New anti-piracy measures being implemented in Vista

[GomJabbar]

I started off reading the article below on new anti-piracy measures being implemented in Vista.

Putting PCs on hold over piracy

People who install Vista on a PC themselves will have 30 days to complete the process of assuring Microsoft that they have a legitimate license to use the product. If they ignore warning messages during that period, then they will be prompted to activate the operating system online or by phone or to enter a product key. If they don't choose to do these, then Vista will run in "reduced functionality" mode. This lets people use a Web browser for an hour, after which time the system logs them out.

The first person who's view was obtained regarding the above, wrote the following:

A bigger issue is the decision that even volume licenses require activation. I bet that means headaches for Vista-deploying administrators.

This led me to search for more information, which turned up the following article:
Microsoft Volume Activation ? Microsoft's Benefit, Your Cost

On 4 October 2006, Microsoft announced that volume license customers, who were previously exempted from having to activate their Windows installations, will have to do so with Windows Vista.

[Buccaneerfan]

A bigger issue is the decision that even volume licenses require activation. I bet that means headaches for Vista-deploying administrators.

This led me to search for more information, which turned up the following article:
Microsoft Volume Activation ? Microsoft's Benefit, Your Cost

On 4 October 2006, Microsoft announced that volume license customers, who were previously exempted from having to activate their Windows installations, will have to do so with Windows Vista.

This will mean that most companies will stick with XP as long as possible, i bet that MS will change their opinion until Vista really rolls out. Otherwise that will kill Vista for the corporate market.
I don't see my people doing a rollout of Vista, if they have to activate 6-700 desktops and thinkpads...

[jdhurst]

I don't see a compelling reason for businesses to roll out Vista anytime soon.

1. So far Vista is just a pretty face that is unnecessary to Corporate productivity.
2. Software new or updated in the last 24 months to be highly compliant with XP Pro does not work in Vista. We are *not* talking about old or legacy software here.
3. Microsoft's anti-piracy efforts are turning anti-customer. They are horsewhipping and punishing the people that put the food in their mouths and making zero headway on piracy.
4. It is the most expensive OS ever from Microsoft and (as a business user for years) no payback that I can see.
5. Features that worked in XP and prior and were useful no longer exist or work.

... JD Hurst

[Buccaneerfan]

I don't see a compelling reason for businesses to roll out Vista anytime soon.

1. So far Vista is just a pretty face that is unnecessary to Corporate productivity.
2. Software new or updated in the last 24 months to be highly compliant with XP Pro does not work in Vista. We are *not* talking about old or legacy software here.
3. Microsoft's anti-piracy efforts are turning anti-customer. They are horsewhipping and punishing the people that put the food in their mouths and making zero headway on piracy.
4. It is the most expensive OS ever from Microsoft and (as a business user for years) no payback that I can see.
5. Features that worked in XP and prior and were useful no longer exist or work.

... JD Hurst

Depends on when MS is stopping support for XP...

[jdhurst]

<snip>Depends on when MS is stopping support for XP...

As late as 2003 (XP had been out for 2 years at that point), roughly half of computers were still running Windows 98. It took until mid-2006 for Microsoft to actually stop presenting updates for Windows 98. At that rate, we should be good until approximately 2009 and possibly later.

I note in my travels in the working world that I haven't seen a NT4 workstation in a long while, I no longer see Windows 98, I still see lots of Windows 2000, and I now see lots of Windows XP.

... JD Hurst

[nitro2k01]

I don't see a compelling reason for businesses to roll out Vista anytime soon.

1. So far Vista is just a pretty face that is unnecessary to Corporate productivity.

That's what people said about XP. But this is what I've seen myself: My school has two sections, one upgraded to XP pretty soon after XP was released, the other did it about a year ago. I've worked in two companies since the XP release, and both had upgraded. I think pretty many companies will upgrade to vista but keep the aero interface turned off by default. Don't undrestimate people's will to "have the latest".

2. Software new or updated in the last 24 months to be highly compliant with XP Pro does not work in Vista. We are *not* talking about old or legacy software here.
4. It is the most expensive OS ever from Microsoft and (as a business user for years) no payback that I can see.
5. Features that worked in XP and prior and were useful no longer exist or work.

