Will WGA shut down Legit XP Users? Yes

[NoStop]

Um, read this:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=84

And pay special attention to what Microsoft says will happen in the
Fall. Then, start eating your words.

Alias

Oh great! Now the world will see millions of pirated Windoze boxes connected
to the Net without access to any sort of security updates. Way to go
MickeyMouse.


--
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/

 

[JS]

Hey, UNIX, Linux and other OS's are just as flawed, they just don't get the
press!

JS

 

[silvermachine4]

Now that is really funny..The day the world stood still...

 

[Mistoffolees]

Hey, UNIX, Linux and other OS's are just as flawed, they just don't get the
press!

JS

While nothing is totally perfect, only Windows XP has WGA or
anything else like it at the present time. Publicity for one's
flaws is akin to the saying of cutting off one's nose to spite
one's face.

 

[Gordon]

Hey, UNIX, Linux and other OS's are just as flawed, they just don't get
the press!

Care to elaborate on that? Linux has hardly ANY flaws compared to Windows,
and those that do get discovered get fixed within days if not hours,
instead of having to wait 'till the next month's patch release, when the
particular flaw may or may not be fixed depending on MS's whim......

 

[=?ISO-8859-1?Q?=BAAlias=BA?=]

<I need my computer for my livelihood.>
<snipped>

You sure could have fooled me? I don't understand how you get anything else done since you seem to spend most of your life pushing this same old tired agenda on these newsgroups?

I am a fast typist. I get my work done and post here. Amazing, isn't it?

I think we have heard just about everything you have to say on the subject of WGA, how about giving it a rest.

I think you haven't responded to the subject but lamely tried to
distract everyone and change the subject to my persona by hurling an ill
informed ad hominem attack at me.

Alias

 

[Randy]

You gottta be kidding. How long did it take to close the holes in Apache for
example. There are still problems that haven't been fixed yet. Your just
fooling yourself with the Linux typical brainwashing.

 

[JS]

Have a go at it: http://secunia.com/secunia_security_advisories/

JS

 

[Pennywise]

(e-mail address removed) wrote:

|>How to disable or uninstall WGA
|>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/921914
|>
|>Must be a lot of complaints...

Now it makes sense, they got sue'd over it.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/275780_msftsuit29.html

 

[rockwell]

From: http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/4794/53/

"However, there is now a rumour doing the rounds that Microsoft may use
WGA to disable pirated versions of Windows.

Those of us using genuine copies of Windows should not worry - or should
we? Some pundits have suggested that WGA may get it wrong on some
occasions and disable computers running genuine copies of Windows. After
all it is only a software program."

Alias

I saw something like this coming ever since MS introduced product
activation. When PA came out, everyone asked "how do we know MS won't
just stop allowing activations one day and disable us from using our
legit copies of XP?" MS and it's cronies mumbled out some nice soothing
lies like "oh, we'll just release a program to disable PA someday".
Yeah... right.

 

[Charlie Tame]

I saw something like this coming ever since MS introduced product
activation. When PA came out, everyone asked "how do we know MS won't
just stop allowing activations one day and disable us from using our legit
copies of XP?" MS and it's cronies mumbled out some nice soothing lies
like "oh, we'll just release a program to disable PA someday". Yeah...
right.

But on the other side of the coin is what Pirates might build into bad
copies of Windows. How about 100,000 copies of Vista with spambots or
backdoors built in, going out to unwary users who simply thought they were
getting something "Cheap" and may prove to be largely untraceable. Whilst
this has not (apparently) happened yet one rumor is as good as another and
there's more reason to worry about it now as spammers and hackers have grown
smarter and more ambitious.

There are an endless number of "What happens if one day" scenarios and "How
do we know" scenarios, and no end to the way in which people will
misinterpret or "Spin" any rumor to support their own views...

 

[NoStop]

But on the other side of the coin is what Pirates might build into bad
copies of Windows. How about 100,000 copies of Vista with spambots or
backdoors built in, going out to unwary users who simply thought they were
getting something "Cheap" and may prove to be largely untraceable.

Pirates won't need to distribute hacked copies of Fista. Fista will be no
more secure than XP and will have plenty of holes in it to allow for
installation of spambots and backdoors. Once one gets beyond the eye-candy,
there isn't anything really new about Fista. The only thing new the
end-user will experience when switching to Fista is his/her shrunken bank
account as end-users are forced to throw more expensive hardware into their
computers to be able to run all that eye-candy.


--
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/

 

[Charlie Tame]

Pirates won't need to distribute hacked copies of Fista. Fista will be no
more secure than XP and will have plenty of holes in it to allow for
installation of spambots and backdoors. Once one gets beyond the
eye-candy,
there isn't anything really new about Fista. The only thing new the
end-user will experience when switching to Fista is his/her shrunken bank
account as end-users are forced to throw more expensive hardware into
their
computers to be able to run all that eye-candy.

