?

"Linux is better..." Linux is CHEAPER. That is the only qualitative assertion that can be made about it that isn't simply a matter of posturing and/or opinion.

The rest of your comments are just unabashed Windows bashing, providing nothing supported or supportable, as well as a lot of insults that are actually PROHIBITED by the rules of conduct in this forum. I won't be reporting you, because you've lost this debate obviously and handily, but if someone else does, don't be surprised.

Then you should know better. Personally, I don't believe you have used all those OSs otherwise you would realise that even though Linux comes from a 1970s command line driven heritage, it doesn't (by virtue of that self same heritage) have stupid crap like WGA. In any case, you decided to jump on a throwaway comment at the end of a post and ignore the actual content which was regarding the reactivation of an OEM Windows installation. So you started it, and then have the nerve to castigate for a response.


Care to mention that to IBM? How many millions of dollars have they invested (and recouped) from Red Hat?


I'll add "get a life" to "off the planet". Either do something or shut up.

And that's relevant to the people that HAVE had problems why exactly?

Last edited by excalpius on 26 Aug 2007 - 11:07

First copy I ever bought gave me issues right from the start. Got home, installed it, got to where I had to activate it and got that stupid message saying it couldn't be validated. Called them and was on the phone for almost an hour to fix it and most of that was because I couldn't understand what the guy was saying. For a while there I had to actually use the WGA cracks on my own legit copy I bought just so I wouldn't have to deal with calling them. I bought Pro later on and I haven't had an issue since, but I'm ready incase it ever happens again.

Actually the pirates do pass WGA. Ironically it's the legitimate customers that get screwed over all the time.

Did you even read the article? Microsoft confirmed the outage. Nobody cares if your glorious autographed copy of Vista is working fine, that doesn't mean other people aren't having problems. You have a pretty high opinion of yourself to try and claim that all these people all over the world are doing something wrong just because you haven't had a problem. Get over yourself.

Last edited by Ravensworth on 26 Aug 2007 - 06:21

That's because they fixed the server you twit.

If you had tried earlier in the day to do anything that required validation, like running a Windows Update check, or downloading something that required validation from Microsoft Download Center, then you would have found Aero shut off, and features stopped working.

Yep - Neowin late to report the important news again. By the time they were reporting the news, the problem was being fixed.

So? Some of us have lives, so we might not have seen this when it was actually happening. It's still newsworthy nonetheless to those of us who have been working hard to end the digital scourge known as DRM.

Sorry about that, bro. I'll try to sit at my computer ALL DAY just to make sure I report the news the SECOND it hits! I truly am sorry.

Yes, but when YOU screw up, it doesn't cause a single point of failure throughout the operating system at the core of infrastructure, business, and personal entertainment used throughout the entire WORLD.

Microsoft was warned at the highest levels (by myself and others) that it was a mistake to put DRM provisions in their code base now that they had become the de facto monopoly of the information age. It was and remains a single point of failure that can cause global problems if it fails either through human error or human mischief.

They assured us they had taken all the necessary steps to see that this could not happen. We, being human beings who know that they are just human beings, told them their position was arrogant, self-serving bull****.

We were right.

You couldn't seriously expect Microsoft to not use a verification of Windows. Otherwise Windows would be even easier to bypass and all over the place. It would be an insane control issue from microsofts point of view.

Besides that fact, the amount of people affected was probably at bare minimum. How many people bought vista that day? How many computers checked up with the WGA server that day? Probably less than 1%.

OFF TOPIC and therefore irrelevant to the thread/discussion at hand.

AND a word for word REPEAT of your post above. -1 for dupe.

I'm on topic, you're the one who is off topic with your trolling....

I've responded to your non-assertions above, where you posted all of this the first time. By the way, calling someone a troll is prohibited in this forum.

Regardless, I for one don't see how my response to your repeat/dupe post can be construed as "trolling".

In case you ever want to update about Linux. You sorely lack any current knowledge about it.

http://linux.about.com/od/embedded/l/blnewbie_0toc.htm

You're a troll when you first replied to my post by saying that no one cared about my opinion. That is trolling. It was nothing more than Flamebait, as was stated by another.

You lack perspective of Linux's nominal role in modern computing. It would explain why no one is using it for consumer desktops, professional offices, etc. etc. I use Linux for the few things Linux is good for. I use other operating systems for what they are good for.

I said you were OFF TOPIC discussing Linux in a thread about WGA in Windows. You are...and now I am.

Did anyone ever tell you that you are a colossal knob head? Millions of people use Linux in professional offices. Open Office anyone? Dell have been selling consumer Linux boxes for ages. Linux is on HD Players, Thin clients, phones, car ECU's.

I say what you are on about is completely off topic as well what does this have to do with WGA (windows genuine annoyance)?

I bet you can sit there for ages trying to come up with a witty reply. Give it a rest you bloody troll.

The only reason Linux is being discussed here is that Froub posted off topic to begin with and I called him out on it. Now you are calling me out as off topic for calling him out as off topic. Get some perspective, man.


The truth is that Linux REALLY IS a freeware/shareware version of Unix used by a fraction of a niche of computer users who are still comfortable working with recompiling kernels and drivers as well as managing their OS from the command line. I don't see what isn't true about this description or why you find it offensive in a way that you feel the need to defend. I don't think Linux needs defending. It has been quite successful in some niches. I've never said anything but.

However, you are GROSSLY overestimating just how many people are actually USING Open Office in any professional environment (# downloads does not equal users) and Dell's % of sales with Linux installed, but that's not really relevant to either discussion.

And, again, personal attacks and insults are not tolerated on this board. If a moderator doesn't flag you this time, you just got lucky.

Other tools...I disagree...phoning Microsoft support in India works very well for me: Say a random number really fast, say yes, preinstalled on the computer, and one computer only....and then get a code...simple, and it's never failed!

So, you don't mind having to degrade yourself by having to beg to use your system?

Nicely written sarcasm. +1