True * 3

3. Microsoft's anti-piracy efforts are turning anti-customer. They are horsewhipping and punishing the people that put the food in their mouths and making zero headway on piracy.

True. I guess a lot of smaller and medium-sized companies will use pirated versions of vista just to get around the activation process. (Or simply stick to XP)
I recieved my RC today, time to get testing. To add to the fun, my machine is not "Vista ready". (No I'm not talking about the one in my sig, but still)

[GomJabbar]

3. Microsoft's anti-piracy efforts are turning anti-customer. They are horsewhipping and punishing the people that put the food in their mouths and making zero headway on piracy.

True. I guess a lot of smaller and medium-sized companies will use pirated versions of vista just to get around the activation process. (Or simply stick to XP)

Well, I don't know. I don't think it will be that easy to use pirated versions of Vista.

McAfee, Symantec Hit Back Against Changes To Windows

In addition to bundling antivirus and anti-spyware software into Windows and limiting users' ability to install software, Microsoft has closed a loophole that gave products from Symantec, McAfee, and other makers of security software access to the Windows kernel, which controls the operating system's most basic functions. The vendors use that access to detect and block rootkits, keystroke-logging software, and worms.
------------------
Separately, Microsoft said Vista will toughen measures against software piracy. Users of software that Microsoft thinks is pirated will lose access to Vista's Aero graphical interface and eventually forfeit the ability to read E-mail and open files.

[marcos]

I don't see a compelling reason for businesses to roll out Vista anytime soon.

5. Features that worked in XP and prior and were useful no longer exist or work.

... JD Hurst

Which ones, JD ?

[jdhurst]

<snip>
Which ones, JD ?

1. There is no longer an Explorer.scf which was the only practical Windows Explorer for me.
2. When running a program from Explorer or Control panel, the initial dialogue boxes come up behind the main window and I have to navigate to the dialogue box to answer it.
3. The management of network devices is much more complex in Vista. XP does not natively included IPv6 but is was easier to set things.
4. The classic view of Control Panel in XP uncategorized things. Now Vista is categorizing the classic Control Panel so that it is more difficult to find things.
5. XP allowed me access to all folders on my system bar none. Vista does not allow admins access to all folders and you must change inheritances to get it to work.
6. XP could be made classic and workable in a few minutes with a few mouseclicks. Vista takes much longer to corral.
7. Tools -> Map Network drive no longer keeps a list of drives accessed.

This list coupled with the critical programs I need (VPN, for example) that don't work in Vista mean I must wait a while before adopting it. I well may buy a certified Vista laptop early in 2007 and keep it as an experimental machine until Vista matures.
... JD Hurst

[Deckard]

New details of Vista licensing (for retail versions)

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=156

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=158


XP can be re-installed on another machine infinite times (as long as it's deleted on the previous machine), Vista limits the move to only one another machine.

So, upgrading the CPU or the video card or the harddrive is being recognized by XP as a significant hardware change, which would lead to a re-activation (as it's in XP too and will be the same in Vista).

But in Vista's case and based on the interpretations of the new licensing as mentioned in the links above, anyone upgrading their computers' core hardware more than once would require to purchase a new license (i.e. a new copy of retail Vista)

How cool is that!

[GomJabbar]

How cool is that

Like a cold fish.

[sapibobo]

Windows Vista eventually can be pirated. Microsoft claim that is not possible to pirate its newest OS. But this is just an old news. Prior to XP launching they claim that XP cannot be pirated because of windows genuine advantage system that requires user to activate their copy of windows. This is of course false statement because there are many pirated windows xp that need no activation whatsoever.

The only effective way to stop piracy is to lower the price of the product.

[jdhurst]

<snip>

The only effective way to stop piracy is to lower the price of the product.

And now that Microsoft is limiting the expensive Retail version to a short leash (even more that a recoverable OEM version), the Retail pricing is now overpriced by a factor of three. Microsoft ≡ Anti-Customer now. ... JD Hurst

[DIGITALgimpus]

I don't see a compelling reason for businesses to roll out Vista anytime soon.

... JD Hurst

SP3 for XP was moved to 2008... that's a compelling reason. Hence the bump.

[dfumento]

Vista has a better security infrastructure than XP and that alone is a compelling reason for me to switch to Vista.