Microsoft says: "Steal OUR Software before someone's else"

[zir_blazer]

Microsoft hypocrecy at its maximum
Ars Technica

Bill Gates sayed once in 1998:

Gates shed some light on his own hard-nosed business philosophy. "Although about 3 million computers get sold every year in China, but people don't pay for the software," he said. "Someday they will, though. As long as they are going to steal it, we want them to steal ours. They'll get sort of addicted, and then we'll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade."

Jeff Raikes says now in 2007:

"If they're going to pirate somebody, we want it to be us rather than somebody else," he said. "We understand that in the long run the fundamental asset is the installed base of people who are using our products. What you hope to do over time is convert them to licensing the software."

This is a nice side effect of the "Losses" that they claim to have.

[citat3962]

It appears using a work volume license for Vista at home is going to be more difficult than with XP since they require you to validate against your volume license and they count every machine that validates..

[zir_blazer]

It appears using a work volume license for Vista at home is going to be more difficult than with XP since they require you to validate against your volume license and they count every machine that validates..

This is not the point, we aren't talking about how to make a pirated Windows Vista version to work in your computer, but how they taked advantage of piracy to make Windows mainstream.

[xVeinx]

It feeds a cycle. The idea that piracy "counters" MS has turned out to be worse than people realized at the time. Simply put, lots of windows-based machines will in turn increase the need for developers to support proprietary windows formats, whether in streaming media or programs. This continues to be the reason why MS remains extraordinarily profitable. Linux has it's issues (in the lack of a single set of standards, etc. -don't take this as a huge critique, you get what I mean ), but it would be a lot better off if, say, those pirating software went instead to linux. I guarantee that linux would be a much bigger problem for MS were that the case. Piracy rarely stops the problems that it is "supposed" to. If you are looking for alternatives or for better music, etc. then don't pirate it-support the bands and software projects with your cash.

[nn_step]

It feeds a cycle. The idea that piracy "counters" MS has turned out to be worse than people realized at the time. Simply put, lots of windows-based machines will in turn increase the need for developers to support proprietary windows formats, whether in streaming media or programs. This continues to be the reason why MS remains extraordinarily profitable. Linux has it's issues (in the lack of a single set of standards, etc. -don't take this as a huge critique, you get what I mean ), but it would be a lot better off if, say, those pirating software went instead to linux. I guarantee that linux would be a much bigger problem for MS were that the case. Piracy rarely stops the problems that it is "supposed" to. If you are looking for alternatives or for better music, etc. then don't pirate it-support the bands and software projects with your cash.

Someone finally got the point, It isn't about the money. It is about having a controlling market share. Which allows much power and influence.

[Piotrsama]

Microsoft hypocrecy at its maximum

I fail to see hypocrisy here, it's what xVeinx and nn_step said.

[zir_blazer]

Someone finally got the point, It isn't about the money. It is about having a controlling market share. Which allows much power and influence.

Considering Microsoft statements, what they say that they did is getting us addicted to Windows. But is not for the Operating System itself (I know that Linux is better), but because the Software that it got. Remember that when you browse around, things like your browser and Operating System get recorded in stadistics? Original or pirated, you count as a +1 in the Windows platform. This means that if a developer looks at this, they would develop for Windows because is the platform with a bigger user base where they can aim for more potential customers. The more Software for that platform is (Let alone games and propietary formats that may not have a Linux platform equivalent), the more difficult is to get away from it.
That strategy worked flawlessly, look around and you will see its results. Where Microsoft seriously screwed things is that now they think that they can actually get money from the pirated users, and things like WGA the only that does is annoying genuine customers while for the pirated user, they just apply the crack following what is stated in the TXT that was distributed with the pirated Software and get it running anyways. Windows Vista though just makes Linux more appealing.

Piracy rarely stops the problems that it is "supposed" to. If you are looking for alternatives or for better music, etc. then don't pirate it-support the bands and software projects with your cash.

I don't think that anyone with two fingers at they face looks at piracy like a way to counter [Insert monopolist Software company here] for what I stated before (I actually HELPED Microsoft), but just because that is the mainstream platform and you can't get away from it while keeping enjoying your regular Software (Best example: Games).
RIAA and MPAA chases around people (Instead of what Microsoft did with piracy, they practically did nothing during a whole bunch of years) because they don't get any strategic advantage like what Microsoft did with Windows.

