WPA Whiners - You ARE the weakest link. Goodbye!
Paul Nutt
the same people ranting about the WPA using half-baked logic and meaningless
analogies. The purpose of the WPA is for Microsoft to enforce the license
you agree to when installing and thereby increase their revenue. What's
wrong with that? There is no privacy issue because you can activate
anonymously. Please stop posting rambling threads about rights and laws.
Most (if not all) of you are not lawyers and most demonstrate a limited
understanding of the software licensing model.
But since an understanding of software licensing is not necessary to
participate and reckless analogies welcome, here are some of my own for
those of you who feel threatened by software licensing and the WPA:
* When you rent a (US) movie do you notice the license agreement at the
beginning that prohibits copying and public exhibitions? If you don't feel
that licenses are legal and enforceable, try taking that movie and start
showing it to the pubic and charge them admission.
* When you buy a movie ticket at a theater do you feel like you bought the
movie? Do you insist that you can stay and watch the movie as many times as
you want?
* When you are pulled over for an alleged traffic offense, do you refuse to
show your drivers license because you don't want to have to "defend" your
innocence? Do you argue with the police that you are being treated "guilty
until proven innocent" by simply being asked to display proof that you are
licensed to drive? (Note: Especially not recommended in Los Angeles.)
* Hobbyist, yeah right. Maybe WindowsXP isn't the best operating system for
a hobbyist. Continually recirculating the same tired old hardware around
three broken down PCs to keep one running does not qualify you as a
hobbyist. If you have enough money and nothing better to do than to
continually buy HCL approved hardware and constantly rebuild a PC then I
suggest that you consider some other hobby that qualifies you for more than
the lowest paid positions in the industry.
I hope the WPA works and know it eventually will. If every running copy of
Windows is paid for, then maybe the price will either go down or not
increase as quickly. Other industries pass fraud and theft losses to
legitimate customers and the software industry is probably no different.
WindowsXP isn't a cure for cancer, it is a product. If you don't like
anything about it then don't buy/use it. I didn't upgrade to ME because
there was no perceived benefit to me. You all keep pointing out all the
wonderful other choices out there (posted from Outlook Express, a free
program included with Windows), so vote with your dollars. Send Microsoft a
message. Make, but don't belabor your point here. You're unhappy. We got it.
Can we talk about WindowsXP (sans WPA) now?
DG Raftery Sr.
> But since an understanding of software licensing is not necessary to
> participate and reckless analogies welcome, here are some of my own for
> those of you who feel threatened by software licensing and the WPA:
> * When you rent a (US) movie do you notice the license agreement at the
> beginning that prohibits copying and public exhibitions? If you don't feel
> that licenses are legal and enforceable, try taking that movie and start
> showing it to the pubic and charge them admission.
>
Bad analogy. No one, that I've seen, has offered the scenario of taking
XP, producing copies then selling the product to others.
Matter of fact, most of your following examples don't play either.
Under EULA you are buying a software license to run the OS on one
machine even though you don't own the software. Only the license.
However you DO have the license to run the software WITHOUT further
requesting the permission(s) to do so.
Like I have stated before, if Microsoft wishes to follow this
furtherance of their anti-piracy routine they should give us the
software, let us decide, for 14 days, if we wish to continue to use the
OS THEN have us activate the software by furnishing payment to do so.
Microsoft is treading into the ASP business. If I purchase WinXP, when
it goes RTM, for a hundred or two hundred dollars, at Staples, bring the
software home, install it on one system and even have ONE IOTA of a
problem authenticating it's use then you can better believe the AG of
Massachusetts, The Better Business Bureau, the local rag and a whole
slew of other law enforcement and media types will be notified.
Rob Pitt
> Like I have stated before, if Microsoft wishes to follow this
> furtherance of their anti-piracy routine they should give us the
> software, let us decide, for 14 days, if we wish to continue to use
the
> OS THEN have us activate the software by furnishing payment to do so.
There is talk of exactly this happening sooner than you think.
I suspect one reason why MS is pushing WPA is because it paves the way
for a whole new way of selling their software. They can distribute the
CDs for cost of media (or via download) and then charge, activate and
control licenses online. This will enable them to cut out the retail
middle men instantly doubling their profits! Additional they will be
able to introduce other license models, e.g. pay per month of usage.
Regards,
Rob
PC
"DG Raftery Sr." <blackhole...@Phreaker.net> wrote in message >
Matter of fact, most of your following examples don't play either.
