Interesting how crying wolf about things Microsoft might someday =

possibly do if they were really dumb enough seems OK while what Saddam =

Hussein is currently doing and has been doing for years is nothing to be =

concerned about.

-----Original Message-----

From: Bill (Wells Micro) [mailto:bill.wells@wellsmicro.com]

Sent: Saturday, December 21, 2002 10:41 PM

To: Multiple recipients of ProFox

Subject: RE: [OT] MS Activation

What breach of privacy has the activation caused? Can you name one?

Not talking about could have, would have, or might.

You don't have to reply. I already know the answer. But let me assure =

you,

when there is one, I'll use that bridge to get over to your side on this

issue.

Bill

-----Original Message-----

From: profox@leafe.com [mailto:profox@leafe.com]On Behalf Of Bill Arnold

Sent: Saturday, December 21, 2002 2:11 AM

To: Multiple recipients of ProFox

Subject: RE: [OT] MS Activation

You've no doubt seen the foot-in-the-door approach played out before. It

*always* starts with a small breach into new territory and then expands. =

If

you think that MS isn't going in a direction of requiring personal ID

attached to (responsible for) every system running their OS, and =

wouldn't,

as a follow-up at some point, require periodic connections of machines

running MS OS's to MS servers - for "checkups", that may really be =

innocuous

at first, but establishes a needed connection into your machines and =

your

life that's the tip of the next iceberg. And, if you think this will =

satisfy

their appetite, then I've got a bridge for sale you might be interested =

in.

Sure, MS has an interest in protecting their software, but we have an =

even

bigger interest in seeing that their solution is anything but a Trojan

Horse. So far, they're ahead.

Bill

>

> >> I have 4 copies of XP - home and pro that I can't use. I had

> to reinstall

> for various reasons on the 4 >>>>computers. They refused to give me =

the

> keys.

>

> I've never had this happen and I've installed and reinstalled on

> many of our

> systems. First off, I can tell you if you replace a hard drive and

> reinstall the o/s a second time, it will still activate over the =

internet.

>

> In-fact I've done 3 activations (on same machine, after

> reinstall) over the

> internet.

>

> After that I've had to call, takes 5 min, and they've always

> provided me the

> keys. Not a problem!!

>

> They don't have name or address. Registration (providing name, =

address,

> etc...) is optional, during activation. So this is an activation

> issue not

> a privacy issue.

>

> I'm not defending the pricing, XP is a bit steep. But let me

> tell you from

> someone who is in the business, when the guy down the street is =

selling

> systems with pirate copy of Win98, it's hard for us who play by

> the rules to

> compete. They have $100 less in their systems from the start!

> Combine that

> with cheaper parts and you got a system $200 cheaper than what I can =

sell.

> The customer doesn't know the difference until after the sell.

> They think a

> computer is a computer.

>

> Now that the o/s has to be activated, we are getting back to a

> level playing

> field.

>

> I think most, but not all, of the opposition to the activation is from

> people who made multiple copies of the previous o/s.

>

>

> Bill Wells

> Wells Microsystems, Inc.

>

>

>