Mary jo: MS to Tighten Genuine Advantage Screws

http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,2180,2001181,00.asp

what i hate about this is all the checks.  cant you just build windows to either work or not?

why does windows need to check over and over - it is really iritating - wastes my time - and makes it look like no one over there can solve the main problem.

install windows - activate windows - THE END

make all WGA from then on invisible always.  you should only see any of this stuff EVER if one of these booby trapped little addons actually discovers you really arnt legal/ compliant

i hate the way it feels reading this garbage over and over again - its like cops have taken over windows - cops and sales guys

so ...now they are sending out Stickers to Internet Cafes -"let's have a branding campaign around something almost everyone despises"

might i suggest "Accusations Everywhere!" or "Bad Vibes Approved!" [checkmark]

bah
*also - ie? media player? movie maker?  all now WGA?

<paste - ie7 - allow access -on same document>

(edit - i think i have a few books where you may have stated ie is a part of windows...)

at least make NEW stuff that uses it - dont take whats there already and move it into 1984 land.  Photostory is the only one thats new.  defender fixes windows holes so that hardly counts either


end rant

ps - i wish this was a funny clip with the activator (done that) or a cartoon with steve turning devs in sales aliens (done that) but there really is nothing funny about being... Validated...checked... ok'ed.... over and over again.   this stupid stuff has to go

jamie wrote:

this stupid stuff has to go

Unfortunately Microsoft is labouring under the same illusion that also fuels the nefarious BSA - that people using unlicenced Windows would actually go out and buy Windows if they cared more about the supposed ill-effects of 'piracy'. I don't agree with companies selling machines with fake Windows installations and I applaud Microsoft's efforts to put them out of business. In that sense WGA is doing the end-user a good service. On the other hand there are people who upgrade PCs or put them together from parts. Sure, they should buy a new copy of Windows when they make themselves a new PC or when they want a newer version of Windows for an old PC, but who else is thinking what they could spend the 80 or 200ukp (depending on edition) on instead? The fact is these people make next to no difference to Microsoft's revenue and WGA is just p1ssing them off. I like Windows and you want to make it *harder* to use your products? Yeh, sure I'll go out and spend all my spare cash on a piece of software that I already have to make some nag-screens go away.

There are users out there who bought their systems from unscruplous system builders, and they ought to know that they were scammed by that builder.  On the other hand, I don't want to have to phone home when I bought the dang thing 5 seconds ago.

WGA sucks and yep, when Microsoft loses enouh share and admit it was a bad idea they may do an about face.

rjdohnert wrote:

WGA sucks and yep, when Microsoft loses enouh share and admit it was a bad idea they may do an about face.

you know what you do when people tighten the screws...

you get a wrench and a hammer and go to work!

let 'em have it Jamie!:O

Ang3lFir3 wrote:


the question is how many users or corporations will bother to spend the time and energy to move to another platform (if they even know another one exists)....

and to be a significant enough share .... it would have to be a lot of people getting really upset about it

kinda one of those "if we ignore them they'll just learn to live with it" kinda things....

Yo Stevie,               

                 Whassup? My Bro XD0 built me a bitching blazing box, it ROCKS dahouse. I gots all the Warz and they run great, no prob till last week when bubble appears nagging my @ss about dis Windows Genuine Advantage, but I don’t see NO advantage just a stupid sign. I called y’all on dafone, but some guy sazz I need to pay 150 dollars to make dis bubble burst and that’s not right man.                              
                                  Fix dis fast pleeeeese!

Ill activate you all!  over and over again!

 mwaaa ha ha .....

ChrisA wrote:



Activator wrote: Ill activate you all!  over and over again! * you and your little dog too!   mwaaa ha ha .....

Not me -- Proud SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop  12 user.

"Welcome Jamie.  To post on this forum we need to re-verify if you are a C9 user"
*click*
"Verified.  Proceed to post"


not WPA..   WGA.  The one that asks to verify for everything (to show value!)

Edit:  here this.  i am "Activated"  ...so why do i get this:




then this?




* you can tell its my browser cause c9 is the first link

Even if i had to do this for the first download off ms site. fine.  but it never stops.  Its like getting vaccinated.. a needle.. "for your own protection" every other day.  Isnt the real reason its doing this to drive pirates nuts to go buy windows?  What if you bought windows? Why am i seeing this?

...and dont try to tell me the biggest software company in the world couldnt figure out how to make all this stuff transparent  ..  its done on purpose..  (edit: windows update seems to know who i am just fine)
and i personally dont like it wasting my time and feeling like im in a bank 

um i think the activator edited the little dog joke out cause he may have accidentally said it before

im aware of the phone home stuff. im refering to the way the constant checking makes you feel and just...seeing it

..like the bank Stephen Leacock short story link above - the guy had done nothing wrong! - or the animal farm "all animals are equal - except some animals are more equal than others" quote/revision - its perception, feel ...

windows should be universal. i also cant stand all these versions, names, and now on top of all that - never ending verification

you can almost hear them with their mined user-data spreadsheets drooling "let's turn the ship this way ARG!"

just WHO are the pirates again?

cops and salesguys

jamie wrote:

um i think the activator edited the little dog joke out cause he may have accidentally said it before

im aware of the phone home stuff. im refering to the way the constant checking makes you feel and just...seeing it

..like the bank Stephen Leacock short story link above - the guy had done nothing wrong! - or the animal farm "all animals are equal - except some animals are more equal than others" quote/revision - its perception, feel ...

windows should be universal. i also cant stand all these versions, names, and now on top of all that - never ending verification

you can almost hear them with their mined user-data spreadsheets drooling "let's turn the ship this way ARG!"

just WHO are the pirates again?

cops and salesguys

but you signed the petition...

errr...   anyway - to end this:


<horns> bu ba ba baah!</horns>



Introducing!...   Boo! hiss!   (real world haha)

..and "genuine" customers.  Not genuine "immitation" customers
* edit - or dinosaur customers

Not customers that already agreed to a eula, activated windows and typed in a secret key.  Not those customers.

*the whole idea of using this, branding this and promoting this is wrong.  I like my windows eXPerience.  Man Vista's really got it's work cut out for it - unless that's been the plan all along: "Vista killer feature: no WGA - click to upgrade!"

i shut up now

WGA has become rather distasteful. I appreciate the need to curb piracy and I think reserving premium products for genuine paying customers is a smart way to go about it. But the implementation is just horrid.

What I don't get why can't validation be integrated into the activation process and then just stop with this insecure nonsense. Go ahead and fingerprint the hardware. If I have to revalidate each time I upgrade my graphics card, fair enough; that's hardly a frequent event so I'll deal with it. What I don't want is the phoning home behavior and the constant challenges to my integrity.

The closest comparison I can make is to stores that have "greeters" that insist on looking over your receipt and bags as you leave. Not only do you feel slightly demeaned, but it also slows you down. (I.e., I have to click through another page just to get what I want.)

Among other things, Vista is supposed to be "confident". You won't convey that if your customers feel like they're under suspicion. You've every right to fight piracy, but this technology needs to be kept in perspective.

DoomBringer wrote:

 Me though, I tend to want full everything, because I'm a hardcore computer person.