> Under EULA you are buying a software license to run the OS on one
> machine even though you don't own the software. Only the license.
> However you DO have the license to run the software WITHOUT further
> requesting the permission(s) to do so.
I think it very likely that the XP EULA will be modified, don't you?
The Stickman
ever puts out. However, their arrogance combined with propoganda regarding
WPA, piracy and all sorts of other lies coupled with just enough truth to
fool the uninformed makes me very leary of everything I see and read
regarding this OS.
I see them being very creative with this OS but not innovative. I see M$
implementing WPA regardless of any potential problems end users might
experience.
I also see arrogance as something that canels out brilliance every time.
Just my 2 cents, again!
"Paul Nutt" <re...@in.group> wrote in message
news:Ox#FnZg5AHA.1440@tkmsftngp07...
Bill Snyder
"Rob Pitt" <Rob...@removeme.cyberdude.com> wrote in message
news:th01nu2...@corp.supernews.com...
standard way of selling software for many outfits, Symantec, for example
(and a lot of others have "trial" versions). And it has been a standard way
of getting people to pay the shareware price on shareware products for,
yeah!, these many years. I think it would be great if MS went that route;
then I could try Office XP to see whether it really offers any improvements
over Office 2K (or whatever the name is).
Bill Snyder
Rob Pitt
Suppose you paid 100 dollars/pounds/euros for a membership of a club.
Would you object if you had to "prove your innocence" by producing a
membership card to use the facilities?
Of course not.
Rob
"Paul Nutt" <re...@in.group> wrote in message
news:Ox#FnZg5AHA.1440@tkmsftngp07...
The Posting One
with their username and password. That is what a membership card is like.
Now if you were stopped outside of the gym, had a membership card (receipt
of purchase for Windows XP) and told you can't go in because you don't dress
the way they want you to (you haven't grovelled to Microsoft yet), then I'd
object.
You'd probably be a sheep and go dress in a tutu to please the gym.
"Rob Pitt" <Rob...@removeme.cyberdude.com> wrote in message
news:th1ocg8...@corp.supernews.com...
Maarten W.G. Andriessen
"Paul Nutt" <re...@in.group> wrote in message
news:Ox#FnZg5AHA.1440@tkmsftngp07...
> the same people ranting about the WPA using half-baked logic and
meaningless
> analogies. The purpose of the WPA is for Microsoft to enforce the license
> you agree to when installing and thereby increase their revenue. What's
> wrong with that?
There is nothing wrong with fighting piracy, i'm all for it. Its just that
sooner or later this WPA thing WILL be hacked, and Microsoft is just left
with a very awquard way of registering you product. I think hardware keys
that you own are a much better solution, no key = no boot.
> There is no privacy issue because you can activate
> anonymously. Please stop posting rambling threads about rights and laws.
> Most (if not all) of you are not lawyers and most demonstrate a limited
> understanding of the software licensing model.
Well, i do have the right to change computer as many times as I want. With
WPA you will have to contact Microsoft about it, and WPA wouldn't be that
safe if they just activate any hardware change as soon as you call in. WPA
is doomed to be a LOT of work for Microft, which can be prevented with
something simple as a hardware key. USB or Paralel, its all possible. A
backup key thats valid for a month in case of hardware failure of the key
you own, which is enough time to have them replaced.
> * Hobbyist, yeah right. Maybe WindowsXP isn't the best operating system
for
> a hobbyist. Continually recirculating the same tired old hardware around
> three broken down PCs to keep one running does not qualify you as a
> hobbyist. If you have enough money and nothing better to do than to
> continually buy HCL approved hardware and constantly rebuild a PC then I
> suggest that you consider some other hobby that qualifies you for more
than
> the lowest paid positions in the industry.
Uhm... did anybody enlighten you that all future Windows Versions will
prolly have WPA? Does that mean that Microsoft therefore will force all
tweakers and hobbyists to move to either Linux, or stick with Windows 2000
forever? Besides, not everyone is constantly buying new hardware, but I do
know people that replace their machine every 6 months, because thats the
only way to get something back for your old one... and so they always have
the latest hardware while not paying too much money.
> I hope the WPA works and know it eventually will. If every running copy of
> Windows is paid for, then maybe the price will either go down or not
> increase as quickly.
As i said, i'm all for a battle against piracy. I just think that WPA is the
WRONG solution. It would take you weeks to get a product activated by mail
if you do not have internet access. I think hardware keys are a better
option. They are a lot harder to hack as well.
> Can we talk about WindowsXP (sans WPA) now?
