Well..things seem to be taking a nice spiral downward in the PC Industry
with respect to consumer rights and their rights to the product they buy.
Microsoft is set to implement a system where their new OS, Whistler, will be
tied to the hardware on which it was originally installed. So, if you have a
computer and install Whistler on it..then you can never install that copy of
Whistler on any other PC ever again,without calling a number or dialing out
to the internet perhaps to get "clearance".
What happens to people in 3rd World countries?
They must now be able to afford the cost of the software, and an overseas
phone call, and be put on hold for how long?
You must also have an internet connection/make a phone call(possibly
Overseas) to connect to a clearinghouse in order to install the software in
the first place.
If you buy a new PC, you cannot transfer your OS software to that new PC,
evne though you bought the software.
Or is the thinking here that everyone buys PCs from Dell/Gateway and
whatever PC you buy will have Whistler on it anyway, obviating the need to
transfer a license to a new computer?
This has been done before, but for specialised software packages as far as I
know, such as Autocad etc. where you need to call to get a Product
Registration key.
I've never heard about it being implemented at something as ubiquitous as an
OS level for a platform.
Also, what about Privacy?
Microsoft now knows exactly who uses Microsoft Whistler OS with PID#
4819299TYEQ812, and MAC Address 01AE9800BZ
They can no doubt pick this PID up when you log into Hotmail, or visit
Microsoft.com....
and perhaps other sites will have the capability as well.
I'm not saying that if they wanted to they couldn't get this info now.
But we will be SURE that they have and collate this info for everyone who
will be using their OS, if this system is implemented in the future.
Will there be a safeguard for this information, on how it can and cannot be
used by Microsoft, included in the Product License to protect the consumer?
Didn't we already go through this with the INtel Pentium III serial number?
How have the arguments against such a system with the Pentium III changed?
In my view they have not, and are as valid for this Licensing strategy as
they were for the embedded Identification number in the PIII.
I think these are just some of the reasons why the Industry keeps saying
that
Microsoft's monopoly is dangerous and will hurt consumers.
We are only just now starting to see this in very tangible ways.
Of course, the spin here is that this is all to prevent piracy of the MS
Product.
But aren't there better ways to do this?
Is this destined to be the bane of the consumer?
To have to give up usability, ease of use, and Privacy in order for software
makers to feel their IP is protected?
-Gel
www.carigamer.com
The following quotes taken from Slashdot.org:
-----------------------------------------
"Now...what MS has done is say - "Thanks for buying MS tires for your 2000
Ford Explorer - We appreciate your business" - then turn around, after you
upgrade from the 2000 model to the 2001 model
"We're sorry, but you can't put those (bought/paid for/perfectly good) tires
on your new 2001 Explorer,
even though they'll fit - instead, you have to buy four new tires from us"
This is a fairly logical extension of the current licensing policies - where
even though you have gone to a store, paid money, and brought home a
physical object, YOU DON'T OWN IT -- this kind of thing *shouldn't* be
legal -
in the above case, you paid money for a product - you should OWN it.
Extending this a bit further gets us to this issue with Whistler - where not
only don't you OWN it, but you can't USE it if you get a new computer - or
even upgrade certain parts of your current computer.
We used to joke about the "MS Tax" on a new computer because of the
restrictions MS used on vendors such as Dell or Gateway - forcing you to buy
a copy of Windows with your new computer, even if you didn't plan on EVER
running Windows on the computer. Now they want to implement this on a larger
scale - tying Windows to the hardware you have in your system at
install-time.
Change some major aspect of your system - pay the MS tax - ditch one
computer for another one - pay the MS tax. If we don't find some EFFECTIVE
way of fighting bull$#!^ like this, we'll get stuck with more and more of
it.
***It's even getting to the point that US(The consumer) not buying it isn't
going to dent their bottom line. ***
Getting Dell or Gateway or Compaq to stop buying it - that might hurt 'em a
little more. The question is how the heck do we do that? (and
email/letters don't seem to work on something as big as this - the
shareholders want $$$ - Dell/Gateway surely think that the only way to keep
making $$$ is to acquiese to MS - as the big corporate buyers want
windows...
So now we've identified the target as the corporate buyers - how do we tell
them this is a bad thing?
Moving to a new OS requires extensive training (especially for all-MS shops
who have "standardized" on MS Office, Outlook, Exchange, NT, ASP, etc...) --
most pointy-haired types don't go for that very well."
-------------
"anti-piracy features in Whistler "won't allow the use of the customer's
product key on a PC different from the one originally activated"... which
means that if you have that older computer and decide to try and move your
Whistler license (that you buy at a retail outlet like Best Buy or wherever)
to your new whiz-bang fast model, you'll be completely boned. The code won't
actually activate without authorization from a clearinghouse first.
So much, also, for high security installations (where any connectivity,
whatsoever, with the outside world is verboten)... without the ability to
connect to the clearinghouse to "authenticate" the product key, they too
will be unable to use their license. Part of me is happy because this is
obviously a Bad Move by MS and will hurt them, but what if other software
vendors start to think that this is a Neat Idea? {yuk!}"
--------------
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