This guy got 15 months in jail for selling Windows restore DVDs for around the cost of a blank DVD. Yes, legal non-cracked restore DVDs, which do not include a license key, and which anyone can download for free from Microsoft's website.
This guy got 15 months in jail for selling Windows restore DVDs for around the cost of a blank DVD. Yes, legal non-cracked restore DVDs, which do not include a license key, and which anyone can download for free from Microsoft's website.
Wow, that's messed up.
people still sell software on physical media?
Aaaand added to the software repository....just in case.
Fueled by Caffeine said:people still sell software on physical media?
If you say, went to the store to buy a new HDD because yours crapped out and wanted a legitimate copy of Windows, they sell it to you on a USB stick.
I'm sure there is a way to do it, but I'm not sure, for example, if you needed to install a new HDD how you could download a copy of Windows without having an existing OS on the drive.
z31maniac said:I'm sure there is a way to do it, but I'm not sure, for example, if you needed to install a new HDD how you could download a copy of Windows without having an existing OS on the drive.
Computers are like bathrooms and cars, if you don't have at least two, at some point you'll need help from somebody else who has one 
(Although you could get out of that pickle if you made a Linux LiveCD/LiveUSB ahead of time)
I needed one of these discs recently for my kids' computer we put a new drive in. It was such a pain in the ass to download through the legit website (codes not working, broken links, etc), that I just ordered one online for a few bucks from an online seller in a less litigious country. Then I typed in the legit code printed right on the workstation, and they still wanted us to phone in for some reason. So now we just use the computer with a "this computer may have fraudulent software" warning in the corner of the screen.
On another kid's computer we upgraded his CPU and then the OS gave us a warning message about "significant changes were detected that require you to re-register." Totally unusable after a 'grace period' of 3 days of the warnings. So he tried to fill in a form on the screen asking a bunch of unrelated info, such as address, email, etc. I told him to just call it in as there was an option for that, so after a bunch of time wasting hoop jumping we finally could use the workstation again.
I got to wonder if this really stops pirates.
I think the legit users are the only ones that it prevents from getting the OS. But maybe that is their intent? Buy new shiny new computers rather than fix up and reuse?
blah blah blah Linux is awesome. You wouldn't have to deal with this... blah blah blah
8valve said:I got to wonder if this really stops pirates.
I think the legit users are the only ones that it prevents from getting the OS. But maybe that is their intent? Buy new shiny new computers rather than fix up and reuse?
It drops a speedbump in front of pirates from time to time. From this lawsuit, it seems that encouraging legit users to buy another license/computer is part of the intent.
Some more info has come out that makes Microsoft look less gratuitously villainous:
Apparently the discs were printed with fake Microsoft labels to make them look like original discs from Microsoft. If you buy a disc from Microsoft, it costs $25. Why he decided to take this pointless and legally risky extra step is anybody's guess. I'm surprised he was turning any profit at 25c/disc with a fancy holographic label.
GameboyRMH said:z31maniac said:I'm sure there is a way to do it, but I'm not sure, for example, if you needed to install a new HDD how you could download a copy of Windows without having an existing OS on the drive.
Computers are like bathrooms and cars, if you don't have at least two, at some point you'll need help from somebody else who has one
(Although you could get out of that pickle if you made a Linux LiveCD/LiveUSB ahead of time)
Step one-format USB.
Step 2- download windows iso.
Step 3- boot to external.
Step 4- install.
This only works if you've got a key.
The whole thing is laughable, really. Who would pay money for a Microsoft product? 
scardeal said:blah blah blah Linux is awesome. You wouldn't have to deal with this... blah blah blah
True, until you run into a problem you can't find easily by internet search or reading written documentation and ask on a internet forum and all the answers are about how you shouldn't be using it if you have to ask questions like that lol.
GameboyRMH said:8valve said:I got to wonder if this really stops pirates.
I think the legit users are the only ones that it prevents from getting the OS. But maybe that is their intent? Buy new shiny new computers rather than fix up and reuse?
It drops a speedbump in front of pirates from time to time. From this lawsuit, it seems that encouraging legit users to buy another license/computer is part of the intent.
The Windows repository stopped me from pirating windows because getting a free ready to go copy from them was better than digging through any version on pirate bay looking for a clean copy.
Does that require product keys now? That could be problematic on my next desktop build.
Tk8398 said:scardeal said:blah blah blah Linux is awesome. You wouldn't have to deal with this... blah blah blah
True, until you run into a problem you can't find easily by internet search or reading written documentation and ask on a internet forum and all the answers are about how you shouldn't be using it if you have to ask questions like that lol.
