The Big Grab...

[alexpgp]

"The newest version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser will be able to direct Web page readers to other sites without the permission - or even the knowledge - of the page's owner." (lead sentence from an article on USATODAY.com).

It would appear that Microsoft is going for it all. In addition to a browser scheme that will embed links where the page designer had none, Microsoft has plans as far as operating systems are concerned. And since eventually the only products you can buy from Microsoft are the ones in current release, it would seem that these schemes will become the norm within 5 years or so.

The new XP operating system, for example, seems designed for one thing, and that's to reinstate copy protection on the world, automatically, and with a vengeance. Products such as Office will be able to be run only a limited number of times (or for a limited amount of time) before you'll have to "call home" either over the Internet or by phone, to get an activation code that's matched to your system.

In a recent newsletter, Scot Finnie told of reviewing XP, and he was not happy with it. After encountering problems with his review copy (the Product ID was bad), Finnie writes, "I learned that I would have to uninstall Office XP entirely and then reinstall it in order to use the new Product ID Microsoft sent me. I found myself immediately exasperated that Microsoft hadn't figured out a better way to change a Product ID number. What happened to how easy production activation was supposed to be for us all?"

Also suspect are the prices for various programs and upgrades, which appear to be pretty impressive. If this scheme is going to eliminate piracy, which in turn would curtail the "billions" in losses that companies such as Microsoft claim they incur due to pirates, how come none of those savings are being passed on to "loyal" customers?

The issue is, I guess, whether corporate customers are going to roll over (or perhaps the more apt expression would be "bend over") and quietly accept XP, or whether the new "features" of the system will serve as the straw that will break the back of Microsoft, as users seek less, um, coercive alternatives.

Cheers...

Comments

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

I don't plan on upgrading until the product ID scheme is cracked ;)

[saramarie.livejournal.com]

I *think* it has been cracked but i'm not 100% sure. I refuse to put any XP on anything of mine, and I wont allow my work to do so either. I hate being bullied.

Re:

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

As I understand it, someone cracked a group ID in one of the beta releases, which isn't quite the same thing.

I suspect I'll go with XP on a new system when the dust settles. As best I understand it, you can turn off all the crap. The problem is with people who don't know enough to figure it out. It apparently is a very stable system, and while my W98 is pretty stable, it isn't as good as I'd really like.

In the meantime, I'm staying as informed as possible ;)

Re:

[saramarie.livejournal.com]

I've been very happy with W2K actually. Its got a few quirks but definatly nothing like 98. Its 400x more stable and secure.

Re:

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, W2k doesn't have available drivers for everything I need. I hope XP will. That's one reason I'm going to wait, though.

[saramarie.livejournal.com]

Really? What sort of drivers? Ive definatly heard about this problem but i've never experienced it first hand, ive been lucky everything i install does so smoothly..

Re:

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

Mostly audio and video stuff. I'm going to put together a new system when I'm ready to upgrade, so I'll look at what drivers I need then and compare W2k and XP at that point.

[volkris.livejournal.com]

Mainframe couldn't find drivers for a couple of things on his computer: the camera and something else...

[volkris.livejournal.com]

They do it because they can :)

Anyway, my dad manages computers for a school district here in Louisiana, and he had a representative from MS call him up one day and try to bully him into subscribing to the new pay system whereby he would have to pay for the liscenses by the year.

It was a really funny story to hear him tell, but from what I remember the MS rep said that by not subscribing to the yearly lisence deal he stands a higher risk of being audited to make sure everything was really lisenced. Well, it wasn't said exactly like that, it was more of an implied threat, ya know? Telling him that he would also be heald personally responsible if anything was pirated, which of course is B.S.

So basically my dad said that he gets all of his software put on the machines at the factories and so if any of it is inappropriately lisenced then it would be Dell's fault, and then said that if the rep had any doubts about the legitimacy of the lisences on the software that Dell was selling they could conferance in a Dell manager in just a few minutes to get all of the concerns resolved.

This really shut up the MS rep, of course, because pissing off Dell would be pissing off a big customer and could have negative reprocussions for the MS rep personally. She basically stammered something out about other districts doing it and that was the end of that.

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

That was the item that was on the tip of my fingers yesterday as I was writing the post.

I think M$ would definitely love to bring everyone over to the software leasing model, and they're going to make a hard charge to do so.

I find it interesting, though, that as technology supposedly advances, we are being offered really old ideas (copy protection, software leasing) dressed in new threads and disguised as "progress."

Progress it may be, but not for us.

Cheers...

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

It amuses me that M$ was the driving force behind breaking the IT model of centralized computing in favor of the distributed model. Now it's trying to put the genie back in the box. A box it wants to control. Good luck ;)

[fxflynn.livejournal.com]

another *feature* that will help enlarge the playground for script kiddies is mentioned in this article. (http://grc.com/dos/winxp.htm)

basically, the ability to forge headers, source packets, i.e. items related to dos attacks will be available in a consumer level os. add to this the increasing(?) availability of broadband in the home, the overall cluelessness of computer users in terms of security (or lack thereof), and you have the receipe for an unholy mess...

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

You can already do that now if you choose to bother to find out how. So while that's true, it's also a bit of smoke.

*the foregoing should not in any way be interpreted as support of Micro$oft or any of their customer-friendly policies ;)*

[fxflynn.livejournal.com]

yes yes i agree with you, there are tools and means available right now for those who have the wherewithal to go out and find them or write them. but to clarify, the various linux distros, *BSDs, even w2k (some OSes for x86) are not shipped with 80% (my guess) of PCs unlike the w95, w98, and wme (consumer level OSes)... well you know what ppl say about second hand smoke.

i'd would like to amaze everyone now with a brilliant and witty analogy on the whole thing but since i know tomorrow is monday...blagh and all that comes to mind is some base thing belong something or other to somebody...? weak i know but i really don't like mondays and can't find a decent burrito.

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

<paranoia value="on">
Exploitation of such a feature might be just the thing that would raise a public outcry demanding the government to step in and regulate the Internet.

Technical arguments from the loony (read: non-Microsoft) fringe could be calmly ignored or drowned in the hysterical outcry for Someone to "do something."

Microsoft could then step forward to complete the loop, offering its considerable technical expertise to build a "safe" Internet that would serve homes and businesses, while preserving the legitimate interests of government and law-enforcement agencies in tracking what's going on.
<paranoia value="off">

Cheers...