New "key" mandatory in Windows for updates

The Seattle Times ^ | July 26, 2005 | Brier Dudley

[martin_fierro]

Unnngh.

[DB]

Competition really would be good for Microsoft...

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Ugh....is right!

[kingattax]

Another happy Microsoft customer

[Jaysun]

Could they make this any more of a pain in the ass? Gates is sadistic.

[backhoe]

Could they make this any more of a pain in the ass?

They seem bound and determined to force me to teach myself Linux...

All I want in an OS is for it to do what I need it to do with the least hassle possible- each added annoyance and impediment, like this damfool idea, is one more reason to ditch Microsoft. I mean, the basic question is this- you pay them for their bloody product, so do you actually own it, or are you just leasing it in perpetuity? Do they have claim on your first born as well?

Been a user since DOS 3.1, but if they keep this stuff up... well, I've got Mandrake burned on three disks, and copies of Ubuntu sitting on the table next to me...

[tomakaze]

this the same key some guy in india already cracked and distributed?
Microsoft: reaping the benefits of outsourcing tech to 3rd world countries with a culture of intellectual property piracy.

[Lazamataz]

I'm kinda okay with this. If you pay for the OS, you get the service. Just like any other vendor in the world.

[nerdwithamachinegun]

OS X

Linux if you're a masochist, which I am sometimes.

[Paul C. Jesup]

They seem bound and determined to force me to teach myself Linux...

My thoughts exactly. I wonder what flavor of Linux is best for me.

[Jaysun]

Been a user since DOS 3.1, but if they keep this stuff up... well, I've got Mandrake burned on three disks, and copies of Ubuntu sitting on the table next to me...

Woo hoo, that's Chinese to me friend. I couldn't ditch Microsoft if my life depended on it, I'm too ignorant of anything else. I'm a slave to the whims of the evil one, the Antichrist, one Bill Gates, Esquire.

[HiTech RedNeck]

The system works by identifying unique characteristics of a system

Hack around too much with your peripherals and Gates-o-matic will call you a phony.

[fsorbello]

"I mean, the basic question is this- you pay them for their bloody product, so do you actually own it, or are you just leasing it in perpetuity?"

You're just leasing it in perpetuity.

[djf]

The fact is, most users get pretty much what they need from their machine.

So selling software upgrades does not meet a need as much anymore, and the alternative is maintenance fees.

By subscription.

[TomGuy]

Been a user since DOS 3.1

A late-commer, huh. I jumped in around Dos 1.1, IIRC.

I downloaded the FREE Knoppix. It is a version of Linux that runs from a single bootable CD (now, DVD). I've run it some. It has some nice features, takes some getting used to. It is a windowing type environment, so it isn't that strange of an animal. The directory structure and file extension names/file types are the most confusing to me. I haven't really found a 'learn Linux' documentation (and haven't taken the time to look).

When I run Knoppix, it finds my cable modem, etc., so I can go direct to the Internet. I have a pctv card which it doesn't seem to recognize, although it has some kind of pctv program. I would lose some programs I like by switching, as Linux doesn't have a universal emulator, and dang, I don't want to give up those games uhhhh applications.

All-in-all, if push comes to shove and MS keeps raising the cost of their glut-ware Windows, Linux could easily do to Windows what Firefox is doing to the IE browser.

[TomGuy]

Just started reading my morning newsgroups, and one of the first articles I saw was this:

Windows Genuine Advantage cracked?

Discovered 2 workarounds so far.

1) In IE, go to "Tools," "Manage Add-ons..." Click "Windows Genuine Advantage" and click "disable." lol I wonder how long that one will last. :)

2) Search the net or usenet for "mskey4in1" For the ID range, enter "999-999999" for both "from" and "to". Hit Generate, then use a XP Key Changer to change your key. Seems to work good so far for a lot of peeps, still not sure how long it will last.

Seems it didn't take long for those dang kids to crack the code. Dang kids! lol

[backhoe]

All-in-all, if push comes to shove and MS keeps raising the cost of their glut-ware Windows, Linux could easily do to Windows what Firefox is doing to the IE browser.

I absolutely agree- there is a level of pricing, and annoyance, that simply becomes too much to tolerate.

[BushCountry]

Heck, MS paid a small software shop for the original version of DOS. This company (SPC) stole the operating system code form CP/M and modified it slightly and called it their own. Don't worry they paid for theft, Microsoft eventually negotiated a deal to buy the copycat DOS, no royalties or licensing fees, for $50,000.

I read Microsoft has paid over two billion dollars in anti-trust settlements for code and technology they have stolen. Yet, they are concern you might upgrade your PC with a newer version of Windows operating that works!!! Most of the upgrades are to fix extreme shortcomings in their operating system.

[The Duke]

I don't mind paying Microsoft a reasonable amount for a reasonable product, but I can't imagine this not being an annoyance that would cause me to consider upgrading to Linux.