Hackers rumored to have cracked Windows 7 activation
Microsoft only just released final code for Windows 7 to manufacturers and the company is already facing a security risk.
The Windows Genuine Advantage antipiracy system in the Windows 7 Ultimate release to manufacturers (RTM) has reportedly been compromised by some Chinese hackers, according to a variety of Chinese forums, and first reported by Neowin.com.This means the user can fully activate the software offline without connecting to Microsoft's activation server.
The software's RTM code is generally the same as the retail code, which will be available to the public in October. PC makers tend to get the final product with plenty of time in advance of the launch to make their products ready on the launch date.
It must have been a complicated process, but in a nutshell, hackers reportedly used the leaked ISO file to get hold of the activation certificate that Microsoft digitally signed for the original equipment manufacturer, or OEM version of Windows 7. It's rumored that the key that got hacked is one that can be used to activate multiple OEM-branded installations, such as Dell's, HP's, or, of course, Lenovo's.
I am no fan of the activation, (it's a pain when you change computer parts, which I do very frequently) but this is rather upsetting news. I am sure, in no time, you will be able to buy a copy of Windows 7 in China or Vietnam for less than a dollar.
Addressing this, Microsoft released a this statement to CNET News:
We are aware of reports of activation exploits that attempt to circumvent activation and validation in Windows 7, and we can assure customers that Microsoft is committed to protecting them from counterfeit and pirated software. Microsoft strongly advises customers not to download Windows 7 from unauthorized sources. Downloading Windows 7 from peer-to-peer Web sites exposes users to increased risks--such as viruses, Trojans, and other malware and malicious code--that usually accompany counterfeit software. These risks can seriously harm or permanently destroy data and often expose users to identity theft and other criminal schemes.
Dong Ngo is a CNET editor who covers networking and network storage, and writes about anything else he finds interesting. You can also listen to his podcast at insidecnetlabs.cnet.com. E-mail Dong. 
No amount of encryption can overcome human weakness just like no amount of education can cure bad journalism.
"no amount of education can cure bad journalism" ... LOL !!!
If the kiddies figured out Lenovo's (and thus Microsoft's) entire key generation chain (and it appears they may have), then the keys cannot be revoked and Microsoft gets to put up with pirated copies (which IMHO they probably won't mind at all, protests to the contrary - how d'ya think Windows spread so far and wide in the first place?).
OTOH, if it's just an OEM master key that was subsequently used to make a keygen binary, then it only means that Lenovo gets to eat a delay in production until a new master key gets issued.
Either way, I for one would love to see Microsoft lock down the thing and make it pirate-proof. If people actually have to pay for the OS, maybe they'll start actually weighing cost vs. benefit...
On top of that there are additional steps to perform and files you need (which I will not go into detail here) that are simply beyond the ken of the average computer user.
Vista activation was subverted in the same manner. This was hardly a threat to Microsoft's revenue stream with Vista, it won't do any more harm in Windows 7.
If you have confirmed details, it would be interesting to read them
Suffice it to say, due to the complexity of the bypass, most people will be unable or unwilling to try it.
50 times, if we use the ol' 2 cents standard
Microsoft should apologize for wasting thousands of man hours of those who have had the misfortune of using their dung filled products. They could start by sending me a refund for the many hours I wasted over the last 15 years. Proud to be a switcher to OS X this year. I will NEVER go back to that pile of dung known as Windows.
-- Then get over it. Stop reading re-reading Windows articles. What's the point? Just because you were miserable with Windows over the past 15 years, you want everybody to be be as miserable?
-- Sue Microsoft. Sue the OEM who sold you the PC. Do something about it. Oh yeah, maybe you think this is a good outlet for your grief... Ok... as long as you're doctor is aware...
Actually, if you don't use Windows, you can take Microsoft to small claims court and get a check for what you figure you paid for Windows if you bought an OEM machine with it pre-loaded:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/04/dell_windows_eula_israel/
http://www.windowsrefund.info/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=25
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/7040
whatever... i use windows everyday, have been for years, my machines are on 24/7... no issues. I develop applications and Windows performs - very very well. Good luck trying to figure out OS X, if you think it's bug free then you're in for an eye opener.....
