Microsoft attempts to prevent legal licence transfers.

POSTED BY: citizen
UPDATED: Thursday, October 19, 2006 20:13
VIEWED: 4791
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CITIZEN

Saturday, October 14, 2006 3:45 PM

Quote:
Microsoft has released licenses for the Windows Vista operating system that dramatically differ from those for Windows XP in that they limit the number of times that retail editions can be transferred to another device.

The new licenses, which were highlighted by the Vista team on its official blog Tuesday, add new restrictions to how and where Windows can be used.

"The first user of the software may reassign the license to another device one time. If you reassign the license, that other device becomes the "licensed device," reads the license for Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate, and Business. In other words, once a retail copy of Vista is installed on a PC, it can be moved to another system only once.

http://www.techweb.com/wire/software/193300234

To clarify I have transfered my copy of XP legally to four different devices due to upgrades and buying new computers. This would prevent me from doing that.

It also potentially prevents an End User from legally transfering their licence to another person.

More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
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ERIC

Saturday, October 14, 2006 6:24 PM

GAAAAAAARGH! I hate this bullshit so much...it can't go on. At some point there needs to be a Linux revolution.

SIGMANUNKI

Saturday, October 14, 2006 7:22 PM

Certainly is a bunch of BS. Thankfully, I imagine someone will crack it at some point. And given Vista's security track record already, it might even be before release.

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YINYANG

Saturday, October 14, 2006 7:36 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Eric:
At some point there needs to be a Linux revolution.

I know what you mean. Microsoft is pissy, and annoying, but Linux doesn't really have a whole lot going on... and my dad probably wouldn't use it, anyway.

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SIMONWHO

Saturday, October 14, 2006 7:37 PM

Did you see that "illegal" copies will be horribly disabled? All well and good except I've seen two genuine copies of XP that (due to Spyware and its removal) decided they were illegal copies and threatened the user on each boot up (which didn't go down too well as you could imagine).

Now if those copies of XP had been limited to "leaving the user access only to the default Web browser", I couldn't have repaired the damage. I'd have had to extract all the data I could by removing the drive and then format, reinstall and start again.

Not to mention the fact that they haven't said what a new computer is. My main PC has had 6 different hard drives in it (not counting ones I've attached through USB), it's had different network cards, more RAM, different RAM, different graphics cards, a TV card plugin added and more. At what point would it count as a new PC? If my motherboard blows and I reinstall on a new PC and it blows again, do I need a new copy of Vista?

The simple is no because I don't need Vista. I call on all hackers to abandon attacking XP and instead concentrate their fire on falsely activating the anti-piracy features on legitimate copies of Vista. Imagine the furore if Microsoft wakes up one morning to 25,000,000 users unable to use their legitimately bought copies of Vista due to a) Microsoft's onerous protection policies and b) Microsoft's lamentable standard of security policies.

SIGMANUNKI

Saturday, October 14, 2006 8:33 PM

@SimonWho:

I understand your fustration w/ M$. I mostly moved to OpenBSD using windows only for watching movies, etc until I moved over to the Mac (haven't looked back since; things just work). I love my mini

But, getting "hackers" to target Vista in the way you are proposing is certainly NOT the answer. What would happen is that M$ would say that it's the hackers fault, which people would believe. And even IF (oh my is that a big if) people figured out that this was caused by M$ not doing security right, they would still blame the "hackers" b/c they inconvenienced so very many people. I mean, how much lost valuable data do you think that would cost? Some(one,people) would certainly be going to jail.

The best thing that hackers could do is to break this "feature" of Vista to allow users to do what they should be able to do under fair use.

I also think that it bears mentioning that most people are not like you (and me) with regards to constantly changing hardware. Most people buy a computer from wal-mart (or somewhere similar) and use it till it does work anymore. Then they'll take it in to get it fix, rise repeat until it breaks. Then they buy a new computer and the cycle continues.

This is the reason why M$ will probably not remove this "feature" of Vista. They only care about most users, NOT fringe groups. And since most users won't even realize what's going on, M$ will ignore the cries of what they see as a vast minority and carry on in there own evil way.

----
I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

SIMONWHO

Saturday, October 14, 2006 10:11 PM

Which is precisely why we need the hackers to target this particular feature. If they're just mindlessly hacking, that's one thing (and there haven't been any truly destructive viruses for a while, not like the good old days of Chenobyl) but if this specific part of Windows is targeted, Microsoft will be overwhelmed.

Yes, it's blackmail but it's blackmail against Microsoft, the lying, lawbreaking monopolistic sons of bitches. So that makes it all right.

CITIZEN

Saturday, October 14, 2006 10:16 PM

All good points missing one thing.

This 'protection' could very well be illegal in it's own right, if as I suspect it does infringe on the consumers statuatory rights.

But they'll get away with it because laws are not something to be used against large corporations.

More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.

SIMONWHO

Saturday, October 14, 2006 10:24 PM

Well, the EU tried and the Clinton administration tried but Microsoft just played the long game, waited for someone else to come into power and blew softly into the President's ear and it all went away.

CITIZEN

Saturday, October 14, 2006 10:26 PM

I'll say it again.

The Law is like the doors to an expensive hotel.

Open to everyone.

More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.

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