I fail to see hypocrisy here, it's what xVeinx and nn_step said.

You don't see that they taked advantage of the piracy that everyone complains about (And that now they are attacking) to make they Operating System mainstream "At all cost"? How you call that? That Bill Gates is a genius for using such a brillant strategy?

[xVeinx]

Considering Microsoft statements, what they say that they did is getting us addicted to Windows. But is not for the Operating System itself (I know that Linux is better), but because the Software that it got. Remember that when you browse around, things like your browser and Operating System get recorded in stadistics? Original or pirated, you count as a +1 in the Windows platform. This means that if a developer looks at this, they would develop for Windows because is the platform with a bigger user base where they can aim for more potential customers. The more Software for that platform is (Let alone games and propietary formats that may not have a Linux platform equivalent), the more difficult is to get away from it.
That strategy worked flawlessly, look around and you will see its results. Where Microsoft seriously screwed things is that now they think that they can actually get money from the pirated users, and things like WGA the only that does is annoying genuine customers while for the pirated user, they just apply the crack following what is stated in the TXT that was distributed with the pirated Software and get it running anyways. Windows Vista though just makes Linux more appealing.



I don't think that anyone with two fingers at they face looks at piracy like a way to counter [Insert monopolist Software company here] for what I stated before (I actually HELPED Microsoft), but just because that is the mainstream platform and you can't get away from it while keeping enjoying your regular Software (Best example: Games).
RIAA and MPAA chases around people (Instead of what Microsoft did with piracy, they practically did nothing during a whole bunch of years) because they don't get any strategic advantage like what Microsoft did with Windows.



You don't see that they taked advantage of the piracy that everyone complains about (And that now they are attacking) to make they Operating System mainstream "At all cost"? How you call that? That Bill Gates is a genius for using such a brillant strategy?

I think you are agreeing with us without realizing it

[nn_step]

Considering Microsoft statements, what they say that they did is getting us addicted to Windows. But is not for the Operating System itself (I know that Linux is better), but because the Software that it got. Remember that when you browse around, things like your browser and Operating System get recorded in stadistics? Original or pirated, you count as a +1 in the Windows platform. This means that if a developer looks at this, they would develop for Windows because is the platform with a bigger user base where they can aim for more potential customers. The more Software for that platform is (Let alone games and propietary formats that may not have a Linux platform equivalent), the more difficult is to get away from it.
That strategy worked flawlessly, look around and you will see its results. Where Microsoft seriously screwed things is that now they think that they can actually get money from the pirated users, and things like WGA the only that does is annoying genuine customers while for the pirated user, they just apply the crack following what is stated in the TXT that was distributed with the pirated Software and get it running anyways. Windows Vista though just makes Linux more appealing.

now to undo all the damage that Microsoft has done is going to take some serious work. what is needed is a shift, a major one at that. So what is currently being developed is an API, that runs quickly on windows and is open source(thus portable to any other OS, specifically XSOS V4 which it will be native)
And with lots of work and what ever it takes to gain market share support for the API. The API should help remove Microsoft's strangle hold on customers.

[amrgb]

In the same way that any software company thinking that its software is crack-proof is a gross underestimation, it is also an underestimation of Microsoft to believe that the loose ends they left in Vista (just to mention the most recent case) that allowed it to be crack so easily (timer stop due to the fully functional experimentation period and the OEM Slic bios because of no need to activate those versions) are there because they can't do no better.

If Vista were the effort of one or a small group of people then loose ends like those could have passed unnoticed. By I don't believe this is true in the case of Microsoft.

My opinion about this, which cames back from long before Vista, is that they leave this open doors so that moderately difficult cracks can be developed. The ones that have the money to buy it, will quit easily and avoid the "little" annoyances associated to the crack, be it the cracking process of the possibility of the OS stopping to work with an update. Those who can't afford it, will be happy to leave with it.

Most of the people in the latter group as they grow old and with more resources, will eventually purchase future versions of their products. This can be encouraged with progressively more difficult to crack or annoying software.

Meanwhile, this people is, just like Gates said, "addicted" to MS OS's. This prevents companies from switching to free OS's. The OS and their applications may be free, but the costs to give formation for people to know how to use them outweights the cost of the MS OS + software which almost all of them already know how to use them. So at least corporate users "have" to choose and pay for MS OS's.

I know of lots of examples where the switch to Linux was analyzed and failed precisely because of that.