WPA is a part of Windows XP :)
Maarten
Rob Pitt
> ... and told you can't go in because you don't dress the way they want
> you to (you haven't grovelled to Microsoft yet), then I'd object.
continuing the analogy...
MS don't care what you dress up like, they only require that your
signature looks something like the one recorded on the membership card!
If your signature becomes different hell yes you ask for a new
membership card with your new signature.
Regards,
Rob
"The Posting One" <x...@noneofyourbusiness.com> wrote in message
news:eOcuCtr5AHA.1884@tkmsftngp03...
James
neglected to realise that a great many people make their livelihood by
tweaking and rebuilding PCs. Or have you never been to sites such as
http://www.tomshardware.com, http://www.sharkyextreme.com, etc?
No, of course not. You just called them all geeks without batting an eyelid
or thinking for even a nanosecond.
Who was the weakest link again, please?
"Paul Nutt" <re...@in.group> wrote in message
news:Ox#FnZg5AHA.1440@tkmsftngp07...
James
While I was initially thrown by the WPA announcement a few months ago, I'm
pretty indifferent to it now. I suppose it just remains to be seen exactly
how it plays out when it hits RTM.
Office 2000 activation has given me headaches in the past, and while certain
know-it-alls have told me how I should be using my machine I believe that
the number of times I install a piece of legitimate software on my rig is my
own business.
As long as XP sticks to beating piracy and does NOT get into telling me how
and when I will be allowed to behave, then I don't see any problems.
Doug G.
"Paul Nutt" <re...@in.group> wrote in message news:Ox#FnZg5AHA.1440@tkmsftngp07...
> program included with Windows), so vote with your dollars. Send Microsoft a
> message. Make, but don't belabor your point here. You're unhappy. We got it.
> Can we talk about WindowsXP (sans WPA) now?
WPA is a part of WindowsXP, so we are talking about WinXP. We just happen to be talking about a part of you don't want to hear about. So that makes you the Whiner.
But I do agree with your statement that we should vote with our dollars and send MS a message. In fact I started taking your advise yesterday and went out and bought a copy of Mandrake Linux 8.0.
Doug
Ron Lowe
> You'd probably be a sheep and go dress in a tutu to please the gym.
>
You must have been hanging out around our local gym!
We're not derssing in Tutus to please the gym, It's because we LIKE it!
8->
Ron
Warren Bell
Paul Nutt wrote:
>
> After lurking in this group for awhile it has become quite boring to hear
> the same people ranting about the WPA using half-baked logic and meaningless
> analogies. The purpose of the WPA is for Microsoft to enforce the license
> you agree to when installing and thereby increase their revenue. What's
> wrong with that? There is no privacy issue because you can activate
> anonymously. Please stop posting rambling threads about rights and laws.
> Most (if not all) of you are not lawyers and most demonstrate a limited
> understanding of the software licensing model.
> But since an understanding of software licensing is not necessary to
> participate and reckless analogies welcome, here are some of my own for
> those of you who feel threatened by software licensing and the WPA:
Your analogies don't make sense concerning the WPA, but let's see...
> * When you rent a (US) movie do you notice the license agreement at the
> beginning that prohibits copying and public exhibitions? If you don't feel
> that licenses are legal and enforceable, try taking that movie and start
> showing it to the pubic and charge them admission.
I wouldn't be making copies of XP and selling it to the public. The
question is, when you rent a movie, and you want to watch it a second
time withing you already paid for rental, do you think you should have
to call up the rental place and ask the sixteen-year-old behind the
counter if it's ok?
> * When you buy a movie ticket at a theater do you feel like you bought the
> movie? Do you insist that you can stay and watch the movie as many times as
> you want?
> * When you are pulled over for an alleged traffic offense, do you refuse to
> show your drivers license because you don't want to have to "defend" your
> innocence? Do you argue with the police that you are being treated "guilty
> until proven innocent" by simply being asked to display proof that you are
> licensed to drive? (Note: Especially not recommended in Los Angeles.)
No but if a cop pulled me over every time I got a haircut just to check
if it was really me driving it might get a little tiresome trying to
drive around town.
> * Hobbyist, yeah right. Maybe WindowsXP isn't the best operating system for
> a hobbyist. Continually recirculating the same tired old hardware around
> three broken down PCs to keep one running does not qualify you as a
> hobbyist. If you have enough money and nothing better to do than to
> continually buy HCL approved hardware and constantly rebuild a PC then I
> suggest that you consider some other hobby that qualifies you for more than
> the lowest paid positions in the industry.
