Page 1 of Hmmmmm, M$ more concerned with Security than $$$????...

It appears that M$ will allow the upcoming SP2 to be installed on pirate copies of XP.
This new SP2 adds better security features to XP and makes things like firewall and Windows updates much more user friendly (for the less PC literate users)..
Article here..

Ste

Sounds good, should be out soon then. One question........will this new Windows firewall make my free ZA defunct or will they happily co-exist?

Pete

the firewall on the current version of sp2 does not seem as good as zonealarm tbh, so i wouldn`t abandon it yet :)

Good, I think MS have a responsibility to allow these fixes to be installed on pirate copies. Whilst there are large number of vulnerable PCs out there (pirate or not) these viruses will continue to spread causing problems to legitimate owners.

i think MS have a responsibility to allow these fixes to be installed on pirate copies.

bollix, m$ have absolutly no obligation or responsibility to service pirate copies, either legaly or moraly. but as you say, the ONLY reason they are allowing security patches to be installed on pirate copies is because it`s affecting legitimate users. tho if m$ wern`t (sp) so strict with there home licencing policy (ie letting you install on more than 1 home pc) then maybe there wouldn`t be so many pirate discs :/

This item was edited on Monday, 17th May 2004, 18:04

I believe most people will pay for something if they consider it worth investing in. I have 6 PCs around the house for streaming music and videos. Microsoft OSs would have cost into four figures. That is not good value when I see my network as a single entity. So I`ve gone to Linux.

Conversely I`ve voluntarily donated money for (to name one example) DVD Decrypter (for ripping my DVDs to said network). It`s `free` to use - no one forces you to pay, but you do anyway because it`s damn good value.

There`s a lesson to be learnt there. Microsoft have to have enormous reserves to protect themselves as their business is so big, but they are in a position now where they are quite safe from either competition or huge recall costs (to give one example). It`s about time they at least loosened their stranglehold and considered the bigger picture.

Just my tuppence worth ;)

Matt




This man blows goats. I have proof....

I beg to differ ogster. Legitamate users have been on the receiving end of a great deal of grief, the cause of which ultimately lies with Microsoft and security flaws with its operating system.

Microsoft are not giving away their operating system here, merely finishing it. They might not be legally obliged to allow the service pack to be installed on any copy of Windows but I feel they are morally obliged to in the name of reasonable customer service.

:) so if someone robs you`re house and takes you`re video recorder, then a week later knocks on the door and asks for the remote cos it won`t work properly without it, are you obliged to give it him ? and the problem of customer service is irrelivent when it comes to pirate copies.

That not quite the same thing. If someone nicked my video would that stop yours from working ?

If it was only pirate copies that were affected then fair enough, but its not.

but the problem still lies with the original product being stolen, stolen cars kill people every day but is that ford`s fault ? no it`s the fault of the person that stole the car, obviously an extreme example but the principle is the same, don`t get me wrong tho, i`ve nothing against people taking from m$.