There will be holes yes, however at this time anyone infected with a trojan
has the option to get their CD and do a fresh install... that is NOT the
case if the backdoor is built in. Whilst I would hope the product quality is
better than XP when it came out that is not really the issue I am thinking
of, it is more the problem of trying to disinfect built in malicious
software. Do you think spammers etc will suddenly develop ethics?

When you obtained your OS did you check such things as checksums? My guess
is that you probably did, but do you really expect the average user to do
that or even know about it? This is particularly unlikely for users
knowingly buying pirated copies or dumber users thinking they are simply
getting "Cheap" copies?

Now, how many pirated copies could be sold in 6 months? I don't know and I
don't suppose you do either, but let's guess at 100,000. There is no way
anyone is going to know of a built in spam back door until it starts
working, so let's say this one has a time trigger. Suddenly on July 4th 1007
100,000 spambots are available. I mean think about it, how would this get
picked up until it started to work.

So, given their user base is it not Microsoft's responsibility to try and
anticipate such events? If they do not then the entire internet community
could suffer.

Let's be honest here, most car drivers do not want to be mechanics, most
Windows "Users" do not want to be programmers or security experts. Doctors,
Nurses, Lawyers and everybody are now more or less forced to use computers,
and Windows is the easy system that's become the standard. I prefer MS to
sort this problem out (if they can) before it happens because unlike the
Linux community there are far less "Aware" users, but if such a thing should
happen we would all suffer.

Charlie

 

[NoStop]

There will be holes yes, however at this time anyone infected with a
trojan has the option to get their CD and do a fresh install... that is
NOT the case if the backdoor is built in. Whilst I would hope the product
quality is better than XP when it came out that is not really the issue I
am thinking of, it is more the problem of trying to disinfect built in
malicious software. Do you think spammers etc will suddenly develop
ethics?

When you obtained your OS did you check such things as checksums? My guess
is that you probably did, but do you really expect the average user to do
that or even know about it? This is particularly unlikely for users
knowingly buying pirated copies or dumber users thinking they are simply
getting "Cheap" copies?

Now, how many pirated copies could be sold in 6 months? I don't know and I
don't suppose you do either, but let's guess at 100,000. There is no way
anyone is going to know of a built in spam back door until it starts
working, so let's say this one has a time trigger. Suddenly on July 4th
1007
100,000 spambots are available. I mean think about it, how would this get
picked up until it started to work.

So, given their user base is it not Microsoft's responsibility to try and
anticipate such events? If they do not then the entire internet community
could suffer.

The entire Internet community is already suffering because Windoze has been
unleashed on the Internet. Windoze is directly responsible for the plague
of spam on the Net that accounts for over 60% of the email traffic moving
across the Net at any given second. Windoze is directly responsible, due to
its lousy security model to all the malware, crapware, trojans and viruses
circulating around the Net today, infecting Windoze computers and having
hundreds of thousands of them acting as malicious bots. Windoze is
responsible for all the Denial of Service attacks hitting servers
throughout the Net. It is time that Microsoft started to act responsibility
by not trying to plug holes in its insecure o/s but rather rewriting its
toy operating system from the ground up or staying off the damn Internet.



--
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/

 

[Steve N.]

The entire Internet community is already suffering because Windoze has been
unleashed on the Internet. Windoze is directly responsible for the plague
of spam on the Net that accounts for over 60% of the email traffic moving
across the Net at any given second. Windoze is directly responsible, due to
its lousy security model to all the malware, crapware, trojans and viruses
circulating around the Net today, infecting Windoze computers and having
hundreds of thousands of them acting as malicious bots. Windoze is
responsible for all the Denial of Service attacks hitting servers
throughout the Net. It is time that Microsoft started to act responsibility
by not trying to plug holes in its insecure o/s but rather rewriting its
toy operating system from the ground up or staying off the damn Internet.

I honestly can't argue with your points, and you're obviously adept with
Linux. I have to respect that.

Steve N.

 

[Charlie Tame]

The entire Internet community is already suffering because Windoze has
been
unleashed on the Internet. Windoze is directly responsible for the plague
of spam on the Net that accounts for over 60% of the email traffic moving
across the Net at any given second. Windoze is directly responsible, due
to
its lousy security model to all the malware, crapware, trojans and viruses
circulating around the Net today, infecting Windoze computers and having
hundreds of thousands of them acting as malicious bots. Windoze is
responsible for all the Denial of Service attacks hitting servers
throughout the Net. It is time that Microsoft started to act
responsibility
by not trying to plug holes in its insecure o/s but rather rewriting its
toy operating system from the ground up or staying off the damn Internet.

