Just a thought on MS's next serial number plan.


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So what do you personally think is going to happen with the next version of Windows?

Think MS will have learned from their mistake with XP and move onto a better system of serial numbers and validation?

Personally, I think they need to catch up with the gaming industry on this one. Most games now require a serial number to play. If you decide to go online, and somebody is already using that serial number, then you cannot play online. Pretty simple.

Though, I think we should get at least 2 uses of 1 serial number (for use with personal PC and laptop).

The current system is so messed up. I guess in their quest to be different, they ****ed up big. Heh.

Any thoughts?

(I'm bored, waiting to go to a job interview, and I had this running through my head, so that's why I posted, not to spam.)

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This topic might give some weird MS employee some ideas, lock it now!!!!! :(

oh well.. those 1337 crackers alwayz think of something..

server side authentication would be kinda tuff for Microsoft anywayz.

if the server goes down.. :smart:

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Originally posted by ToastGodSupreme  

Personally, I think they need to catch up with the gaming industry on this one. Most games now require a serial number to play. If you decide to go online, and somebody is already using that serial number, then you cannot play online. Pretty simple.

Microsoft already do this with WPA.. but instead of checking it everytime you go online Its checked once -the first time when you "activate" if the number was already activated then you cant use it..

This does not apply to corp versions of course, this is for retail and OEM's.

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The more they get strict the more harder the customer have to do, I mean look you cannot do anything about the hacker/cracker out there who is very clever, the only way to get hacker/cracker less is to make the software cheap, that is all I can think of.

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Originally posted by nathan_151  

The more they get strict the more harder the customer have to do, I mean look you cannot do anything about the hacker/cracker out there who is very clever, the only way to get hacker/cracker less is to make the software cheap, that is all I can think of.

well said..

those buggers at MS probably know this as well, lotsa loyal customers were bitchin about activation as it is..if they make it worse they're hosed. hmm..there's alwayz the corp version to use i guess..

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Whatever MS thinks of it will be cracked.

It's just like a game of cracking MS. The levels get harder and harder, but there is still a way to complete.

PS - Good luck on that job interview :)

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Exactly! why M$ still wants to make it more expensiver....cheaper price is what we expect.

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lol MS is like a game the harder it gets you go up a level hehe

But yes MS will need some serious solutions if they want to stop piracy, maybe the future of Piracy lies not in with the software aspects but also the hardware, keep that in mind.

Also a global solution to this global problem wouldnt hurt.

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I think that Microsoft has already shown us what the future will bring. Many University and Corporate users already participate in the Microsoft Office Site License leasing program:

http://www1.umn.edu/adcs/site/

http://apps.carleton.ca/depts/ccs/docs/adm.../ms_license.asp

http://www.scs.nevada.edu/cs/software/contracts.html

I had read where it is estimated that the average user who legally obtains a copy of Windows, upgreades every two years. MS knows this. Any business, regardless of the product, can only assure continued sales by preplanned obsolesence. In other words, a better mouse trap must constantly be built.

The smart play for Microsoft is to carry that one step further and not only build a better mouse trap . . . but have the old trap rendered useless.

The first premise you have to remember is that no-one "owns" a copy of Windows. What you own a license that allows you to use Windows on a single machine. Ownership of Windows has always been and will continue to be retained by Microsoft.

It doesn't take a quantum leap in logic for anyone to see that eventually you will see Windows with a timeout, built right into the source code. You purchase a license that allows you to "lease" Windows for a year, during that time you are entitled to any and all updates that are released. Once a year, you will have to pay Microsoft their "lease" fee and then either by phone, Internet or a CD in the mail, the lease will be reactivated or extended for another year . . . or two . . . depending on the terms of the lease. If you do not re-lease the OS, it will cease to function in its design capacity. Perhaps to a level where data extraction is possible, but nothing else.

As the links above show, this concept of temporary leasing of Microsoft Software is already a reality . . .

Personally, if Microsoft wanted say . . . $50 or $75 a year for a lease. . . and I would continually be gauranteed the latest greatest version of Windows, I'd have no problem with that and I'd pay it.

Hell . . . I pay more than that every 3 months for my Internet connection.

-TR

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ive just been thinking the problem witht he MS well WPA was it was too Logical.. what do I mean?

Well it was that simple and logical to follow throuhg the process I riggged up a basic model of WPA for use in my Software Design and Development EOY Project lastyear.

Now I use that an example of how I created a basic model granted MS was a lil more complex but the logic for it is still all the same, hell the WPA was cracked and a document fully on how it works was released before XP even got to RTM.