[Eastcoasthandle]

The only way you going to stop OS piracy is to put the OS on a chip and ask that motherboard manufactures to host a OS chipset. Maybe it's a combination of os/bis chipset who knows. But when you are no longer able to put a OS on disc in place of hardware solution you cut off the need to download. However, I don't see this happening for 3 reasons:
-IMO you would need to get rid of pagefile use, etc
-with every new OS the HD space increases (even when it doesn't appear to be necessary...discussed in other forum)
-they simply don't have the full co-operation from Hardware side to get them to all agree to it IMO. As long as you do not have the full co-op and allow cd copies to exist, the use of a os on a chip will be pointless.

[Anonymous]

LOL, hope people aren't just realizing this.

Also, No way in hell Linux will even be a mainstream desktop OS reguardless if you feel it is a superior OS. There is no money in Linux as a multimedia platform (how many Linux users want to pay for software and content lol). The open source community would need to develop standards like NN said but, it seems like that will never happen. Lastly, Linux needs to be backed by money in order to grab Dev support, advertisement, etc which again, will never happen.

Linux is a power user OS (which is why I use it) but its not for the common computer user and most of the elitest Linux community feel that same way, "Its not for Idiots" as someone put it so elegantly. I am not delusional in thinking that mass amounts of people will suddenly drop Windows for Linux in its current state.

Unless there are dramatic changes to Linux and its community there is no chance that it will be the dominate desktop OS, period.

Oh yeah and Balmer was right, "developers, developers, developers, developers".

[alpha_tot]

Now I feel even less guilty about stealing windows...if thats possible.

Im talking hypothetically, if I were in fact using an unlicensed copy of windows. (which Im clearly not )

[Brother Esau]

@Eastcoasthandle......Dude love the Ronald Mcdonald thing...lol
It reminds me of some stuff I would see Tripping in Central Park tyes I am from New Jersey

[Revv23]

simple business sense, if you rule the market its pretty hard to lose, especially when they werent going to pay in the first place.

[snowwie]

well now you guys know the secret to killing microsoft windows:

pirate linux

[flopper]

They got 30% that is pirating windows, now, that serious money if all those would go out and get a orginal copy today.
If so many are using win xp as it is, and Microsoft is not taking action to actually shift that piracy tells us several things,
one, they make enough profit from the buyers today meaning its to expensive and price to high for consumer.
They dont do the thing to do to get win xp corrected which would been easy if they wanted it to, after all it is theft and fraud to use a pirated win xp.

One reason is, if they got the market, which they do, none is converting to Linux and Apple anytime soon unless there is a good enough choice and as far the streamline of people isnt doing that anytime soon.
If I own Microsoft, saw the piracy actually reinforcing my company and its business which it does, a lot of people using microsft software end up buying it if they do serious company work.
Its not hard then to get, that even if they want to fight piracy they rather fight security first since that keeps them in the business of being the only choice in a OS today.

I bet they got all the numbers there in how much they loose and win due to more people having win xp and the software home for "free".
As long they win, no bigger move to Vista will be made.

Its actually quite easy, stop supporting Win xp due to piracy, offer a free upgrade to Vista if you got a orginal copy of win xp, offer money back to those that already bought the upgrade version.
Its not gonna happen but would be the appropriate move if the company (Bill) would be serious about fighting piracy.

[Haltech]

The Vista activation scheme was easier to crack than XPs. OEM Copies of Vista Ultimate or whichever flavor you choose, do NOT have a set activation limit by MS as a whole. Meaning, although the EULA states something in regards to the OEM copy being attached to one specific motherboard, MS doesnt care.

Ive tested this over the last 30 days by installing my OEM copy of VISTA U across 31 machines. These machines were various Intel and AMD with Nvidia, Intel, ATI, SIS chipsets.

You get 3 online activations before you have to call MS. Once you call, youre given a new key and youre off.. Literally, 1 min and 14 seconds. No hassle, no bs.. MS doesnt care.. They already got your money at this point. All that they ask is that the install has been removed from one machine and transfered to another. No multi copies on active machines of course. So.. save some cash and buy OEM.

I really believe they are more laxed at this point and like what was pointed out above, their focus has shifted to security and being the dominant OS of choice.

I will always purchase one legit copy of the latest windows. I will do what i want with my other installs to meet my needs.

And BTW.. they havent even bothered with Office 2007 activation problems. You can slip stream the key and youre good. Something to think about there.