teflor the ranger wrote:Again, they will if you miss a payment.
You make payments on Windows? Missing a payment is breach of contract, and it wouldn't be the dealer in your driveway it would be the bank who <i>technically owns the car</i>. That's a lot different than silently taking information from a product you own outright.
Look at the comparison to how MS collects debugging information: If a program crashes, you get a dialog box explaining that MS wants to see that data and allowing you to review what that data is, then you get to decide whether or not to send it.
Can you honestly not see the difference in how much more invasive WGA is?
I'm sorry, but THAT is derailing a conversation - stay on topic or stop complaining.
I'll just note you dropped the point.
WGA does not prevent you from adding hardware or getting your computer repaired. Like I said, it is a ridiculous analogy.
I repeat: "As I said a couple times, and you ignored, Vista is heading in exactly that direction. "
I've ignored it because this is a discussion of WGA. The only reason why there is any controversy about WGA is because people don't bother to read software licences.
So you admit they aren't read, but count that as telling them?
You only ask because you don't know. The entire call was little more than five minutes, and it's not an unreasonable anti-piracy measure.
You got lucky, a friend of mine was just telling us how he spent 3 hours on the phone to get an eMachines computer activated for a customer... only to finally be told he had to talk to eMachines instead.
The process ensures that people who have not paid for legitimate software do not get the same benefits and priviledges that I recieve for having paid out hard earned cash.
You're right, people who have not paid for legitimate software get MORE rights and privileges. For instance, I never have to call Microsoft to swap a hard drive. I can still get all the updates through Windizupdate. Really, by pirating the only thing I've missed out on is annoyances and loss of privacy.
The general computer using population is the target audience. You see, people have money, which they can use to acquire goods and services...
I'll use smaller sentences this time:
The general population will buy from Dell. Computers from Dell are legitimate installs. There is no need to validate computers from Dell, unless Dell is pirating. If Dell is pirating, harass Dell, not your customers.
WGA does not find pirates in the general population, because there aren't any.
Says you. But I'm afraid that's where you would be mistaken. WGA is a full spectrum anti-piracy method that prevents both private and corporate software piracy.
Actually it doesn't. Ambar is the only person I've ever heard of who had a pirated version and bought a legit one, instead of just working around WGA.
Why? Because most of the people who pirate windows have the knowledge to go around such a feeble attempt. Most of those people are not the General Population who buys Dell.
Unfortunately for you, WGA does not invade your privacy, as third party vendors and Microsoft _already have_ all of the information they would be gathering:
Bullshit. MS does not have my HD serial number. In fact, pretty much no one but Newegg could possibly have it.
They already know your computer make, PID, Volume ID, and software version.
No, they really don't.
What do you think they are comparing the data with?!
Privacy? That is a joke.
Simple, the first time it's activated it sends that data along with, most likely, the registration key you used. It probably only detects you as a pirate when different information shows up under that same key. This would happen to a pirate, because they'd be sharing that registration key.
That's probably the basic version, it'd have to deal with corporate licensing in a more advanced way of course.
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