That's a lot of assumptions. I'm sure a lot of different types of
people will be doing different things that will trigger WPA.
> I hope the WPA works and know it eventually will.
Only for the non-technical home user. I'll bet they have a crack for it
within a month of it's release.
> If every running copy of
> Windows is paid for, then maybe the price will either go down or not
> increase as quickly.
I hope you really don't beleive that...
> Other industries pass fraud and theft losses to
> legitimate customers and the software industry is probably no different.
> WindowsXP isn't a cure for cancer, it is a product. If you don't like
> anything about it then don't buy/use it. I didn't upgrade to ME because
> there was no perceived benefit to me. You all keep pointing out all the
> wonderful other choices out there (posted from Outlook Express, a free
> program included with Windows), so vote with your dollars. Send Microsoft a
> message.
..the best thing you've said so far...
Larry
Most are concerned about the TECHNICAL issues that WPA will cause, not that
fact that they can't use multiple copies any more.
At least that's MY concern with WPA.
These concerns have been born out already based on some user reports that
have come through here, and the inappropriate attitudes of the Microsoft
'support' people that were called when the issue came up.
That is not Whining. That is being concerned, with a reason to BE
concerned.
-Larry
"Paul Nutt" <re...@in.group> wrote in message
news:Ox#FnZg5AHA.1440@tkmsftngp07...
Larry
Windows XP. Distributed via the 'Shareware' model :)
-Larry
"Bill Snyder" <wsn...@sciti.com> wrote in message
news:9epbt...@enews4.newsguy.com...
Larry
on people by throwing away the current keys!
Think about it.
Microsoft decides that, in 2004, people have been running Windows XP long
enough, and they need a new Revenue Stream.
So, in 2004, they come out with "Windows XPxli", or whatever. Then, they
EOL (end-of-life) Windows XP.
Then, you have to reinstall one day. It won't activate. You call
Microsoft. They say the Product and Licenses have been terminated!
Since you don't OWN the product, and only LICENSE it, this probably gets
them off the hook as far as FTC problems concerning defective products.
Oh, and don't forget that clause that's buried somewhere in that mammoth
EULA that indicates Microsoft has the right to terminate the License any
time it see's fit as long as notice is given.
Your notice is the phone agent who tells you that the Licenses have been
discontinued.
Sound far-fetched? Um, this is Microsoft we're talking about here. Their
#1 priority is REVENUE. Customer satisfaction is not a part of the
equation. It doesn't have to be. They are in a position where they are not
concerned with such trival matters. This, folks, is why Monopoly
situations are so bad for the consumer.
There is already a precident for this. Anyone remember Divx?
People who collected Divx discs now have absolutely worthless video
libraries. The only problem with Divx is that it ever existed in the first
place.
The similarities between Divx and some of what Microsoft wants to do is
absolutely frightening, and anyone who went through the Divx nonsense will
shun this type of thing like it's the plague.
A lot of this is based on Trust. Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn't instill
trust. Eventually, I think this will be the un-doing of some of Microsofts
current 'future' plans.
And they deserve it.
Do you think that there is ANY chance in hell that I will buy a Microsoft
DirectTV box thingy (sorry, the name escapes me right now)? HELL no. It
requies a monthly subscription paid to Microsoft. They are the sole source.
They are, here we go again, the Monopoly for the service. They can raise
prices at will, or alter the service, or change the privacy policy, or
whatever and customers would have no recourse. Other than throwing away the
$400 worth of hardware they bought, of course :(
Trust. There is none...
My entire working existance is centered on Microsoft products. I don't mind
this. I like what I do, and for the most part, I like _how_ things are as
far as Microsoft is concerned.
Unfortunately, their actions as of late give me reason to voice concern, and
to agree with others who have voiced their concerns.
I do NOT fall into the MS-Basher catagory. Again, I like _most_ of what MS
does.
-Larry
"Maarten W.G. Andriessen" <maar...@REMOVETHIS.kabelfoon.nl> wrote in
message news:9er53a$2bhc$1...@news.kabelfoon.nl...
Paul Nutt
Larry just wrote the most lucid, and IMHO voiced the most appropriate
concerns for WPA. As I've mentioned in other posts, it's all about revenue.
Microsoft is rightfully creating the mechanism to enforce their licensing
agreement. But as Larry pointed out, one of the disturbing side effects is
that at some point you will no longer be able to say, "Nobody's forcing you
to upgrade". A recent article on CNet demonstrates how licensing can be used
to generate revenue and drive adoption of a product:
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-201-6081556-0.html?tag=cd_mh
Two other things:
* What is divx?
