Want to know why I won't be using Vista? Because Micro$oft treats me like a software pirate, even with software I own, and hardware I purchased. Case in point: James Bannan replaced the video card in his computer to work with DirectX 10, which didn't work on his old card. He got an email from Microsoft saying he would have to reactivate his legally purchased and already activated copy of Windoze. But, because his activation key was already in use, by him, he had to call Micro$oft to reactivate. Turns out, several software updates added up to a changed system, which to Micro$oft, means pirated software.

The problem with using device drivers as the basis for activation information is that a change in the driver model which has the result of changing the way that the hardware information is reported back to Windows can be enough to register as a physical hardware change.

For example, if you install and activate Vista using some Microsoft drivers downloaded from Windows Update (which is a very common practice) but then discover that a manufacturer driver gives better functionality (as is often the case for audio, video, storage and network drivers) you are running the risk that the drivers use different reporting models and will register as a physical change.

So what this essentially means is that keeping your drivers up-to-date is a potentially very risky process, with all changes monitored and changes weighted cumulatively.

. . .

Volume Activation 2.0 has not yet been cracked, but now it doesn’t need to be. There’s an official workaround for OEMs and the result is that anyone with a few minutes to spare can download a fully-functional pirated copy of Vista Ultimate (32-bit and 64-bit versions) which needs neither product key nor activation.

So pirates haven’t been slowed down at all, and the rest of us -- the legitimate purchasers -- are left to live with Windows Activation.

So, Bill, thanks for the new version, but no thanks. I am about to put more memory into my old XP system, and I'm glad it will continue to work after I've finished.

Pic from MacDesktops.net.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Canada have been vocal about how much piracy costs the music industry in the Great White North: $30 billion.

Turns out, they just made the statistic up. "It seems that the RCMP just saw the figure which was plucked out of the bottom of the IACC and printed it as its own. Soon they'll try solving their cases by looking to see who did it on Wikipedia," the article concludes.

Imagine that. Government doing the bidding of lobbyists. Thank goodness it doesn't happen here, eh?

I've come to the conclusion that the RIAA treats the American public in much the same way the Church of Global Warming (Praise Gaia and her anointed prophets Al Gore (henceforth also known as The Goreacle) and Tom Brokaw. Hah-men!) treats us.

In the case of the Goreacle and his acolytes, even though China has said it is building 100 new coal plants and will not adhere to the Kyoto accords, who caused Global Warming? Americans and their big SUVs, multiple light fixtures, and air conditioning. In the case of the RIAA, China is the source of much of world piracy, so they sue 6 year old children in the United States, I guess because children generally don't have nukes. Heck, even the MPAA fights piracy differently there: Here they search people going into movie theaters for video cameras; In China they sell the DVDs $1 while we pay $15!

And the left says Michelle Malkin is deluded. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, ya'll.

I've come to the conclusion that the RIAA treats the American public in much the same way the Church of Global Warming (Praise Gaia and her anointed prophets Al Gore (henceforth also known as The Goreacle) and Tom Brokaw. Hah-men!) treats us.

In the case of the Goreacle and his acolytes, even though China has said it is building 100 new coal plants and will not adhere to the Kyoto accords, who caused Global Warming? Americans and their big SUVs, multiple light fixtures, and air conditioning. In the case of the RIAA, China is the source of much of world piracy, so they sue 6 year old children in the United States, i guess because children generally don't have nukes. heck, even the MPAA fights piracy differently there: Here they search people going into movie theaters for video cameras, there they sell the DVDs we buy for $15 for $1!

And the left says Michelle Malkin is deluded. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, ya'll.