Whatever the case, I make very good money as a microsoft .net developer not as a .apple developer (oh wait there is no such thing because corporations don't take them seriously). And if I lose my job, I know I can find another similar job just about anywhere in the world.
...which means we can blame you for Enterprise reliance on IE6 then?
I suppose I could McDonald's because I didn't like a meal I got in 1972. The fries were a little dry.
I could sue Ford because my Maverick needed to have a new starter put in- what, why don't they build these things to work forever? Design flaw!
I could sue Apple because my Touch needed a new speaker jack and while it was under warranty, they still charged me for the honor of bringing it in for service. The warranty work was free- the service to actually perform the work was not.
For that matter, I could sue you, The_Happy_Switcher, for wasting my time reading your comments when I could have been doing something more important with my time like clipping my toenails.
Nah, life is too short to waste on whining. I'll leave that up to folks like you, THS. You're doing an admirable job enough for the rest of us.
Of course by that time the sky will turn green, pigs will grow wings and monkeys will start flying out of my backside.
Why not? Windows is always overpriced.
A Snow Leopard upgrade cost $29. As Apple only ships one version of its OS which includes everything so the comparable Windows version is Ultimate. Windows 7 Ultimate upgrade costs $219. I would consider Apple's product more 'fairly valued' then. Open your eyes.
Sure Apple only makes one version of Mac OSX. Does that automatically mean that version is comparable to the best version of Windows? No it doesn't.
Mac OSX lacks a variety of features that Ultimate offers.
It is only comparable to the normal version of Windows, or Home Premium, because the other versions of Windows were made for EXTRA things.
Yeah a Snow Leopard upgrade costs $29. Do you have a Mac from 2002 you can upgrade from?
Well I have a Windows XP PC from 2002 I can upgrade from for $49.
And if you want to upgrade your 2002 Mac to Snow Leopard, you have to buy the full version of Leopard first, then upgrade. That's ridiculous. Not only that, those Macs are so old the hardware has changed and you probably (I'm not fully sure but I think this time they made Snow Leopard cease to work with non Intel processors) can't upgrade at all!
That's means you need to buy a new Mac for $1500.
On the other hand, I can just upgrade my self-built high quality PC at $49 and get even better performance than before (since Windows 7 was designed for performance, and is much faster than both Vista and XP [Actually, Vista was also faster than XP if you knew how to tweak it]).
my guess here, is that the reason ppl put soo much time and effort into cracking windows is because they're saving money by doing so (time is worth money)
microsoft is spending time and money to try and stop these people.
I would guess, that if windows ultimate were aroun 75-80 bucks, thered be less of a demand for illegal copies of it, and therefore it wouldn't really be worth it as much to those that crack the activation process to begin with.
but i could be wrong...
People pirate music whether tracks cost $1 or 80 cents or whatever -- that includes DRM encumbered tracks and it also includes DRM-free music. Everyone kept saying that when the record labels dropped DRM then piracy would stop. Well, guess what -- you have plenty of DRM-free sources now, and piracy is as rampant as ever.
That's not a defence of DRM (and specifically not of FairPlay and PlaysForSure that do erode consumer rights). But it is a defence of any company that produces something and wants to be paid for it. Why shouldn't they?
Here's what you don't get:
1) Piracy is theft. Plain and simple.
2) If you or anyone thinks Windows/music tracks/dvds/flat-screen-tvs/macs/whatever are priced too high -- you always have an option -- don't buy it.
3) If you contend that pricing it lower will sell more copies, well, duh, that's true of any damn product ever created -- so understand that you're not as smart as you think you are. That's no excuse for endorsing piracy. People have a right to charge what they think their goods are worth. Don't agree with their pricing? Bargain. Seller isn't budging? Don't buy. Piracy is theft.
Maybe someday you really will get it...
"Piracy" is a civil, not criminal matter when done without money or trade consideration. It is only criminal (specifically, fraud) when you charge money for the transaction. Either way it's dumb, but please keep your ignorance to a minimum on the matter.
