Chill out you geeks!

Apparently, MS will let you activate Vista 10 times.

great news!... now about the cheap family licence for up to 5 machines ( say an addition 10 bucks each)

so i buy vista ultimate ( probably 500$ cdn - and i can buy 4 more licences for home use = another 40 dollars )

Awesome news... this kind of info is why i love Bit-tech.... funny that C9 couldn't get this same info out tho. (unless I missed it somewhere which is totally possible)

Minh wrote:

Apparently, MS will let you activate Vista 10 times.

10 times is obviously better than 1. But why are we supposed to be happy now? What is the justification for limiting the number of activations other than to guarantee that licenses will eventually "expire" and force the owner to upgrade? Software is not like a car or a piece of furniture. It doesn't wear out, rust, or spoil. There is no reason for it to not keep working forever if the user continues to find it useful.

This sounds like another attempt to push people into a cycle of continual upgrade fees. Since people balk at the idea of leasing software, change the limitation from a time period to number of activations. 10 is quite a few activations and it will only affect the most active tinkerers. But what kind of excuse is that? So it's ok to add this unnecesary limitation because it will only screw over a tiny minority of users?!

And when all the furor has died down and people forget about the details of Vista's new EULA, will the next Windows upgrade lower the bar further? 8 activations? Then 6? Then... ???

There are lot of frogs in this pot and I'm one of them. Unfortunately, since we live in a world dominated by Windows, I can't just jump out. Why should I "chill out" when Microsoft is slowly turning up the heat? Do I have to wait until the water starts boiling before I get upset?

W3bbo wrote:



Minh wrote: Apparently, MS will let you activate Vista 10 times.

After 10 times it's up to their discretion though. How can we be sure we can trust them?

Might this mean a new windows version will be here within 5 years? (figuring a re-installation twice a year)

Why is there a limit on activations when you can only use 1 machine at a time (checked by wga)?

If you read the article, you only have to reactivate when changing the hard drive AND another piece of hardware at the same time.

To quote the article: "Windows Vista will not require a system re-activation unless the hard drive and one other component is changed."

andur wrote:

If you read the article, you only have to reactivate when changing the hard drive AND another piece of hardware at the same time.

To quote the article: "Windows Vista will not require a system re-activation unless the hard drive and one other component is changed."

ZippyV wrote:

Why is there a limit on activations when you can only use 1 machine at a time (checked by wga)?

littleguru wrote:



shreyasonline wrote:  ZippyV wrote: Why is there a limit on activations when you can only use 1 machine at a time (checked by wga)? Because, they want your money Got the point ? Shreyas Zare

Because there is people who works at Microsoft, who has family and who want to live too...

WBurggraaf wrote:



littleguru wrote: shreyasonline wrote:  ZippyV wrote: Why is there a limit on activations when you can only use 1 machine at a time (checked by wga)? Because, they want your money Got the point ? Shreyas Zare Because there is people who works at Microsoft, who has family and who want to live too...

A verry good and diplomatic answer!!

Good question, but if OSX ever got to 50% market share, wouldnt the world spin of its axis due to the weight of Steve Jobs smugness?

Well, since I don't plan on buying Vista unless I get a new PC, I won't have to worry about any of this anytime soon. And I don't plan on buying a new PC for several years...

According to this article Microsoft is standing by the 1 transfer/change policy. So was the Microsoft "spokesman" in the bit-tech article smoking weed or what?

Another question I have: does this activation limitation apply to just OEM licenses or to store bought copies as well?