
Are you running an illegal version of Windows? What about office? This new initiative will allow Microsoft to crack down much more causing software pirates to adapt yet again towards the new technologies.
Microsoft Expands Antipiracy Initiatives
I am very surprised this initiative did not come about years ago.
This is not going to work. Its predecessor was to stop downloading of microsoft windows updates but that was circumvented just a few days after it came out. Someone will find a way around it, all the while Microsoft claiming they finally beat the hacker. If they really want to stop pirating, then they should offer cheaper authentic versions that people can actually afford. This is especially helpful battling pirated copies used by those who build their own machines. The OS shouldn't cost more than the PC way to build.
I agree with Konq. This will only serve to hurt the IT industry rather than help it. Illegal use of software, while wrong, is very similar to the music industry. By obtaining software illegally, the software vendors are really not being hurt as much as they think they are. Companies still need to purchase large sets of licenses for software they distribute to their users. Individual users still pay for their licenses with new pc's. This is just an unnecessary over head that will cost Microsoft more to stay on top of, and that will be circumvented soon enough, as Konq pointed out. I can only see this initiative resulting in higher costs for MS products to the end users.
Just so everyone knows, this new patch was release today. Unless you have auto download and install, you don't have to take this update. Its clearly marked what it will do and is not required. In fact, I have received an email from an old friend who says that when it is "required" it will be as simple as changing a Windows registry entry to reflect that you have it. Microsoft continually thinks they are smarter than the hacker, and they never are. Should be interesting to see how many people are actually forced to get a registered version, I'm guessing not the people they really want to catch.