* I bought a TiVo (I think Microsoft's is UltimateTV, but I could be wrong)
"Larry" <no...@none.com> wrote in message
news:eFK89iH6AHA.1364@tkmsftngp04...
The Stickman
"Larry" <no...@none.com> wrote in message
news:eFK89iH6AHA.1364@tkmsftngp04...
Larry
MPEG-4 compression scheme) was, in essence, a movie-subscription service.
It was created by a Law firm in California, partnered up with Circuit City.
I'm sure you are familiar with DVD. Well, Divx was a marketing model for
discs based, loosely, on the DVD standard.
You had to buy a player that supported Divx. They cost about $100 more than
non-Divx DVD players. Unfortunatley, Circuit City did a pretty good job of
fooling people into spending the extra $100.
Divx discs were basically 'pay-per-view' discs. You would buy the movie at
Circuit City for around $5.00. The initial $5.00 included the right to play
the disc 5 times (or for 5 days, it's been too long and I forget which).
After that period was up, the disc went dead. To view it again, you had to
obtain a new 'play period' and again, the disc would play for another 5
times or 5 days (or whatever).
You could also buy a 'purchase' ticket. If you did this, you got unexpired
access to the movie. It usually cost the same as a regular DVD to do this.
People were supposed to buy hundreds of these cheap, $5 discs, and thus
generate a lifetime of subscription/rental revenue for Circuit City and
their Lawyer firm partner.
Thank god it never made it, though I feel very sorry for those that Circuit
City sold this to :(
How did they keep track of your usage? Phone line. It was mandatory that a
phone line be connected to the back of the unit. It connected, at various
times, to the big Divx management system in the sky.
If it went down, so did your ability to play movies. EVEN THE ONE's YOU
PAID UNLIMITED VIEWING FOR in some cases.
Has kind of a .NET ring to it, doesn't it :)
Then, Circuit City pulled the plug. Waaay too late to save many consumers
from being screwed. Sure, they kept the authentication system operational
for a short period of time, but it had a defined shut-down date and died on
schedule as far as I know.
This left people with, in some cases, HUNDREDS of useless movie discs. Of
course, most all of these have by now ended up in our land fills.
The worst part is if you actually purchased unlimited viewing rights on a
disc, at prices that were about the same as buying a REAL DVD that you could
own forever. You paid, you lost.
The down-side to the Divx scheme was so blatant, it's almost amusing it made
it as far as it did. For example:
Activate a movie, and decide to take it to a friends house for viewing?
NOT! Even if the person you are visiting has a Divx player, the
authentication is keyed to YOUR divx disc and YOUR divx player!
Bought an unlimited viewing for a movie? NO! You could NOT take it to mom's
house for Thanksgiving and have everyone enjoy a movie you paid $15 to $20
for. It was also tied to YOUR player and YOUR particular disc.
I don't even want to think about what happened if your player had to be
replaced.
Another downside. 99 out of 100 Divx movies were in Pan & Scan with no
plans to release Widescreen or Anamorphic discs.
Most discs were littered with typical rental-tape previews and other ads.
DVD Special features? Hah!
Need I go on :)
-Larry
"Paul Nutt" <re...@in.group> wrote in message
news:uVw3NDL6AHA.1604@tkmsftngp03...
Larry
Thanks :)
-Larry
"The Stickman" <thest...@home.com> wrote in message
news:O4jfrcR6AHA.1924@tkmsftngp04...
Larry
Thank You :)
-Larry
"Paul Nutt" <re...@in.group> wrote in message
news:uVw3NDL6AHA.1604@tkmsftngp03...
JJ Sricklin
they will be
> able to introduce other license models, e.g. pay per
month of usage.
>
> Regards,
>
> Rob
Exactly, it is the beginning of subscription based
software.
Tony
<wj...@pacbell.net> wrote:
I have a question on the licensing. I have a computer in my
living room and one in my bedroom,I am the only one that
uses these (one at a time) Will I have to buy 2 copies of
this software,even thought both computers ARE NEVER used at
the same time ??
Tony
big...@mediaone.net
Boston, MA.
Superdork
The licensing scheme for WinXP has not yet been announced. If it is like
previous versions, it will only allow for one copy on one computer.