The rest is up for debate - I agree that if you buy a DRM-encumbered item and discover it to be useless, that's your bad luck. You shouldn't have bought DRM-loaded software or data in the first place.
OTOH, converting or removing DRM from software or data is perfectly acceptable IMHO, as long as you do not copy and distribute (in the legalese term) that which you have stripped.
Whatever you want to call it.. whatever subtle little legal distinctions you want to make, and however you want to justify it or dress it up to look less bad than it actually is, the fact remains -- piracy is theft. You're stealing stuff that you should pay for. Plain and simple. I'll leave the legal mumbo jumbo to the lawyers.
Regarding removing DRM etc. but not distributing stuff -- that's fine -- but that's not what TFA is about, so let's not kid ourselves.
" It is only criminal (specifically, fraud) when you charge money for the transaction. Either way it's dumb, but please keep your ignorance to a minimum on the matter. "
What would you call using a product in a manner the OEM has expressly stated is against their EULA, and results in denying the company of a sale to that customer of $599? That's what you've been doing and yet you seem to think that is okay.
So which is it? Is stealing from Apple okay or not? Or is it only okay for *you*?
BTW: If you have already sent your check for $599 to Apple to rectify this situation, I do apologize and will retract the comments. If you have not, however, then you're still guilty.
Therein lies the rub - neither are related to one another. If by that same faulty logic, you were to publicly call Anne Geddes a child pornographer (she takes photos of nude children, after all), you'd be seen as equally ignorant.
"...whatever subtle little legal distinctions you want to make..."
These aren't subtle distinctions - they carry specific meanings in the legal arena (else Microsoft could have you thrown in jail for every running copy of Windows in your home that you did not have a valid and paid-for license of. In case you;re wondering, they currently cannot).
Criminal and civil trials are handled differently for a reason. Hopefully you will at least recognize that fact.
"Regarding removing DRM etc. but not distributing stuff -- that's fine -- but that's not what TFA is about."
Windows Activation is DRM, in case no one informed you. ;)
==
"...Is stealing from Apple okay or not?"
http://www.portlandonline.com/police/?c=30539
Put up or shut up, Dan - turn me in. I dare you to. ;)
Like I said.. a rose by any other name. I don't care about the legal distinctions (whether you choose to call them subtle or not). I don't care about the justifications you use to make yourself feel good about your decisions. Piracy is theft -- plain and simple.
"Criminal and civil trials are handled differently for a reason. Hopefully you will at least recognize that fact."
>> Re-read my comments. I didn't say anything about criminal vs. civil trials. This doesn't affect the fact that piracy is theft. Simple. Dress it up however you want, you can't escape that fact.
"Microsoft could have you thrown in jail for every running copy of Windows in your home that you did not have a valid and paid-for license of"
>> I don't have to worry about such things. I work hard to earn my dough and take pride in paying for the products I buy. I've never stolen from anyone and never felt entitled to obtain stuff I can't afford by 'alternate' means -- whether that's software or music or whatever.
"Windows Activation is DRM, in case no one informed you. ;)"
"OTOH, converting or removing DRM from software or data is perfectly acceptable IMHO, as long as you do not copy and distribute (in the legalese term) that which you have stripped."
>> What do you think will be done with the copy of windows with cracked activation (mentioned in the article)? You think somebody did that just to prove to themselves that they could?? Or will you reply with yet another silly and out-of-context response?
Although I have to admit less than $1 is pretty hard to compete with.
I remember going to the store and purchasing the last version of Warp for $60, and that was the complete o/s not an upgrade.
I realize that was a long time ago, but face it inflation has not increased prices by three or four hundred percent since then, so I have no idea why MS seems to think their o/s is worth so much. I will be purchasing a new computer this fall for guest internet use, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be putting Linux on it since it will not be for gaming. If I could buy Windows 7 for $100, I would buy it and put it on that computer but I'm not paying over $200 for that o/s. There's just no way a computer o/s is worth that much money.
That's starting if you want a mouse keyboard speakers and monitor that will be $999
Had you taken advantage of Microsoft's offer prior to 07/11, you would have been able to pick up a copy of Windows 7 for $99... you snooze, you lose!
