Genuine Advantage FAQ Contradiction

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Q: What happens when WGA Notifications communicates with Microsoft when a PC
is booted up?
A:
The pilot version of this software periodically contacts Microsoft after
validation. This feature has been removed from the final version of WGA
Notifications. WGA validation process does communicate with Microsoft
periodically.
 
Q: What happens when WGA Notifications communicates with Microsoft when a PC
is booted up?
A:
The pilot version of this software periodically contacts Microsoft after
validation. This feature has been removed from the final version of WGA
Notifications. WGA validation process does communicate with Microsoft
periodically.
Click to expand...

This may be used in the lawsuit that someone has started for the WGA and the
"spyware" law.
 
Update to the WGA Notifications program introduces changes based on customer feedback.
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2006/jun06/06-27WGA.mspx

Microsoft Provides Additional Clarity About Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2006/jun06/06-08wgaqa.mspx

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User

Get all the benefits of Genuine Microsoft software:
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/default.mspx

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| Q: What happens when WGA Notifications communicates with Microsoft when a PC
| is booted up?
| A:
| The pilot version of this software periodically contacts Microsoft after
| validation. This feature has been removed from the final version of WGA
| Notifications. WGA validation process does communicate with Microsoft
| periodically.
 
Leythos said:
Except it's from the vendor of the OS and it's not spyware.
Click to expand...


The jury is still out on that. Come to think of it, they're probably
just being selected.

Also, there's a second class action lawsuit on the issue that WGA
invalidates those who do have valid licences. Which it does.
 
The jury is still out on that. Come to think of it, they're probably
just being selected.

Also, there's a second class action lawsuit on the issue that WGA
invalidates those who do have valid licences. Which it does.
Click to expand...

I keep seeing it stated as a action against WGA, but if you read the
details it's alway WGA Notifications.
 
Leythos, you've managed to save the "justice system" a large sum of money!
Obviously there is no need for a court date and a judge's ruling, since
Fanboy here has already concluded that it is not spyware.
Click to expand...

I have just not seen a clear definition that indicates it "Legally" fits
the "Legal" definition of malicious/spyware tools.

And people should really get with the program, WGA is not the complaint,
it's WGAN (notice the Notification part).
 
Leythos said:
I keep seeing it stated as a action against WGA, but if you read the
details it's alway WGA Notifications.
Click to expand...

I'll leave the nitpicking to the lawyers.
 
Leythos said:
I keep seeing it stated as a action against WGA, but if you read the
details it's alway WGA Notifications.

--
Click to expand...

Pardon? But I just checked the details.

Engineered Process Controls LLC VS Microsoft
http://www.groklaw.net/pdf/WGA2complaint.pdf

This complaint states that the WGA Validation Tool (hint: Not Just the
Notification Tool) contains the phone home, spyware componest, and that
The Validaotion Tool collects information that can individually ID PCs,
AND that it could ealily be morphed into collecting any kind of data MS
wants.

Brian Johnson VS Microsoft
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/dayart/20060629/msftwgasuit.pdf

This suit is also going aginst the WHOLE WGA program.

Just read the things, instead of making a claim you hope no one will
check. It's utter bunk that the lawsuits are only aginst the
Notifiaction component.
 
Pardon? But I just checked the details.

Engineered Process Controls LLC VS Microsoft
http://www.groklaw.net/pdf/WGA2complaint.pdf

This complaint states that the WGA Validation Tool (hint: Not Just the
Notification Tool) contains the phone home, spyware componest, and that
The Validaotion Tool collects information that can individually ID PCs,
AND that it could ealily be morphed into collecting any kind of data MS
wants.

Brian Johnson VS Microsoft
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/dayart/20060629/msftwgasuit.pdf

This suit is also going aginst the WHOLE WGA program.

Just read the things, instead of making a claim you hope no one will
check. It's utter bunk that the lawsuits are only aginst the
Notifiaction component.
Click to expand...

I did read it and based on what I've ready from MS, WGA itself does not
phone home, WGAN does. WGA has to be polled/activated in order for it to
provide anything back to MS, while WGAN is what does the polling/action.

I didn't say the lawsuits were only against the WGAN, it's that they
complain about WGA and it's really WGAN that is the issue - of the
complaints that are written in some technical understanding it's WGAN
that they have problems with.
 
Leythos said:
I did read it and based on what I've ready from MS, WGA itself does not
phone home, WGAN does. WGA has to be polled/activated in order for it to
provide anything back to MS, while WGAN is what does the polling/action.

I didn't say the lawsuits were only against the WGAN, it's that they
complain about WGA and it's really WGAN that is the issue - of the
complaints that are written in some technical understanding it's WGAN
that they have problems with.
Click to expand...

You're telling me that when you go to Windows Update and have to run WGA
to get the updates, it sends no information to MS? Pulease, Lythos, pull
the other one; it has bells on it.

I can hardly wait for my Ubuntu CD to come in the mail.

