Is WGA a kill switch?

I know I said I wasn't coming back, but this is the only place I think that I might possibly, eventually, maybe get an answer to the question - Is WGA a kill switch? And when will it be activated (so I can sell my stock)?

vistawillship wrote:

Ha! This shows Microsoft remembers their roots after all.

Apparently they took my advice.

Good luck pirates.

If I was in charge, I'd wipe out all your stolen installations.

Well, I can imagine people not liking WGA, even if they buy legit.  Why?  Because mistakes happen.

Considering that Microsoft could have created a "kill-switch" and put it in Windows Update about 6-7 years ago, I think this is just sensationalist journalism at its worst.

I don't understand what the big deal is.  You think if Microsoft really wanted to implement something like this, they couldn't hide it within their kernel or some other dll that runs all the time?  WinInet maybe? or the TCP driver?  The fact that it's not a mandatory download (only if you want automatic updates, or to download files from their site which are updates to their OS) should be enough.

On a side note, I just ordered and received a dell laptop yesterday.  Among the crap installed on it, is My Way, which is recognized as a spyware app by every antivirus software out there.  The fact that Dell, the largest seller of computers to the home market, is bundling spyware with their new machines, infecting everyone who buys from them, doesn't get brought up in the news.  KNOWN SPYWARE here, not some half-baked conspiracy theory by ZDNet and others about WGA.  So why isn't this made public?  Why isn't this in the news?  Because, not being Microsoft, it's not sensational enough?

This is just crap, posted by a once-respected tech magazine.

and because its whole premise is guilty until proven innocent.  and then..prove it again! .... and again!    ...etc...

If this actually comes to pass, I think it can only be the result of some linux or mac guy who is a mole in Microsoft pulling strings in an effort to lower their market dominance.  Is it you VWS?

See, I like Microsoft!  A lot!  I like Office better than Open Office, I like .net better than java, I even like Bill Gates better than Steve Jobs for pete's sake!  But nothing will make me switch to some other OS faster than WGA becoming unavoidably mandatory.  And some of my friends who are less keen on Microsoft are already well down that road.  And what about an operating system for my parents who don't have an internet connection at all, and aren't going to get one!?

I hope this is just the rumor mill glitching, because WGA is not welcome on a desktop near me!  And no, I'm not a hacker, pirate or terrorist and I'm kind to small woodland creatures!

GN

The one thing that will tell us everything we need to know about the intentions of WGA later this year and what the author of the linked article refered to as "manditory use" will be the EULA. 

As we all know Microsoft has the right to change the EULA at any time.  The most current one is always posted on the Windows XP, or <insert OS here> page at microsoft.com.  If in fact the use of the most current version of WGA will be required or else the OS will cease to function it must be stated in the EULA.  If they disable Windows after a certain amount of time because of failure to use WGA and it is not stated in the license agreement they are in violation.  That will not happen however.  It will be stated and available, we just have to keep our eye out for it.

Oh, and they can slip it in via a EULA for WGA itself so read those EULA's that pop up during Windows Update.

--
This isn't an opinion on whether it is good or bad on the part of Microsoft.  It's simple my opinion of how to watch out for it and not be caught off guard.

vistawillship wrote:



 

Muah? Naw...I'm just the voice of sensibility in a sea of pirated software. Why so defensive? What are you hiding? What's wrong with giving up a bit of freedom/privacy in the name of rooting out piracy?

If you sympathize with the pirates or their ways, then you are against us.

If I could personally add a plank to Vista, I'd make you walk it along with all your other pirate buddies who want to bring down the industry.

Very humorous.

But in fact, no one has proved yet that anyone's giving up any freedom or privacy.  And a CD key that technically belongs to Microsoft can't be considered a privacy issue, unless it happens to coincidentally be your credit card number as well.

So, I'm still amazed that with all the packet sniffers and such available to everyone, no one has yet actually determined what's sent back with the ping.  It's almost like everyone's complaining just for the sake of complaining, without actually finding out if there's a reason to complain in the first place.