The Apple Mini is the lowest price product Apple sells that comes with the full OS. You cannot purchase the full OS without a computer attached. The upgrades are just that- upgrades only. Everyone knows you can do a full install from that upgrade media, but that violates Apple's EULA and denies them the sale of a $599 computer. Unfortunately there are those that believe doilng this is perfectly honorable.
@baconstang:
What you have purchased all those times before was an upgrade only. Please read the EULA. Apple doesn't sell the OS by itself- it only comes as part of the original purchase of a computer. All other packages are upgrades only.
@Dalkorian:
Please read the Apple EULA that comes with that upgrade package. You can only purchase upgrades, not the original OS. Please be sure you know the difference. The full OS is only available with the purchase of a full computer. The OS that you see sold separately for $129 is an upgrade only.
I do wonder why Apple even bothers to put this stuff in their EULA or even in their online store if people don't read it...
Apple Retail: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC094Z/A/Mac-OSX-Leopard
3rd-party Retail: http://www.everythingoutlet.com/p_5429SFT_Mac-OS-X-Version-10.5.6-Leopard.html
The word "upgrade" is nowhere to be found, chu^Hamp.
yeah your OSX definitely sounds economical.
where did you get 5 years from? That's a pretty rough 'about'.
Now I'm sure apple has upgrade versions but you can still find a version of windows 7 that is cheaper that suits your needs. Plus, again, you can't beat the free price of using MSDNAA on pretty much anything but office, which you can also get huge discounts on.
I kept my OSX 10.3 installed for five years without any troubles or incompatibilities, and only recently upgraded my dual G5 to OSX 10.5. You may want to google for "Universal Binary" before you kiddies spout off about somehow being forced to buy a new copy of OSX.
Meanwhile, Windows owners are literally forced buy a new copy of Windows every time they buy a new OEM computer (roughly twice over that same 5-year period), and if they got a computer with Vista, they will very likely pay more still to get rid of it in favor of Windows 7 when that comes out. If they stuck with XP, they got to pay for the same OS... twice over (which is really dumb), plus they likely paid the OEM an extra $100 besides to keep using XP instead of getting Vista.
MSDNAA is paid for by your school, which reflects in everyone's tuition/lab-fees/etc. Also, you are restricted to a two-year time period, and you cannot use it for any commercial purposes whatsoever. In 2004, it cost about $1500 per classroom (or rather, per 20 students) to participate.
To Random_Walk: Congrats on keeping 10.3 for 5 years. You missed a key part of my sentence: "to keep up"**. I never said Apple forces you to buy the most up-to-date version.
$200 for windows is a lot, but if you really break it down even for one or two years, it ends up being pennies a day.
Oh I forgot! Without ransomware and windows there is no profit in MS.
Apparently you're oblivious to the fact that Apple sells OSX without any protection whatsoever, and they do not claim to have a large problem with piracy. They also sell quite a few boxed copies of OSX.
True, no registering requirements and add it to all your computers no problem. So nice.
For PC, you can assemble all the parts and get hard drive without an OS or buy a Linux PC and if there's no protection in Windows, it's "free". Just boot on the the hacked Windows CD and you're on your merry way.
I know that folks here had been able to build Hackintosh's. It's not entirely legal and it's not something a regular Joe can do.
1) You are aware that you need a hackintosh if you're gonna run OS-X on anything other than Apple hardware right?
2) Do you even have any statistics showing Apples retail-box OS-X sales compared to the OS-X pre-installed (mac) sales? The retail box sales are probably a small enough fraction at the moment that Apple doesn't (yet) have to worry about piracy.
3) You are aware that Apple software also gets pirated right? (see here: http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-10148359-12.html).
That's a irrelevent comparison. Apple is a hardware company, they make money off hardware sales. OSX is tied to Apple hardware. The "few boxed copies of OSX" that they sell usually just ends up on Apple hardware. If OSX was designed to easily work with more generic hardware, like Windows is, you can almost bet Apple would implement some kind of protection. The changes they made to iTunes to try to block the Palm Pre is a perfect example of the kind of things Apple would do to protect OSX.
