WGA = Spyware, love between the dozers

[Jenda]

Perhaps you might enjoy this.
http://forums.microsoft.com/Genuine/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=519501&SiteID=25&&DI=6066&IG=40c5435f16ea4040a947de91ca404231&POS=9&CM=WPU&CE=9&CS=AWP&SR=9


A truly angry user, still keeping good manners announces switching to Ubuntu because the WGA is spyware.
He gets responded very rudely, and the 'responder' defends his rudeness...

ugh

[worker201]

Well, there's not much else you can say in the face of cold hard facts.  What did you expect?  "Hey, man, I'm sorry, we'll change the WGA stuff all because of you - we know it's wrong, and you're the first person to point it out".  Not fucking likely.  Microsoft treats its loyal customers like shit, how would they treat an ex-customer?

[H_TeXMeX_H]

Hehe ... it's kinda funny. The IT just says bye ... he didn't even try to respond. (obviously everything jaszman said is true ... maybe there is nothing that can be said)

[Jenda]

Hehe ... it's kinda funny. The IT just says bye ... he didn't even try to respond. (obviously everything jaszman said is true ... maybe there is nothing that can be said)

That's the impression i had.
I also had this sensation of hate towards a certain stabworthy person.

[Orethrius]

That's just great, another "IT professional" that pins all system frustrations on the end-user.  God forbid anyone should ever lodge a formal complaint, misgiven or not.  I can safely say that I will do whatever I can to make sure none of my friends use IT Associates.  EVER.

Here's another one of his gems (bottom of the page).

I have no idea what "WGDA" is.

Could be a mistaken shorthand for Technet or possibly MSDN (also, not everyone speaks English).

Windows Product Activation (PA) monitors whether a given installation of XP has been moved to a different set of hardware, and also keeps track of whether a given Product Key is being activated outside of typical patterns of usage.

"Typical patterns of usage"?  WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF DOUBLESPEAK IS THAT?  Also, if it's meant to be an interim stop-gap, why give out keys to the universal "I changed my hard drive"?  Why not just ream the customers outright?  Oh, right, they might COMPLAIN then.  Wouldn't want that, would we?

Calling in to a Product Activation Center gives MS an opportunity to verify compliance with the End User Licensing Agreement in circumstances that warrant a check.

First off, WPA is hardly an effective solution to piracy.  It's been cracked for quite some time, to say nothing of the social engineering half of that equation.  Security isn't real when your customer service is full of completely naive dolts.  Second, who else uses PRODUCT ACTIVATION for their systems?  Sun sure doesn't, and I don't see them going belly-up.  I've not heard anything of Apple doing this beyond the standard "register for free tech support" spiel.  RedHat and Novell don't - beyond standard support fees - and I've yet to hear of them filing for bankruptcy.  Actually, the only business I can think of that does anything remotely close to this is... SCO.  As far as the BSA is concerned, they don't respond to EULA violations.  If they did, Windows piracy wouldn't be as rampant as it is today.  Now providers threatening to drop Windows like a week-old dead mackerel, that's another story.

Why does it surprise you that a commercial organization would take steps to protect its investment in intellectual property?

It doesn't.  What surprises people is the amount of abuse this system suffers at the hands of callous corporate bureaucrats who use these ineffective "protections" to extort further funding from the comparatively penniless.  NO OTHER HONEST COMPANY SUPPORTS $400 SOFTWARE ON THE BACKS OF LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS.

Computer enthusiasts like you will by definition encounter the "speedbumps" that are put in place to help curb abuse because they are using their computers and their software in a very agressive and active manner, doing a lot of reinstallations and making a lot of hardware changes.

...and computer enthusiasts LIKE YOU are the reason why WPA exists in the first place.  I mean, why give our paying customers support when we can bleed them dry and cancel their activation codes when they "start to get uppity"?  How the hell can you sleep at night, representing an IT firm that labels power usage as a "very agressive and active manner"?  Besides the fact that Windows practically DEMANDS at least a reboot a week into "normal" operations unless you happen to like a mute system.

Since enthusiasts are outside of the norm as far as patterns of usage go, they soon learn to accept these minor speedbumps as just another thing to be accommodated.  5-10 minutes to do a phone activation is not the end of the world you know.

No, it's not the end of the world, but the fact that it's done little to curb piracy should tell you something.  Ineffectual solutions are not the way to go for a problem that doesn't need to exist.  Also, since YOU seem to pick on Linux users quite a bit, you should know that I left Windows after hitting a few hundred of your so-called "minor speedbumps".  Funny how the only thing I experienced after that was driver support issues, which can be traced directly to either manufacturer complacency or corruption.

If you are using the license for XP that you have in accordance with the EULA, there will never be a need for you to afford a new license.

For the time being.  Few are concerned about the present.  It's the future that causes problems, and the writing's on the wall.

[worker201]

Funny how the only thing I experienced after that was driver support issues, which can be traced directly to either manufacturer complacency or corruption.

Nice summation.  Never been put in so few words before.
Spotlighted, thanks for sharing.

[H_TeXMeX_H]

A great post indeed. Sums it all up :thumbup:

[Dark_Me]

Perhaps you might enjoy this.
http://forums.microsoft.com/Genuine/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=519501&SiteID=25&&DI=6066&IG=40c5435f16ea4040a947de91ca404231&POS=9&CM=WPU&CE=9&CS=AWP&SR=9


A truly angry user, still keeping good manners announces switching to Ubuntu because the WGA is spyware.
He gets responded very rudely, and the 'responder' defends his rudeness...

ugh

 

Not Found: Forum Not Found
The forum you requested does not exist.

Link doesn't work.

[Jenda]

Hahaha...
They censored it.

[Dark_Me]

Hahaha...
They censored it.

So it's been deleted? Can you fill me in on what it said?

[pofnlice]

Unknown Error
     We apologize, but an unknown error has occured in the forums.

This error has been logged.

They don't like confusing the issues of thier nonoperating system with facts.

[Orethrius]

At least they took out that snooty reply when they censored that critic.

[worker201]

Unknown error - yeah, right.

Summary of conversation:
futureUbuntuUser: WGA is spyware, I've been a loyal Windows supporter since 1998, but now I'm switching to Linux
dan: bye!
richie(?): dan, don't be suck a prick, WGA is spyware
dan: Linux is for losers
randomguy: Linux is awesome
richie: dan, why did you have to be so rude, the guy had a real problem
dan: he was a fanboy who came here to talk shit
richie: we all know Linux is more secure than Windows
dan: he was a fanboy
richie: dan, you've never used Linux, have you?  ass
dan: Linux sucks, Windows is awesome

[H_TeXMeX_H]

Shit, next time gotta take a screenshot or save it or something.

[Aloone_Jonez]

Hahaha...
They censored it.

Ahh, fuck them. I hate forums like this, I've been banned from one and left another one because they wouldn't allow free speech. It wouldn't have bothered me if I'd said fuck or insulted someone but I didn't they just deleted some of my threads then lied about it saying I'd made it up. I pointed them in the direction of the Google cache and they still denied it, eventurally I was banned.