----- Original Message ----- From: "Thane Sherrington (S)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "The Hardware List" <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 7:42 AM Subject: Re: [H] MS Makes VirtualServer 2005 R2 Free
Yeah. Because Bill is planning on becoming the Evil Emperor of the Universe, and the first part of his plan is to destroy all copies of Windows. :)
That would be the extreme and highly unlikely, but it is good mind exercise to keep aware of the possibilities. At least, let's acknowledge that Microsoft will have more control with Windows Vista. Most likely Microsoft will not rent Vista but I bet the EULA will not be open ended. Somewhere in the fine print I anticipate some clause that allows Microsoft to start receiving supplemental funds at any point in the future they feel the need to. Hopefully they never will and Vista will be as easy as XP is to authenticate and validate etc. and will run without additional costs as long as you own the computer it is authenticated on.
I hate having to call Microsoft to authenticate practically every clean install I do on a name brand computer. According to Jellybean, some installs have the correct product key and some do not, but on most I have to call Microsoft. I will gladly live with this calling Microsoft (most often there are no hardware changes, just a clean install) in exchange for having a measure of protection from butcher builders pricing me out of the local market using Windows piracy as a price reducing tool. Occasionally I am put on Ignore (Hold) but most times I get prompt service when I call Microsoft for assistance in authentication. Once I have called Microsoft, I know I have had the same product key shown on the COA authenticated as that is the one I use when I do the clean install. There is great satisfaction in making this correction.
I am in no way trying to predict any massive catastrophe, but it does not hurt to make oneself aware of the control that Microsoft builds in to keep things going their way. It would make no sense to cause massive destruction but that does not stop people from doing it. It does not have to be Microsoft. We all know that from time to time somebody will toss a monkey wrench into some very important and valuable machinery.
Chuck