When did it sudden become evil for people to protect their intellectual property?

Shame on Microsoft for possibly maybe one day in the future even thinking about a mechanism designed to stop people from stealing from them. For shame...

Its very possible MS could use WGA as a kill switch.

Rossj wrote:


I know I said I wasn't coming back, but this is the only place I think that I might possibly, eventually, maybe get an answer to the question - Is WGA a kill switch? And when will it be activated (so I can sell my stock)?

Two questions:

1. Has MS ever done any studies and/or released any numbers as to the % of false alarms WGA generates?

2. Has MS ever done any studies and/or released any numbers as to the % of pirates WGA stops?

You know what they say, you can't manage something you can't measure.

Rossj wrote:

I know I said I wasn't coming back, but this is the only place I think that I might possibly, eventually, maybe get an answer to the question - Is WGA a kill switch? And when will it be activated (so I can sell my stock)?

Thanks for coming back (why did you leave btw?). Would this affect a user that has XP Home, but hasn't downloaded updates in a long time? I know, "bad form" on my part in terms of administration.

blowdart wrote:



rjdohnert wrote: Its very possible MS could use WGA as a kill switch.

Possible? probable though is a different matter ...

It's also possible that when JBuilder or Delphi starts up and checks Borland's website for "news", it could be sending your product key back to verify (among other information). 

It's also possible for Quickbooks to send your product key and other info back to Intuit when it checks for updates. 

It's also possible for InstallShield to send your product key and other info back when it checks for updates to itself and any other program that uses it's automatic updater.

It's also possible that with F-Secure, McAfee, Symantec, Avast!, AVG, FProt and Panda check for virus signature updates, they could check to make sure your license is valid.

It's also possible (and proven) that Google desktop sends information about indexed content back to headquarters.

It's also possible for MSN Desktop to send back information about indexed content back to Microsoft.

Get the pattern?  Do you know how many times a Microsoft application access the internet from your computer?  Frontpage.  Outlook.  Word.  IIS.  Error Reporting.  Remote Desktop.  The little games that you play online.  Visual Studio.  SQL Server. 

If they wanted your information, they've probably gotten it already.

blowdart wrote:



julianbenjamin wrote:  If they wanted your information, they've probably gotten it already.

Information was not the point I was addressing; a kill switch was.

And I say it would be very very improbable

I replied to the wrong post.  It was meant for rjdohnert.

And I agree.  It is very improbable.

Rossj wrote:


I know I said I wasn't coming back, but this is the only place I think that I might possibly, eventually, maybe get an answer to the question - Is WGA a kill switch? And when will it be activated (so I can sell my stock)?

I'm not exactly coming back to post here.  I'm tired of Channel 9.  But I couldn't help notice this on the feed after reading this:

http://bink.nu/Article7577.bink


Now, Microsoft has had bad publicity in the past.  However, they will know a new realm of Bad Publicity when they see the fall out with this disdainful idea.

The idea that in order to deploy Vista, Microsoft will force you to install their asset management product on your network, and then send a report back to Microsoft once a month with god-only-knows-what information about your enterprise, is frankly so unpalatable, it will make many consider the future of Windows in their enterprise.

I know the counter-argument will be that VLKs are used in piracy a lot, but the entire point of having VLKs for enterprises is their flexibility.  There are so many scenarios I can think of where machines will be in an unsuitable location or have unsuitable connectivity to the point they wont be able to connect to whatever convulted method Microsoft has for people to activate a CAL from this asset management server, and if "active CAL" means that workstations will have to connect to this Asset Management server once every 30 days, then it will be completely and totally unsuitable for scenarios such as academia.  After all, how do you tell someone who is spending a year researching in the depths of the amazon that they will need to connect to the UK once every 30 days or else their laptop will die.

Lame, moronic, idiotic.  Surely Microsoft can do better than this?