Except that without the demand from thousands of MS users there probably
would be no internet at this time, it would most likely have remained Janet
with prohibitive access pricing. Alright for big corps and such (Which
apparently you don't like) but far too expensive for most of us.

 

[Charlie Tame]

I honestly can't argue with your points, and you're obviously adept with
Linux. I have to respect that.

Steve N.

Nobody is arguing that early MS systems are bad, mainly because they were
designed to be "Easy" - especially in local networks, but the fact is that
we're talking a different set of conditions now.

Most Linux users are at least somewhat computer and security "Savvy", that's
because Linux is a subject they are enthusiastic about and that's great,
however very many people are not remotely interested in the technicalities
and simply are forced to use whatever they are given to use at work.
Naturally they find the same system useful at home, not for study but for
things like e-mail.

If pirated OSs, and I include Linux in there too were to get contaminated it
would be a difficult problem to solve, because then fixing the mess would
involve much more that reinstalling from original media.

For Linux, if downloaded, there are checksums to stop bad distributions
getting out. There's no incentive for pirates to steal what is essentially
free software. Windows is a different matter, there are incentives to steal
it and a far less "Savvy" market for it. People delight in bashing MS for
their past poor security record, but now they are trying to do something
about it they are still being berated. For this reason much of the criticism
is pointless, there will always be some people who are not satisfied.

I don't particularly like Ford vehicles, but I have used GM and Dodge... I
am not about to go and start using a Ford so I can moan about it.

See I am considered a "Microsoft Apologist" by some but that is wrong. I
think competition is good, I think Linux is a great idea for those who want
to learn a bit more and I also like FireFox, however Linux is going from
command line to graphical because that is where the majority market lies and
many of the programs associated with it emulated Windows software... it has
to be that way because if you want (say) a word processor then you
essentially want the same features.

Unfortunately is does no good for the future to argue about who is right or
wrong, the major consideration has to be better security from the internet
as a whole, and frankly I think those profiting from it should pay for it,
not the taxpayer when incompetent federal agencies have to get involved. To
a large extent we are all on the same side, but arguing that does not always
work because people are disappointed when their personal bias appears to be
under attack.

Charlie


Charlie

 

[Ron Martell]

The entire Internet community is already suffering because Windoze has been
unleashed on the Internet. Windoze is directly responsible for the plague
of spam on the Net that accounts for over 60% of the email traffic moving
across the Net at any given second.

Balderdash. 100% of all spam was created by people.

Windoze is directly responsible, due to
its lousy security model to all the malware, crapware, trojans and viruses
circulating around the Net today, infecting Windoze computers and having
hundreds of thousands of them acting as malicious bots.

Hogwash. Windows is the target of choice for malware because it is
the only one with a large enough user base to be worth bothering with.
If and when Linux ever achieves a significant user base (e.g.
something in excess of 20% of all computers) then watch out for the
onslaught.

Linux actually has more CERT advisories than Windows.

Windoze is
responsible for all the Denial of Service attacks hitting servers
throughout the Net.

Malarkey. 100% of all Denial of Service attacks are launched by
people.

It is time that Microsoft started to act responsibility
by not trying to plug holes in its insecure o/s but rather rewriting its
toy operating system from the ground up or staying off the damn Internet.

I repeat. The only reason why Windows is the target is because it is
the only one worth shooting at. All other operating systems aren't
worth bothering with, from a malware writer's perspective.

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[Charlie Tame]

Balderdash. 100% of all spam was created by people.



Hogwash. Windows is the target of choice for malware because it is
the only one with a large enough user base to be worth bothering with.
If and when Linux ever achieves a significant user base (e.g.
something in excess of 20% of all computers) then watch out for the
onslaught.

Linux actually has more CERT advisories than Windows.


Malarkey. 100% of all Denial of Service attacks are launched by
people.



I repeat. The only reason why Windows is the target is because it is
the only one worth shooting at. All other operating systems aren't
worth bothering with, from a malware writer's perspective.

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

Yeah Ron but that does not fit their aganda

Charlie

 

[NoStop]

Balderdash. 100% of all spam was created by people.

Of course originally created by someone, but then spread throughout the net
thanks to the thousands of compromised Windoze computers working overtime
spewing the shit out. You don't think it's going out at this rate with
actual individuals sitting in Outlook Express sending individual messages
out? Or maybe you do?

I've snipped out the rest of your post as it isn't worth challenging you on.
You're obviously enamoured to this toy operating system and haven't got a
clue about just what a problem it has become.

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada

--
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/