Alias
 
You're telling me that when you go to Windows Update and have to run WGA
to get the updates, it sends no information to MS? Pulease, Lythos, pull
the other one; it has bells on it.
Click to expand...

No, I'm telling you that WGA installed on your machine does not appear
to do anything on its own. WGAN DOES interact without your actions -
that makes it close spyware.
I can hardly wait for my Ubuntu CD to come in the mail.
Click to expand...

If you want something good, get Fedora Core 5, it's much better and
offers a lot more.
 
Leythos said:
No, I'm telling you that WGA installed on your machine does not appear
to do anything on its own. WGAN DOES interact without your actions -
that makes it close spyware.


If you want something good, get Fedora Core 5, it's much better and
offers a lot more.
Click to expand...

It's not free. Looking over the screen shots for Ubuntu, everything I
need is there.

Alias
 
If you want something good, get Fedora Core 5, it's much better and
offers a lot more.
Click to expand...
What do you mean it offers a lot more? Most of these distros pretty much
offer the same selection of open source apps and services.

For someone coming from a long time Windoze background the move to a Gnome
based desktop might not be as easy for them as using a KDE based desktop.
Here is what I'd recommend such a user look at using with his/her first
excursion into GNU/Linux.

- Mandriva - has the most wizards available to facilitate configurating
through the GUI.

- Kubuntu - at least it defaults to using KDE as opposed to Ubuntu that uses
Gnome. However, the latter can be made to install KDE and use it.

- Xandros - a commercial offering that Windoze users would feel very
comfortable very quickly. They do provide a free version that only lacks
some of the proprietary drivers. Software installation is a breeze.

All that being said, Mandriva still sticks out as the distro for the Windoze
newbie. Fully powerful GNU/Linux distro with just enough hand-holding to
make the transition pretty pain free. TUX Magazine appears to agree with my
assessment and awarded Mandriva its reward in this respect.

http://www.tuxmagazine.com/

I suggest that Windoze users before taking the plunge do some research into
hardware compatibility. Most hardware drivers are proprietary and not all
vendors offer drivers for Linux. Linux developers have had to reverse
engineer most hardware drivers to provide the open source equivalent. A
good starting point is to pickup one of the Live CD distros. This will
allow a Windoze user to bootup Linux from a CD and run it without touching
their existing Windoze hard drive/setup. It offers one a taste for the real
thing before going the full route of installing it on your system.

The biggest mistake new users make, who come from a long time Windoze
background is unlearning their Windoze-way of doing things and
pre-conceptions they have learned from MickeyMouse on how a computer works.
Part of the success of Windoze has been the way MickeyMouse has made all
the decisions and sheltered its users from their computers. Most Windoze
users will find they are pretty clueless (no slight intended - they've been
taught that way) as to how their computers really work. With GNU/Linux the
user controls ones computer and with this new freedom comes
responsibilities that require thinking in a new way about their computers.
The most heard complaint from Linux newbies coming from the Windoze world
is ... "but I could do it this way in Windows, why doesn't it work like
this in Linux?"

By my experience a completely new computer user will find it easier to
adjust to Linux than a more seasoned computer user who has been seasoned on
Windoze. :-) So for people like Alias, approach the thing with an open
mind. You will be using a DIFFERENT operating system than one you're so
familiar with. Approach it that way, one step at a time and eventually
you'll lose all those silly habits that Windoze taught you all those years
and the real genius of the Linux way (and its elegance) will start making
real sense and you'll begin to appreciate the incredible power Linux has to
offer. It won't take that long to become amazed at what a real operating
system allows you to do compared to the toy operating system you're now so
familiar with. It'll blow you away, I guarantee it! It's the WOW factor
that is expressed the most by Windoze newbies who finally start to get it.



--
The ULTIMATE Windoze Fanboy:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2370205018226686613

A 3D Linux Desktop (video) ...


View Some Common Linux Desktops ...
http://shots.osdir.com/
 
Alias said:
I'll try it.

Alias
Click to expand...

Agreed, Fedora Core 5 is excellent. Try a few and see which distro you
like the best. If I'm not mistaken Alias, you are on dial up. One
gotcha to look out for is that Linux cannot run a winmodem, so if that's
what you use to dial up with, you will need to replace it before you are
successful. Good luck!
 
I'll try it.
Click to expand...

We've got it running on 8 machines now, and other than the updates
taking longer to download then Windows updates, it's smooth. We even use
CrossOver with Office XP and find that we have no problems with
Word/Excel - we don't use Outlook, but there is Evolution to replace
outlook.
 
What do you mean it offers a lot more? Most of these distros pretty much
offer the same selection of open source apps and services.
Click to expand...
[snipped the rest, I agree with it]

It offers things that work or are easy to get working as opposed to the
other versions that we tested/used. We did not install two of the three
you mentioned, but Fedora still stands out as being the most supported
on all of the different hardware systems we have in the shop.

I looked for something that could provide the same XP Professional
services and low end server items that one might want if they had a
reasonably secure OS to use from home.
 
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