HeyBub said:
It confirms he has a genuine copy, that he weren't ripped off by a vendor,
or had his copy purloined by the repair shop.
Reading comprehension problems? I wrote, and I quote, "someone who
*knows* they have a genuine copy". The only thing that can happen is a
false positive and the ensuing *hassle* of calling MS and putting the
computer back together again.
It doesn't. It sanctions them and shames them into doing the righteous
thing.
No, they don't download it and tell auto updates to not notify them
about it again and go about their merry way.
Well, it certainly does benefit Microsoft, else they wouldn't be doing it.
Duh.
Actually, it doesn't. It's very bad for PR and when you consider the
BILLIONS MS made before XP and the WPA/WGA mess, it's stupid. People
don't like to be inconvenienced or falsely accused of piracy no matter
how much MS thinks it's a benefit.
WGA also encourages folk to get legal, punishes the dishonest computer
seller or shop that the user might otherwise rely on, and serves as a
deterrent to rascals who may be contemplating future rip-offs.
That might be .000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% at most.
Some are offended, true. But no more so than by the gramps character that
checks your receipt as you leave Walmart, or the cop who wants to see your
driver's license before warning you of the dead dog wrapped around your
front bumper.
Very bad comparisons. A better comparison was the false positive the USA
Homeland Security scanners got when they stopped Senator Ted Kennedy for
being on the terrorist list.
Alias