IT may have cost Microsoft millions of sales, but Redmond claims that Windows Genuine Advantage has forced punters to buy legitimate copies of its software. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Vole had tried everything from court cases, to threats, to try and counter piracy. But now that Windows Genuine Advantage has locked down its Vista product, piracy is more or less a thing of the past.
The SMH admits that Microsoft does not have any actual figures to back up its startling claim. The closest thing it has said was that Windows sales were up 20 percent while worldwide PC sales were up only 14 to 16 percent. It claims that this was because people with counterfeit copies of Windows were having to put the real thing on their computers or the software does not work
View: Full Article @ Inq
The SMH admits that Microsoft does not have any actual figures to back up its startling claim. The closest thing it has said was that Windows sales were up 20 percent while worldwide PC sales were up only 14 to 16 percent. It claims that this was because people with counterfeit copies of Windows were having to put the real thing on their computers or the software does not work
View: Full Article @ Inq
rofl
People sell a already unlocked pirate ultimate version on the streets...
Who are they trying to convince? Theirselfs?
there living in a fantasy world, and they will fall if this is the attitude they continue with
LOL, you can download hundreds of patches, cracks, activators for Vista....if you want to bother with Vista.
Vista piracy is down because Vista sucks - period.
It's for them to decide if it's causing enough increased revenue to justify the cost of developing the anti-piracy measures.
And I'll leave it to your personal preference to decide if it's WGA and activation, or a better product causing that (as views on Vista are so split, and vehemently defended).
Did you see that? He typed MS, but used a dollar sign for the S. Because Microsoft have lots of money. That's funny that is.
Did you see that? He typed MS, but used a dollar sign for the S. Because Microsoft have lots of money. That's funny that is.
I know, isn't it clever? I've never seen that before!
Usually true, but it doesn't change the fact that Foub is absolutely right: Most people don't know anything about computers and operating systems; they might as well be buying a toaster. And because they know nothing, they buy whatever the salesman at Best Buy or Circuit City tells them to buy. What's more, they're usually happy with what they've bought and use it without knowing the first thing about what's going on “under the hood.”
When they turn that computer on for the first time and it tells them to activate, they activate without giving it another thought. To the vast majority of the computing public, activation and WGA are total non-issues that they've totally forgotton about as soon as they've finished pushing the “activate” button.
It's also the fastest way to bring out the pro MS trolls.
MS (Multiple Sclerosis) is a disease.
MS (Multiple Sclerosis) is a disease.
I'm not sure if you're aware of it, but the letters in the alphabet can be used more than once.
*sniff sniff* Smells like sarcasm was in this room.
Perhaps some people who already had computers are buying Vista?
Even if that's not the case they only had 4-6% increase in sales that could be attributed to people buying legitimate copies to replace pirated. The idea that only 4-6% of copies of windows are pirated is as ridiculous as the idea that WGA solved the problem.
I bet there's a lot of people in China who disagree.
Lets not to forget that with each PC you can get WinXP and free upgrade to Vista. So in theory 1 new PC = 2 copies of Windows and theoretical statistics looks better than reality.
though if you want to win the fight over piracy, here's a piece of advice: give windows for free
Obviously PC literate people can get around it easily.
But what about people who's mate stuck their copy on their machine.
They won't know how to get around it, and will be scared into buying it
Stop using L'Inq for news postings like this.
Yes, it allows you to put up more posts and look busier, but when they're as crap as this, it is really worth it?
The article is full of half-truths, exaggerations and white lies, whilst the actual source, the Sydney Morning Herald actually wrote their article properly. Perhaps linking that would help?
http://www.smh.com.au/news/Technology/Anti...5975900357.html
Microsoft have not said "piracy is more or less a thing of the past". "Vole had tried everything from court cases, to threats, to try and counter piracy", and are obviously still trying that, because, amazingly, that's what the law dictates.
And the way the article finishes with:
"However what Holleyman and Vole have not pointed out is that sales of Vista, with WGA, are abysmal in comparison to what XP was doing a year after its release. Some of this is to do with a lack of drivers and bugs, but there is a huge reluctance on the part of punters to wrestle with Vole's incredibly bureaucratic, and unforgiving WGA."
You have to be freaking kidding me.
Last edited by Kirkburn on 26 Nov 2007 - 16:01
right now I'm replying from an unlicensed vista ultimate ...
"maybe" I plan to buy one in the future but not now as a student for sure ...
In either case, one line in the article clearly demonstrates the author's gross incompetence in technology: "piracy is more or less a thing of the past". Microsoft is the first to admit you cannot ever "defeat" piracy just like police can never completely "defeat" crime.
Can you minimize it? Sure. But hackers love a challenge and will always be on top of things. WGA was never meant to eliminate piracy just reduce it.