What about the insecure Windows 7 security model that allows viruses, trojans, and other malware to infect the system even if the customer bought the commercial and 100% legal version of Windows 7? Why don't you put a disclaimer for that? What about false positives in the activation method that fail for a person who has a legit copy of Windows 7 but somehow activation didn't work properly because a Firewall prevented the online activation transaction to go through to the Internet, thus invalidating the copy of Windows because it could not reach microsoft.com?
Why don't you admit that the antipiracy process of Windows 7 is legally spyware that sends data back to Microsoft against the user's rights not to and invades their privacy? That Windows 7 comes with Microsoft spyware already installed and maybe an NSA backdoor from the Magic Lantern days?
Secondly it sounds you're swinging wildly about privacy invasion. You should calm down and go play with google voice on your iPhone. Oh wait you can't because apple is too controlling: http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/27/apple-is-growing-rotten-to-the-core-and-its-likely-atts-fault/
I can't wait to see how many more people this happens to
Lol what? This just shows that you haven't a clue about security and have no right to comment on it.
Nothing installs on Windows unless you tell it to.
Find me a drive by download for Windows 7 or Vista that installs and infects the machine with UAC turned on without the user approving it.
Find me malware and a trojan that will do that too.
I am a big fan of Ubuntu, but let's be realistic here... games for Linux SUCK! They are nothing like games for PC. Linux will never be a gaming platform until it gains a signficant market share. I would love to see that happen, but until then, I require Windows for a gaming PC. Now if I was going to be hosting a game server or a team speak server, then yes, Linux all the way, but the games for Linux are cheap cheap knock offs of games that stopped being fun 15 years ago. Your web browser is a better gaming platform than Linux currently is.
But seriously.......I was addressing this part of the original comment:
but when you are talking about people who live at 17c /hr, these people can't afford full price so there really isn't any options for them.
If they can't afford the operating system I figured it was unlikely that they'd be able to afford games like crysis WOW or whatever other games people play. Plus those games need more than your average on-board graphics chips and standard amounts of ram to run at acceptable frame rates.
Now if money's no object and you're a linux user Parallel's has a solution that will make you're jaw drop its called Parallels Extreme. You need special hardware though, an Intel 5500 series xeon processor, and two Quadro FX graphics cards, and 8 gig of ram, which means probably more like 12gig or more. You can run an XP or vista VM fully accelerated on a second monitor. Price to build the machine would probably be around 5 grand maybe? If I had the money I'd build the pc just as a fun project you probably wouldn't have to do a single upgrade for about 5 years.
But I digress.
Back to my original point. If you can't afford a legal copy of windows linux is a very viable alternative. Yes tetris solitaire free cell or any of the other scores of games for linux aren't graphically stimulating or complicated. But, they are still fun to play. Pacman, space invaders or centipede were graphically dull but still fun.
Funny, I've always been able to run my fave FPS games on Linux (Quake, Unreal Tournament, etc) natively, or on WINE.
Even funnier: Linux has had a very nice majongg game included in nearly every distro for literally over a decade... Windows 7 finally included one.
"
Funny, I've always been able to run my fave FPS games on Linux (Quake, Unreal Tournament, etc) natively, or on WINE."
Wow... Quake came out in 1996 and UT in 1999. You're... not seriously suggesting that being able to play games that came out 10+ years ago is staying current? Come on now, get with the plan... or at least the same decade.
Seriously, come up with something a bit better. Those examples are downright embarassing.
>>>> Ubuntu
The only times I fire up a command line in Ubuntu is when I know what changes I want to make and where, but can't immediately figure out how to make that exact change in the available GUI. It happens (my wireless worked before, but has been bullet-proof since I edited the configuration files myself), but it's a rare occurrence.
As for me. I have no choice, so I will have to line up on 10/22 like the rest of the herd beasts like cows to the slaughter, to plunk down half a month's disability money for an OS that is at least more stable than Vista. Then I will have to wrestle with my system for a month to work out the bugs that always seem to accompany any new release from Billie Boy Gates and Company. Fortunately for me, I have been working with MS junk for years so I'm pretty good at handling my own support. I just feel sorry for those that aren't.
