Merlin said:
There is no place where you can download a legitimate copy of
Windows XP.
I'm not sure I agree, and here's my logic:
The issue does not revolve around the copy of the installation
disk but rather with the license. Assuming a person wishing to
install XP has the license to do so, I believe he could borrow my
installation CD (as long as it's the same type, of course). So
how is this different from me uploading it to an FTP server for
him to download it? He could download it and install it using his
legitimate product key, no?
Ken said:
Although you may be technically correct, if you modify Merlin's
statement to read "There is no *public* place where you can
download a legitimate copy of Windows X," what he said is right.
And since most people would infer the word "public" in that
sentence even if it's not there, essentially it's pretty much
correct as it stands. And further, in the context of this thread,
when cm says "I have a downloaded version of Windows XP Pro,"
almost anyone would infer from that that he means he has a pirated
version that he downloaded from some unauthorized public site.
Assuming the copy is publically available, though, as long as the
person who is downloading it has the proper license, how is it
different than borrowing a physical CD? The means may be different,
but the end is identical. And nothing has been stolen by the person
downloading the file.
If this became a criminal (or even a civil) case, couldn't an
attorney effectively prove that the person didn't break any laws?
I don't think the question of legitimacy in downloading a Windows XP CD
should be centered around the license. It very well may be legitimate in
the end by licensing terms - however - even if it is known that the person
has a legitimate license, they can prove it, they have the proof of
purchase, etc - my concern is that the copy you are getting is UNLIKELY to
be coming from a guaranteed source.
What could make the statement false is that it says "no place" - which could
be made false by anyone putting up a copy of Windows XP on a web site, FTP
site, torrent site, emailing it (in parts I would assume), newsgroups,
sending it over IM, etc... However - if one puts some assumption into the
statement - it could be made true.
"There is no [free to the public, trusted and setup for this specific
purpose] place [on the Internet] where you can download [via any file
transfer means] a legitimate [100% trusted, unmodified and certified] copy
of Windows XP [all versions]."
Of course - sharing your CD with your friend and *not the product key* - I
would assume that is fine. In the end it is the product key/license that
makes Windows XP a valid/invalid product. Most Windows XP CDs are identical
with a few differences between versions, patch levels, methods of licensing.
If your friend and yourself had gone to a store together and both purchased
100% legitimate boxed/retail copies of Windows XP (same version, etc) at the
same time... Then some time later your friend lost the CD (or their dog
chewed it a new center hole) - I see and have no problem making them a copy
of my original CD and handing it over knowing they have a legitimate license
(given they stored the product key/etc in a safer place than where they
obviously stored the CD.) To me it is no different than integrating the
patches into the CD and making a new improved version or (had my friend been
smart about it) having made their own backup copy to leave laying around the
house while the original was safely tucked away.
Heck - you can attempt to get a new CD from Microsoft even. All you need is
the proof you own the license/product key.
In the end - if my friend (from above) needed a new CD (still had all the
rest) and they had moved across the world and needed it tonight (and we both
have some decent high-speed internet) - it is feasible that I could send it
to them in some electronic fashion (and I guarantee this occurs all the
time.) However - the implications from the statement being discussed here
was not - in my opinion - centering around such an act - but simply stating
that just doing a Google search for:
<edited because it kept getting filtered - the message would not post>
<which I find - annoying>
And then trusting what you got to be 100% legitimate (unmodified, certified,
trusted...) would be a moronic thing to do - at best. Just visiting the
sites that search returns might infest whatever machine you did it from.
Sure - might work out fine - then again... Russian Roulette, akin to
playing with registry cleaning products in my mind. heh
In the end - it doesn't matter if you can find a downloadable Windows XP CD
with the Google search - would you *trust* it? Do you *know* enough to know
that not a single file on that CD has been modified for some nefarious
purpose? Are you sure it doesn't have a few scripts hidden in it? (*You*
might - would your poor uncle Bob? Aunt Mary? Cousin Steve? The
non-technical members of your family who just heard you could Google for and
download a copy of Windows XP - so they tried it.) Is it worth the risk?
I personally think it would be kinda cool for Microsoft to put their
software up in ISO format - legitimate copies of it from a trusted source
(from the manufacturer) would be a great place to go to get it. (Beyond
services like MSDN I mean.) Would it cause *more* piracy? I cannot
predict - but seeing how many other manufacturers have their products up in
such ways... I'd lean towards 'no change over a period of time - on average'
(as there might be a jump every so often... heh)
