[geeks] Vista cost

[Charles Shannon Hendrix]

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 @ 13:49 -0600, Lionel Peterson said:

> Just to interject an actual data point from MS, the install of * Home
> UPGRADE editions of Vista will not be possible without an underlying
> OS install (not media, actual install):

Several upgrade editions of XP and 2000, and 95-ME required the original
media before doing the upgrade.  That was brain dead stupid of course,
because eventually my old media would not read.

To make it depend on an actual install is beyond stupid.

What do you do if you have to replace your hard drive?

I'm sure they have an answer that involves $$$ and pain.

> Remember, with Vista, EVERYONE gets the same media (install or
> upgrade), the difference is the product key you use to install it,
> that determines the features/capabilities that are installed. I forsee
> a great "hack" to allow everyone with a Vista Install/Upgrade DVD to
> upgrade to any version they want - reminds me of the Office '97 fiasco
> at MS - they gave away time-limited CDs for free at Kinkos (?), and it
> turned out there was ONE FILE different between the full-blown
> licensed product and the time-limited version, so after downloading
> that one file, you had a copy of Office '97 for free...

In other words:

Once again the pirates are merely annoyed, but legitimate users are
punished severely and constantly.

The only real difference is that with Vista, you now get screwed over on
the third party software and content, in addition to the base OS.

I believe that Microsoft and other idiots are hoping that hardware
encryption systems will make it so hard to hack this stuff, that
eventually you will be completely under their control.

It's one thing to break software keys, not even that hard really.  If
nothing else you can just make the code jump over the protection or fake
it.

But once all hardware supports this at a low level, it will be a lot
harder than just downloading a software hack.

My favorite recent note from a new Vista owner:

Some guy bought a brand new HP system with a 24" monitor, and it came
with a high definition movie to show off the system. The movie will not
play *at all* because the LCD doesn't support hardware authentication.

Gotta love it.





-- 
shannon "AT" widomaker.com -- ["We have nothing to prove" -- Alan Dawkins]