BTW. If this stupid OS activation system isn't better at NOT failing for no reason than vista's. I am gonna scream.
I agree with monkeyfun14. Go buy a mac and get all customization and freedom taken from you all while paying 100% more money for it. Then when some part of it breaks you'll have to ship the ENTIRE product back to them to fix it b/c some idiot at apple thinks its a good idea not to have different parts that can connect/disconnect form each other. Plus they're way to much of an over-controlling company for developers.
What? You do realize that Macs use the exact same components as PC's, right? They just run a different OS. There is virtually no difference in the hardware between Macs and PC's, except that if you put a Mac motherboard on the open market, it would be considered absolute top-of-the-line. (Go ahead and check the specs of a Mac Pro motherboard against the top PC motherboards out there.)
There is absolutely nothing you can do with a PC in terms of customization that you can't do with a Mac. Nothing. I say that as someone who owns four PC's and uses both a PC and a Mac at work.
Just went to the apple store to configure a mac pro. Their video cards always seem to be one level down from the best and they charge over twice as much for hard drives and ram than what you can get at newegg if you were to build a PC. Leaves me wondering why more fanboys don't make a hackintosh or just run ubuntu if they really can't figure out how to use a real PC.
It never ceases to amaze me how unhappy some windows users are with Windows. And yet they keep using windows. If you dislike windows that much buy a mac. If you don't like apple use linux, if you don't like linux use one of the BSD's. Failing that get a typewriter white out, thesaurus, dictionary, and a game console.
I said it before in a post on cnet years ago. Until Microsoft does a complete re write of Windows like Apple did with OSX all the basic problems people complain about in Windows will not change. But that will never happen because of it's installed base. Because so many companies depend on custom and legacy programs it would be near corporate suicide for Microsoft to just trash it's windows code base. So they are stuck with upgrading and patching windows while maintaining backward compatibility with older versions on windows.
So.....all those windows users who didn't like 98, me, 2000, xp, vista, and now 7, guess what you're going to be doing when windows 18 comes out? That's right you'll be complaining about what a dog windows is and how nothing ever changes.
Like I said if you don't like windows buy a Mac. Or....
>>>>>>>>>Shameless linux plug<<<<<<<<<
If you put half as much time into learning linux as you do complaining about windows you would probably become fairly proficient in it's use. It really isn't that difficult to use and with a little research when you are shopping for peripherals you won't need to worry about getting hardware that won't work with linux. The stuff you own now will be a different case of course. You might get lucky and your printer, scanner, and camera will work with little or no configuration. In the case of a winprinter or win modem it may never work with linux. But as they say you get what you pay for.
Linux is ready for everyday desktop use. There is a learning curve, how steep will depend on the individual. You can't move to linux, or even OSX for that matter, and expect to be as immediately proficient as you were in windows. But then, you weren't proficient in windows the first time you sat down at a pc were you? Personally I remember learning how to use Dos 5.0 and windows 3.1.
If you're tired of Windows and the way Microsoft does things and you're willing to spend the time learning how to use linux you won't regret the switch. You may not find the perfect distribution at first but if you try two or three you'll find one that will make you very happy. If you're not willing to switch to linux or Mac well then you're just gonna have to grit you're teeth and deal with Windows. Instead of complaining here on cnet or another message board go fill out a user survey at Microsoft's website, they'd love to hear from you.
>>>>>>>>>end shameless linux plug<<<<<<<<<<<<
~~~~~~~~~~Somel preemptive responses~~~~~~~~~~
If you're happy with windows by all means keep using it and don't waste you time and or money with linux or Apple.
If you think Windows is the best operating system and has the best apps, that's your opinion and I can respect that and I won't argue with you. For me linux is the best OS, you can talk until you're blue in the face you won't change my mind.
I prefer linux, you prefer Windows, someone else prefers OSX, that's fine lets all use the solution that best fits our needs.
To quote a linux columnist "I'm not waiting for the year of linux. Since I installed it every year is the year of linux for me".