You do know most people who use and support Microsoft and Windows products do this too, right?
I know I’ve done this many times throughout my 2-decade long career of supporting PC’s and related devices. If it was Google, it was the local help files or worse, calling Microsoft Support (Premier if someone else is paying).
So tell me again how Microsoft is a better choice?
RevRico said:GameboyRMH said:8valve said:I got to wonder if this really stops pirates.
I think the legit users are the only ones that it prevents from getting the OS. But maybe that is their intent? Buy new shiny new computers rather than fix up and reuse?
It drops a speedbump in front of pirates from time to time. From this lawsuit, it seems that encouraging legit users to buy another license/computer is part of the intent.
The Windows repository stopped me from pirating windows because getting a free ready to go copy from them was better than digging through any version on pirate bay looking for a clean copy.
Does that require product keys now? That could be problematic on my next desktop build.
It'll work for a short trial period before requiring product keys.
1988RedT2 said:The whole thing is laughable, really. Who would pay money for a Microsoft product?
I know; they had a paltry $90 billion in revenue last year. Obviously nobody pays money for anything they make!
Mndsm said:GameboyRMH said:z31maniac said:I'm sure there is a way to do it, but I'm not sure, for example, if you needed to install a new HDD how you could download a copy of Windows without having an existing OS on the drive.
Computers are like bathrooms and cars, if you don't have at least two, at some point you'll need help from somebody else who has one
(Although you could get out of that pickle if you made a Linux LiveCD/LiveUSB ahead of time)
Step one-format USB.
Step 2- download windows iso.
Step 3- boot to external.
Step 4- install.
This only works if you've got a key.
And a functional computer.
Most disturbing quote- from the judge on an expert witness testimony no less:
The judge said he disregarded Weadock’s testimony. “I don’t think anybody in that courtroom understood what a restore disk was,”
So we have people putting people in prison because they cannot be bothered to educate themselves on the matter over which they are presiding
In reply to Patrick :
The "jury of your peers" are just the people too ignorant to get out of jury duty and both the defense and prosecution believe they can easily enough influence to see things their way. Which feeds into the issues with the judicial system.
Anyway, it appears he wouldn't have been in so much trouble if he hadn't gone through the trouble to print out legitimate looking labels which seems to be the biggest sticking point. So take that as a lesson.
It does appear the ruling was a bit over broad though.
In reply to Patrick :
I’ve served on a jury twice. It was both fascinating and terrifying.
Linux as a solution to a problem sounds to me like being told that I just need to megasquirt the car to fix it.
Knurled. said:Mndsm said:GameboyRMH said:z31maniac said:I'm sure there is a way to do it, but I'm not sure, for example, if you needed to install a new HDD how you could download a copy of Windows without having an existing OS on the drive.
Computers are like bathrooms and cars, if you don't have at least two, at some point you'll need help from somebody else who has one
(Although you could get out of that pickle if you made a Linux LiveCD/LiveUSB ahead of time)
Step one-format USB.
Step 2- download windows iso.
Step 3- boot to external.
Step 4- install.
This only works if you've got a key.
And a functional computer.
And the need for PHYSICAL MEDIA like I already mentioned. lol
Floating Doc said:Linux as a solution to a problem sounds to me like being told that I just need to megasquirt the car to fix it.
This is a really good analogy, actually.
The problem is that automakers generally have REALLY, REALLY good engine controls (nowadays), whereas a lot of modern software just.... sucks. Not in the sense that it doesn't do what you want, but in the sense that it does a lot of things you don't want it to do.
I begrudgingly have some Android devices (which, ironically, are UN*X/Linux based) and I hate that I have no control over so many of their functions. This is why I mainly treat them as disposable toys rather than actual tools to do anything useful with. When you have no control over a device, you can't rely on its functionality. A forced update might brick it, or disable some function that you require of it.
Knurled. said:I begrudgingly have some Android devices (which, ironically, are UN*X/Linux based) and I hate that I have no control over so many of their functions. This is why I mainly treat them as disposable toys rather than actual tools to do anything useful with. When you have no control over a device, you can't rely on its functionality. A forced update might brick it, or disable some function that you require of it.
You have a lot more control over them if you root them. Oddly while they have a Linux kernel and a POSIX-compliant terminal, the user experience has zero in common with GNU/Linux on the desktop, and the GNU tools are what really define the "Linux" user experience. If you root and install the Busybox tools, the terminal at least begins to resemble a "Linux" terminal.
I agree that Megasquirting the car to fix it is a decent analogy...although installing Linux is more like plugging in a MSPnP kit.
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