The point is I think MS need to try like a chaos theory approach to Coding and anti piracy. Hrmm I dont know exactly how to put this but I feel like im onto something here, indeed I will go think some more.

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good points Timerider, i wouldn't be surprised if such a "protection" scheme would be implemented. the only downside i see is that time-outs and things like that are usually very easy to crack. so that would render the whole thing useless and only frustrate legit users, as has been the case with XP.

as for money, i don't expect M$ to lower their prices any time soon. i'm betting they make the most profit from companies, who of course legally obtain the licenses, no matter if it's expensive. also, $50 a year is still a lot of money for an OS, imho. now, if they went Linux-style, i.e. software is free or dirt cheap but you have an option to pay for (online) support, most of the warez users might seriously consider getting it legally and paying for the support service, if it's any good.

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Don't forget there always will be a corporate version running on many large companies. How about MSDN subscribers?

MS can not simply stop the leaks :)

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I think the only way they can slow down piracy is to make the price a bit more reasonable and make it easier for paying users.

XP Pro was very expensive, plus legitimate users have the hassle of activation (even if it is relativley painless, it is a hassle), where the pirated corporate versions don't... from a user standpoint it's a better copy because of this.

ANY serial / activation number can be generated, any program can be cracked or patched, and corporate versions will always be leaked.

Leasing the software could be a possibility in the future, but I really doubt piracy can ever be stoppped, slowed perhaps but not stopped entirely... at least not for a very long time.

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Originally posted by LunaC  

Leasing the software could be a possibility in the future, but I really doubt piracy can ever be stoppped, slowed perhaps but not stopped entirely... at least not for a very long time.

Probably not, and my post wasn't really directed towards the question of stopping piracy. Rather, what's next in the plan for those who obtain the programs legitimatly.

Where I work, it would be very cost effective to lease the software if the pricing was attractive enough. The first PC I had was DOS based. In 1996 we moved to Win95, in 1998 we moved to WinNT and in 2001 we moved to Win2K. All of the old licenses were tossed. We also changed from Word Perfect to MS Word. If our IT could lease instead of buy, the upgrades would occur yearly I'm sure, and would probably be far less painless provided Microsoft made the transition a fluid one.

As it stands, each PC comes with an OS and has a turn around of 3 years. IT ends up providing support for multiple OS's. In a lease by the year program, the transition could be system wide and while the transition itself might be more intense, the day to day issues would probably be less so.

As far as the timeout goes, yes, they can be easily overcome in the manner inwhich they are currently used. But if such a time out or lifespan could be written right into the source code, it would be feasable I should think, to make it virtually impossible to tamper with without rendering the OS useless as a result.

But who knows . . . I'm not a programmer.

Either way, leasing is the way of the future IMHO. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

-TR

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well u can't go blaiming ms for having windows so high in price i mean look at mac os x its over 100$ look at some linux distrib. *STORE ONES* those are not cheap either plus since windows is the main os *BEST ;) i think it should be high in price but who cares only about 5% of people here bought it.

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To be honest with you guys, I pirate MS WinXP and Office XP. The reason behind this: It's too d@mn expensive!!! This is b/c people in M$ put to much unnecessary $hit into their OS. If M$ is willing to lower the price of their OS to one that is easily accessible to the public, then I'll consider buying a legit copy for once!

Note: My computer costs $915 (box only, no OS). Would you like to pay another $800+ just for M$ software? I don't think so!!!

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i love the use of @'s and $'s in the last post. Real 1337 :D :D

piracy will never go away. you may reduce it a bit, but it's a constant. a given. always there. never killed.

i'm just happy that the only MS product I've ever payed for is my mouse :p

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For the price of Windows you can get a mobo, processor and RAM,its too goddamn expensive!

BillG earns like ?300 a minute or second or something rediculous like that, he can afford to cut prices!

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What I believe will eventually happen is that when broadband Internet becomes standard, MS will make their OS net-based. The only thing that would be on your computer would be the programs necessary to connect your computer with the net-based OS. The program used to connect with the OS would be free; the license to use the net-based OS would be a subscription. This way, if you don't pay, MS can just pull the plug on your account similar to the way an ISP works.

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absolutely.

that's where whole .NET strategy is heading.

instead of software there will be "subscription services" something like pay-per-use.

you'll have very basic interface which will be free or very cheap and then you'll have to buy access to use say office apps..

good thing, your stuff will be accessable from anywhere on inet.

bad thing, it's a huge security risk.

it would be so awesome if games were written for *nix, then i would totaly remove windows.:cheeky:

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bad thing, it's a huge security risk.

Another bad thing: If you're ISP is under repair or something for a few hours, you can't do much :ermm:

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