And it works.
In either case, one line in the article clearly demonstrates the author's gross incompetence in technology: "piracy is more or less a thing of the past". Microsoft is the first to admit you cannot ever "defeat" piracy just like police can never completely "defeat" crime.
Can you minimize it? Sure. But hackers love a challenge and will always be on top of things. WGA was never meant to eliminate piracy just reduce it.
And it works.
WGA was designed to let you know that the jerks at the local computer shop sold you a stolen copy of Windows. Would you rather they go the Apple route and have them require you buy a new motherboard with a TPM chip on it and lock your system down completely?
Doh. I know someone who just had the copy of Vista enter "omg-i'm-pirated!" mode despite me personally knowing we entered a proper key for it. And it *has* worked alright for months, perhaps even half a year or so. This would/could never have happened on OS X or, say, Ubuntu.
Exactly. Thats one of the many, many, many reasons why I dumped Vista in favor of Ubuntu. All I had to do was update my video drivers in order to be labeled a pirate....
I have seen it used, updated, and pass WGA.
I know it was never bought.
From what I understand, it's a slightly modified Dell OEM copy, that would be used to preload Vista on Dell PCs. Vista checks the activation against a special Dell BIOS driver, which verifies that it is installed and running on a Dell PC.
Someone has just modified this driver to ALWAYS indicate that it's running on a Dell PC, regardless of whether it actually is or not.
So, if Microsoft were to invalidate this copy, then EVERYONE with a Dell PC would have to revalidate. That would be VERY bad for Dell AND Microsoft...
Articles claiming that WGA has effectively affected piracy make me laugh.
I have seen it used, updated, and pass WGA.
I know it was never bought.
From what I understand, it's a slightly modified Dell OEM copy, that would be used to preload Vista on Dell PCs. Vista checks the activation against a special Dell BIOS driver, which verifies that it is installed and running on a Dell PC.
Someone has just modified this driver to ALWAYS indicate that it's running on a Dell PC, regardless of whether it actually is or not.
So, if Microsoft were to invalidate this copy, then EVERYONE with a Dell PC would have to revalidate. That would be VERY bad for Dell AND Microsoft...
Articles claiming that WGA has effectively affected piracy make me laugh.
This is not necessarily true. On a real Dell, that information is stored in the BIOS. All they'd have to do is lock out the driver version.
... And everyone else with that driver version...
That's kind-of the point.
Nothing a up to date 'emulated BIOS' driver version couldn't handle.
- WGA authenticates properly except when it doesn't!
- WGA deters piracy well except when it doesn't!
I have never, repeat: NEVER had a WGA failure, and I've reactivated my copy of Windows so many times that I have to call them whenever I need to do so now. (I have to reinstall a lot for software QA testing.) My mother on the other hand bought a computer from a small shop that put a pirated copy of Windows on it, and she started getting WGA notifications. It was simple and painless for her to order the WGA kit by clicking on the balloon tip. They sent her a new key and a disc in 2 days for less than it would have cost to buy XP retail.
I have never, repeat: NEVER had a WGA failure, and I've reactivated my copy of Windows so many times that I have to call them whenever I need to do so now. (I have to reinstall a lot for software QA testing.) My mother on the other hand bought a computer from a small shop that put a pirated copy of Windows on it, and she started getting WGA notifications. It was simple and painless for her to order the WGA kit by clicking on the balloon tip. They sent her a new key and a disc in 2 days for less than it would have cost to buy XP retail.
And your point being what that she was to stupid or you were for that fact to go see the doosh bag that installed it on her comp and demand a genuine copy that just makes me laugh and make ms richer and the shop just keeps on doin its nasty little tricks
Not to mention the need to know where to get those files!
Microsoft aims at reducing the piracy that makes them actually lose money, those who SELL pirated copies. Because THAT is where they lose money. They don't lose money from geeks downloading Vista if they weren't to pay for it anyway. And they know they can never get rid of piracy, not because bitch always fight backs, but because one of the pillars of windows being the most widely used operating system IS the apparent "free distribution" it has. You know, when back in the day people just copied the cd from somehow who had bought it. Now they call it piracy, but back in the day it was not.
You do realize not everybody is interested in playing computer games, right? Not everybody cares.
WGA doesn't tell on you. It doesn't let Microsoft know you're running a bogus license, it lets YOU know that.
Many computer savvy users have some genuine copies, some pirated, that's the truth...But WGA is working MS.
The company's management lacks focus, drive, and vision. MS needs a shakeup, and needs to roll out Windows 7 fast, on-time, with fresh, rewritten code.
I'd buy that for a dollar!
I'd buy that for a dollar!
but MS would rather you payed 900 dollars
Microsoft did NOT say the stuff attributed to it in the article.
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