[NEWS] Aero To Be Unavailable To Pirates

[Mr.Guvernment]

Come on, how sad, like this wont be cracked in minutes - people got around the XP download geniune check in no time - so why do they think this will be any different.

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Aero To Be Unavailable To Pirates |
| from the no-shiny-for-you dept. |
| posted by Zonk on Thursday April 13, @09:25 (Windows) |
| http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/13/1228237 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

An anonymous reader writes "Users thinking of pirating the next version
of Windows may have a surprise in store: [0]no Aero for you. The upcoming
Microsoft OS will run a check to ensure the copy was legally purchased.
If it comes up short, the shiniest part of the OS will not be available."
>From the article: "At first an optional program, the piracy check
eventually became mandatory for many types of Windows XP downloads, but
was not required to run any aspect of the operating system itself.
Microsoft has identified reducing piracy as a key way for the company to
grow its sales of Windows, which is already used on more than 90 percent
of personal computers. But it's not just pirates who will be blocked from
Windows' fanciest graphics. The Aero display also won't be available to
those who buy Windows Vista Basic, the low-end consumer version of the
operating system."

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=06/04/13/1228237

Links:
0. http://news.com.com/Vista+wont+show+fancy+side+to+pirates/2100-1016_3-6060700.html?tag=nefd.lede

 

[ninthebin]

I dunno, with stomping out (or trying to) piracy seemingly the #1 priority of software these days they may have gone to some lengths to ensure that it is extremely hard to crack and maybe some radical contingency for if it does happen.

Not available to Vista basic though, that sucks a bit - I do plan to buy vista but I hope theres another cheaper version that comes with it.

 

[Flip-Mode]

Boohoo

 

[DvBoard]

oh well. just another thing that will be cracked. and it WILL be cracked. no code is unbreakable, liek no DRM is uncrackable.

 

[mewisemagic2]

it's unavailable to the public anyway because they keep going back to the drawing board LOL

 

[Captain Newbie]

I dunno, with stomping out (or trying to) piracy seemingly the #1 priority of software these days they may have gone to some lengths to ensure that it is extremely hard to crack and maybe some radical contingency for if it does happen.

I think you'll find the plan is...

Steve Ballmer: They have broken the piracy protection, my master.
Bill Gates: Verrry well...execute order 66.
Steve Ballmer (to clones): It will be done my lord, execute order 66.

Not available to Vista basic though, that sucks a bit - I do plan to buy vista but I hope theres another cheaper version that comes with it.

lim(windows -> vista) of consumer confidence = 0.

 

[ErikD]

Anything that they do to try and prevent pirates will be worked around in short order. There is to much money to be made selling illegal copies of Windows, and to many smart people out there wanting to stick it to Bill.

On the other hand, so what? I got a free/cheap copy of the OS and can't use a pretty resource hogging feature with no real purpose? Do they really think that even if they could prevent illegal versions from using the theme it would stop piracy?

 

[UnseenMenace]

I think the biggest problem Microsoft will have with Vista is convincing people that they need it, In all reality XP does what most people require from an OS
Other than watch movies, play music and games along with working on text and spreadsheets there is very little the general consumer wants from a PC.... I personally think Microsoft will have trouble shifting a product with a fancy new front end and would be better offering security enhancements...

I will not be shocked when Vista is cracked and I doubt MS themselves will be... however the less random copying that happens the better in their eyes and it will most certainly help reduce this further

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

I think the biggest problem Microsoft will have with Vista is convincing people that they need it, In all reality XP does what most people require from an OS

The largest market for Vista - they wont have to convince those people - cause it will be pre-installed on their Dell / HP / Compaq / Emachine systems

 

[Zuzzz]

But convince people to pay that kind of money JUST to have that fancy GUI?? A few will buy. But Joe Sixpack isnt going to see the need. What exactly is Vista going to offer over XP?? It is really needed?
my 2 Cents

Z

 

[Flip-Mode]

Don't test show that Vista needs like billion GB of memory to work well? So intact we are taking a step backwards no? Instead of it being more resource efficient its worse?

 

[ErikD]

Well as hardware gets better programmers take shortcuts, well some do anyway, and rely on high hardware specs to make a program work rather than good code. I mean Visual Basic is a great example. You can easily create a very complex application easily and quickly. But talk about bloated!