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I'm Pirating the Next Version of Windows

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Re: I'm Pirating the Next Version of Windows

#71

Post by MatthewB »

These are great points and a good portion of piraters do so for these exact reasons. There are always going to be people who steal content/apps instead of paying for them but I am sure more than a few people pirate purely because it is a better user experience than what is currently offered.

TV shows are a great example. I cut my cable about a year ago and haven't looked back since. I refuse to pay a premium for channels packaged together that I never watch.

Currently, I use a combination of Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Zune Marketplace to fill my content needs. They provide a great user experience but the pricing structure/availability is lacking. Most shows available on Prime, Apple Tv, Zune are only available for purchase. What if I don't want to purchase them? Why can't I rent TV shows just like I rent movies? I have never been one to purchase and own content since I usually don't watch things more than once. I pay to rent movies all the time from Apple TV and Zune via Xbox.

Hulu Plus is great, but they have a fraction of the content I would like to watch. Basically, there's not a perfect solution yet but I refuse to go back to cable. Here's what I would like to see:

1. Charge me per view, don't sell me the content to own.

2. If the margin is too thin for the rental model, throw an ad in there...I won't mind. (Hulu plus does this)

3. Let the content producers sell their content directly to me to increase margin. This can be done by the content producers creating apps for Xbox, Roku, etc.

4. Make all previous seasons of shows available to me for rental to increase revenue.

5. Use these awesome new technologies to create deeper experiences/interactions with the content, which will open up new revenue streams.

Re: I'm Pirating the Next Version of Windows

#72

Post by fryguy »

nailer wrote: post #31
sciurus wrote: post #24

If you already have a windows license but lost your installation media, you can download it without resorting to piracy. The link below has the URLs for the retail ISOs hosted by Amazon. http://www.mydigitallife.info/windows-7-iso-x86-and-x64-offi...

Microsoft Store officially tells you that your download time has expired after you purchase a Windows license, and wish to re-download / re-install more than 3 months after your purchase. The official solution is to buy an additional copy of the Windows license which will provide you with a new download URL. I knows this because I complained to the @microsoftstore twitter account: after purchasing 2 copies of Windows…

I've never had any problems with the copy of windows 7 I bought from the microsoft online store. I've had to redownload it two or three times now, and it's always been there (although the page is near impossible to find). I had a screenshot of the page, but imgur is down today so I can't link it.

Re: I'm Pirating the Next Version of Windows

#73

Post by trotsky »

jiggy2011 wrote: post #5
joebadmo wrote: post #4

While I'm entirely sympathetic to the author's DRM plight, buying the software and getting the pirate's cleaner experience are not mutually exclusive. If you want the best experience and a clean conscience (I'm assuming here you think piracy is wrong, since you've bought so many other copies of MS software), buy the software, then install a pirated a copy. I usually do this with new PCs that have Windows pre-installe…

Would this still be legal though? You are still using an unlicensed copy regardless of whether or not you happen to additionally own another copy. For all they know you might install your licensed copy on another computer later and not remove your unlicensed one.

Whether strictly legal or not it's very unlikely to cause any complaints. For instance this would pass a BSA audit with flying colors as all they'll be interested in is installed_copies Though it's very likely to be a very bad idea anyway. As has been pointed out elsewhere a large majority of such activation disabled software is loaded with rootkits and other malware.

Re: I'm Pirating the Next Version of Windows

#74

Post by trotsky »

Windows activation is shockingly easy. Enter your key and when you go online it verifies it. If you're not connected to the internet make a 5 minute phone call. If you don't want to do that, no problem - there is no need to activate for up to 180 days. Really don't want to activate? No problem - it'll just turn your screen black and announce it's unlicensed software.

It seems the author's only significant complaint is that they don't provide him with updated slipstreams to download. It's true - he'd have to make them himself with the free tools they provide. Maybe they should provide public updated slipstreams, but this hardly seems like a valid reason to refuse to pay for the software.

Re: I'm Pirating the Next Version of Windows

#76

Post by jcnnghm »

jemka wrote: post #11
joebadmo wrote: post #4

While I'm entirely sympathetic to the author's DRM plight, buying the software and getting the pirate's cleaner experience are not mutually exclusive. If you want the best experience and a clean conscience (I'm assuming here you think piracy is wrong, since you've bought so many other copies of MS software), buy the software, then install a pirated a copy. I usually do this with new PCs that have Windows pre-installe…

I think that misses the point. The author wants MS to change and is attempting to get their attention via this post. Whether or not the author will actually pirate the software is moot.

This. This is exactly the point. It is a really safe bet that in a few years I'll be sitting at the telephone activation screen after paying for another version of Windows and upgrading a motherboard, cursing as I enter the sixth block of digits into the IVR for the forth time. And that is bullshit.

Re: I'm Pirating the Next Version of Windows

#77

Post by reidmain »

majorlazer wrote: post #55
valverde wrote: post #2

"Why do pirates have a better experience than customers?" This pretty much sums it up. I couldn't agree more.

In many cases, like downloading movies, I agree. But with Windows, I couldn't disagree more. I used to pirate every version of Windows I owned, back in the days of Windows 98 and up to Windows XP it was a breeze. Starting around Windows XP SP3, it got a bit more difficult. It was easy to pirate, but after a few weeks/months of use, you get the Genuine Advantage warning. With Windows 7, it is even worse. So I decided…

I can think of a bunch of reasons why people make the claim seeing as how the article is about that.

1) You will always have an outdated installation disc so whenever you want to do a install you're stuck with hours of system updates.

2) Losing your install disc means your SOL.

3) The activation process is not always painless. Whenever you have to call their activation line you are wasting time.

Re: I'm Pirating the Next Version of Windows

#78

Post by memnips »

frankwiles wrote: post #36
eli wrote: post #13

I wouldn't recommend you try this at your startup. Some day, a potential investor or partner is going to audit your licenses and it'll be pretty embarrassing if you're way out of compliance.

Might seem like I just hate MS, but honestly I would be just as upset as a potential investor or partner that they were running Windows in the first place. Licensed or not. Unless of course your startup was focused somehow on Windows development, users, etc. where it would obviously be necessary. Startups are hard enough as it is, no need to make them harder.

Microsoft Bizspark (http://www.microsoft.com/bizspark/) gives startups that are less than 3 years old and earn less than $1M in annual revenue free MSDN Ultimate access.

That means free access to all of MS software. It's actually a really amazing program.

Re: I'm Pirating the Next Version of Windows

#79

Post by sp332 »

trotsky wrote: post #74

Windows activation is shockingly easy. Enter your key and when you go online it verifies it. If you're not connected to the internet make a 5 minute phone call. If you don't want to do that, no problem - there is no need to activate for up to 180 days. Really don't want to activate? No problem - it'll just turn your screen black and announce it's unlicensed software. It seems the author's only significant complaint i…

I've tried 3 or 4 times, but I never figured out how to make a slipstream of Win7. It seems more complex than with XP.

Re: I'm Pirating the Next Version of Windows

#80

Post by RickHull »

paulhauggis wrote: post #59

The problem is that it will never be enough. Even if Microsoft gave you everything to you exact specification and only charged $20/license, there would still be a group of people trying to defend piracy. Just look at the Android/Iphone app market. 99 cent apps are still not convenient or cheap enough for many users, so they pirate it. This is why I feel that all of these excuses are bullshit.

> The problem is that it will never be enough.

Eh, it will never be enough for 100% of the users, sure -- there will always be some percentage of pure leeches. But this guy seems pretty reasonable. Enough for him seems like a good threshold for generating revenue from your userbase.

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