For OfficeXP:
The license and activation scheme allow for up to two computers with one
copy of OfficeXP. The license actually says that the second computer should
be a portable used only by the primary user of the first computer, but I
doubt MS would care if both computers are desktops or both are laptops.
Jeff
"Tony" <big...@mediaone.net> wrote in message
news:ra1ohtgqkhfvh0419...@4ax.com...
Larry
Legally, yes.
And since Microsoft is after the little guy now, the activiation scheme will
make sure you comply.
-Larry
"Tony" <big...@mediaone.net> wrote in message
news:ra1ohtgqkhfvh0419...@4ax.com...
Alex Nichol
>I have a question on the licensing. I have a computer in my
>living room and one in my bedroom,I am the only one that
>uses these (one at a time) Will I have to buy 2 copies of
>this software,even thought both computers ARE NEVER used at
>the same time ?
Yes. Some software gets licensed so that it can be installed on more
than one computer, but not used on more than one at any time. And
Office allows the owner of a desktop to install that also on his
personal laptop. But the license for windows is specifically for a
single computer, and you will need a copy for each
--
Alex Nichol MVP
Associate Expert
Bournemouth, U.K.
Al...@mvps.org
Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
Larry
for most corporations and other places where many copies are used.
Unfortunately, Microsoft saw this as too monetarily efficient for their
customers, and they cancelled Concurrent Licensing and moved to "Per-Seat",
which means you pay for a "Seat" of the software whether someone is sitting
in it or not.
MS-1, Corporations-0.
-Larry
"Alex Nichol" <Al...@mvpdts.fsnet.delete.co.uk> wrote in message
news:7nk1itk1s040gvaib...@4ax.com...
Moon
stop this shit!
--
Moon http://www.btinternet.com/~cerrig
"Paul Nutt" <re...@in.group> wrote in message
news:Ox#FnZg5AHA.1440@tkmsftngp07...
> After lurking in this group for awhile it has become quite boring to hear
> the same people ranting about the WPA using half-baked logic and
meaningless
> analogies. The purpose of the WPA is for Microsoft to enforce the license
> you agree to when installing and thereby increase their revenue. What's
> wrong with that? There is no privacy issue because you can activate
> anonymously. Please stop posting rambling threads about rights and laws.
> Most (if not all) of you are not lawyers and most demonstrate a limited
> understanding of the software licensing model.
> But since an understanding of software licensing is not necessary to
> participate and reckless analogies welcome, here are some of my own for
> those of you who feel threatened by software licensing and the WPA:
> * When you rent a (US) movie do you notice the license agreement at the
> beginning that prohibits copying and public exhibitions? If you don't feel
> that licenses are legal and enforceable, try taking that movie and start
> showing it to the pubic and charge them admission.
> * When you buy a movie ticket at a theater do you feel like you bought the
> movie? Do you insist that you can stay and watch the movie as many times
as
> you want?
> * When you are pulled over for an alleged traffic offense, do you refuse
to
> show your drivers license because you don't want to have to "defend" your
> innocence? Do you argue with the police that you are being treated "guilty
> until proven innocent" by simply being asked to display proof that you are
> licensed to drive? (Note: Especially not recommended in Los Angeles.)
> * Hobbyist, yeah right. Maybe WindowsXP isn't the best operating system
for
> a hobbyist. Continually recirculating the same tired old hardware around
> three broken down PCs to keep one running does not qualify you as a
> hobbyist. If you have enough money and nothing better to do than to
> continually buy HCL approved hardware and constantly rebuild a PC then I
> suggest that you consider some other hobby that qualifies you for more
than
> the lowest paid positions in the industry.
> I hope the WPA works and know it eventually will. If every running copy of
> Windows is paid for, then maybe the price will either go down or not
> increase as quickly. Other industries pass fraud and theft losses to
> legitimate customers and the software industry is probably no different.
> WindowsXP isn't a cure for cancer, it is a product. If you don't like
> anything about it then don't buy/use it. I didn't upgrade to ME because
> there was no perceived benefit to me. You all keep pointing out all the
> wonderful other choices out there (posted from Outlook Express, a free
> program included with Windows), so vote with your dollars. Send Microsoft
a
> message. Make, but don't belabor your point here. You're unhappy. We got
it.
nom...@aol.com
>anonymously.
Not without some forethought you can't!
Relatively few people are aware that someone who offers an 800 number can
get the phone number of the calling party. This is unblockable.
If MS doesn't take advantage of this to build their database, I'd be very
surprised.
One way around this is to call from a pair of pay phones, with your buddy
on the other line typing in whatever is required.