If you put half the effort into trying to get along with Linux that you put into wrestling with winblows, you'd be happy with it and 10 times more productive. But you couldn't cry about how unfair it was to you and expect anyone to pity you for it, so you'll stick with your master like a good slave should.
But to be truthful, your post just doesn't sound legit and is more likely hyperbole and malignant in nature.
Regardless whether you support the principle of FOSS or proprietary software we should all respect the wishes of the Programmer/Developer. If I as a developer want to charge for my work or release it under the GPL that is my decision and the user should respect that.
Sure it's tempting to get software for free, no matter how many hoops you have to jump through to get it, or how many cracks, exploits or keygens you have to get to make it work, always running, always staying one step ahead of the software makers trying to patch the holes that make your crack work.
Maybe it's my age, or maybe it's that I have a good steady income now where once I did not. Some people do pirate only because they don't have the money otherwise, you know. Not most...but some. But these days I just want my computer to work. I am still a hardware geek. All my current machines are built from scratch. But from a software standpoint, I think I've come to the conclusion that the race isn't worth it to me. Currently none of my machines run pirated software. Sure they do run many legitimate and open-source freeware alternatives to commercial software, but if I find commercial software that I need to make my computer do what I want, then I'll pay for it, because I just want it to work.
So, you say, use a Mac! It just works. Yeah, but as i said, I'm all about hardware. If I can't rip it apart and do my own upgrades, then you don't get my business. I've had my ATX tower case for six years, but none of the parts in it are that old.
So, you say, use Linux instead! Well, I've tinkered with Linux since 1.2.13, and it is a good, powerful, and stable OS. However it does not do everything I want it to do with a minimum of hassle. Therefore I do not use it. Maybe that's a bad thing, maybe it's wrong that there's only one mainstream OS available to the masses for a PC, but I'm afraid that's a war that's going to have to be fought without me.
I don't get why some people thinking having a PC that just works is such an evil thing.
Actually, I've managed to upgrade a Mac Cube from a 500Mhz G4 to a 1.2GHz G4, bump the video card up to a Radeon 7200 (IIRC?), and swap out nearly everything but the motherboard and the chassis... and this was among the hardest little machines to upgrade in the entire Apple desktop line (everything was packed into a 7" x 7" by 11" plastic case).
Modern Macs pretty much use standard everything except the TPM chip... you don't even have to worry about specific video card firmware types anymore, IIRC (...how do I know? Because I installed a retail copy of Leopard into a bog-standard Intel-based box - all I had to do was basically modify the bootloader with a patch).
Ok, I'll give proper cool points for that. I remember the cube too, and while it was pretty to look it, it looked so far from upgradable I thought the task impossible.
Still, it's too late for me to switch I think. The Mac Pro is the only model I could see easily replacing most of the hardware in and that still requries a $2400 cash outlay. Sure I had to pay alot upfront when I built the first incarnation of my PC, but now about $300-$400 a year or every other year, depending on what's available, and I've got a machine that'll last until the day I die or until I can't get MBs in ATX form factor any more.
I will confess, if a legit version of MacOS was available for the PC I would likely use it...at least as a secondary OS. I first learned computers on a Mac back in the days of System 6.5.3 and I thought it was a Superior OS compared to the clunky MS Windows at the time.
Unfortunately you still have to put alot of effort into shoehorning a MacOS install onto a PC these days and while I have tried on occasion we still come back to the fact that it's just not worth the extra effort to me. I want it to just work.
You forgot to mention that all the things you have done to your system *voided* the warranty. What's the point of paying for Apple Care if you are going to just void the warranty?
Doesn't make much sense to me.
Also, there are no 'retail copy' versions of Leopard. That's an upgrade. Just read the box. Don't believe me? Look at the Psystar case- that's the very basis of their entire lawsuit. Psystar says it's a legal full copy, but Apple disagrees. Apple has clearly made their point that if you install OS X onto a non-Apple component like you have, then you are guilty of theft from Apple to the tune of the lowest level Apple product that comes with an OS, ie , the Mac Mini.
I know, and I understand your points. Hell, I agree with them, but the simple fact is that what you are doing is not legal in Apple's view and that is where we part ways. I do not believe in stealing from Apple. It just isn't right. You may not believe what you are doing is wrong, and that is all the more sad for it.
Not all of them - though moving the DC/DC board to the one open spsace between HDD and DVD-ROM, and hooking it up to the mobo with a homemade cable (to make room for the Radeon)? That probably whacked any hope for a warranty call. ;)
But then, changing the CPU (or similar-severity mods) on a Dell or HP would instantly void the warranty there as well, so your point was...?
BTW - why would modifying a Mac Cube be illegal?
I worked for a large commercial software company. So I know that Microsoft could sell a boxed edition for $10 and recover all their money and make a nice profit. Think about it instead of 900 million that are willing to pay an average of $20 to $30 they could have 6 billion paying $10. 3 billion paying $5 if they could sell through the Internet.
As to games on Windows and not on Linux. Wake up clueless masses or at least you few idiots. If you'd check the figures you would notice that game companies are not targeting the Windows PC platform. It is Xbox, Wii, PS3 etc., and increasingly Linux. Blame it on Microsoft pushing the Xbox platform or blame in on Wii PS3, or VIRUSES, etc. As a platform for games Windows PC is dying! dying! dying!
But then, what games do you mean? Everyone who seems to comment on games on windows either for or against seems to think the target market that they're a part of is the only one exists, or at least, is the only one that matters, when the truth is a company will port something to any platform it thinks it can make money on.
So the latest FPSs aren't available on PC. So? I'm sorry, but while teenagers 12-18 and young adult males 19-29 are two of the biggest markets, the game makers haven't forgotten everyone else even if you have. So I think there will always be games for Windows, or whatever mainstream OS happens to unseat MS if one ever does. They may not be games you would play, but they'll still be there.
I'd rather see the economy recover, thanks.
Let the first ones being scanned are those that spread fake antivirus software and the spreaders of malware and viruses and trojans and keyloggers.
After that then go after the ip adresses known to harbor DDOS attacks.
Or use some logic code: if windows pirate then rename tcpip.sys to some ambiguous file name so they can't get on the internet.
Detection is only as good as the people who write the code. Humans make mistakes. I'd personally rather deal with WGA than risk everything being wiped out by a misplaced apersand (&) in the detection code.
just kidding, but here come the serious theme:
you said
"I am no fan of the activation, (it's a pain when you change computer parts, which I do very frequently) but this is rather upsetting news. I am sure, in no time, you will be able to buy a copy of Windows 7 in China or Vietnam"
then act according to what you said,
1st the first ) ban the activation systems absolutely from informatics
2nd) ask yourself why. If MS were really interested in security this would not have happened but they are not since this is their way to enter and dominate markets and later capture when they are fully dependent (any remind of drug dealers is to be considered seriously)
3rd) stop complaining about something irrelevant to what matters: a scientifically made, universal , serious and secure operative system.
- by rp69 July 30, 2009 11:16 AM PDT
- I like Windows 7 but I can't stand the activation, its a definite sore spot. Given the market share that MS has you would think the would let up a bit.
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- by Methuss July 30, 2009 1:15 PM PDT
- Not going to happen. You see executives and bean counters are the only ones who think they can protect software forever...and they are idiots who have never written a line of code in their life.
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (129 Comments)Putting my rant aside my question is ... if Microsoft saw the futility of this activation and removed it tomorrow, just how sensational would this article be then? I want transcend the whole Apple versus Microsoft nonsense as it just goes no where and instead just center on the topic of anti-piracy. Thanks!
The true purpose of copy protection in software is to delay or prevent the majority from being able to casually duplicate the product for as long as you can. Back when I wrote game protections in the 1980s the point was to protect the game for about 90 to 120 days. We modeled our prices so that we had our ROI and profits within that timeframe. Any sales coming in after that was just gravy. Then the bean-counter accountants started getting involved in the development process and started wanting protections to work forever (which was totally unreasonable) to protect the revenue stream. That's when DRM and all this other funky protection schemas started coming into play. In games we ended up spending more on developemnt of the protection than it was worth.