Microsoft: Validation for Windows 7 is coming soon!

[Dasumianco]

I am sorry, sacraficing things you "need" for a computer is kinda...well, dumb. If you are sacraficing a WANT for something you WANT...well thats a different story.

Yes you do have a choice also, you can choose NOT TO STEAL because you WANT windows7, you dont NEED windows7. Do you really NEED that software you so proudly admit to stealing. I am sorry about your circumstances, but they do NOT justify your actions.

You are not stealing to put food on your table as you seem to imply, you are not stealing to keep a roof over your famlies head. You are stealing because you WANT something, and for that, I see no jusstification.

are you somehow managing to forget how the whole industry "create's the need of the latest OS," from drivers to new games and software, quite simply they're geared towards the current/upcoming OS's.. if they still work on the old great if not upgrade..

 

[wwoods]

are you somehow managing to forget how the whole industry "create's the need of the latest OS," from drivers to new games and software, quite simply they're geared towards the current/upcoming OS's.. if they still work on the old great if not upgrade..

No, they do not. You NEED food and water to survive, you NEED shelter to protect you from the elements, you dont NEED the latest OS. There are very few NEEDS we have, and a OS is definately not even close to being on the list. When it comes right down to it, most NEEDS we think we have are really WANTS.

The industry creats the IMPRESSION you need the latest OS, when in fact, it is not a NEED. Again, lets just call it what it is, stealing because he can/wants to, but its not a NEED by any streach of the word.

Did I need to order 3 copies of Windows7 Ultimate for my systems, nope, I wanted to. I could have got by just fine with Vista on all 3 of them. Hell, I could get by with XP on them if I wanted, I dont do anything that NEEDS Windows7, but I wanted the latest and greatest, hence why I also own a top of the line laptop.

People should learn to differentiate between a NEED and a WANT

 

[Dasumianco]

whilst i dont agree with piracy i feel that the industry propagate's the very thing that it's trying to tackle. thats my opinion and you have yours.. we're both entitled to them and let this be the end of it, as i dont feel this is by any means in the spirit to which these forums are intended.

 

[7Dreams]

No, they do not. You NEED food and water to survive, you NEED shelter to protect you from the elements, you dont NEED the latest OS. There are very few NEEDS we have, and a OS is definately not even close to being on the list. When it comes right down to it, most NEEDS we think we have are really WANTS.

The industry creats the IMPRESSION you need the latest OS, when in fact, it is not a NEED. Again, lets just call it what it is, stealing because he can/wants to, but its not a NEED by any streach of the word.

Did I need to order 3 copies of Windows7 Ultimate for my systems, nope, I wanted to. I could have got by just fine with Vista on all 3 of them. Hell, I could get by with XP on them if I wanted, I dont do anything that NEEDS Windows7, but I wanted the latest and greatest, hence why I also own a top of the line laptop.

People should learn to differentiate between a NEED and a WANT

depends, computers NEED a os., And want more speed.

 

[wwoods]

are you somehow managing to forget how the whole industry "create's the need of the latest OS," from drivers to new games and software, quite simply they're geared towards the current/upcoming OS's.. if they still work on the old great if not upgrade..

depends, computers NEED a os., And want more speed.

and, in that vein, no one NEEDS a computer...

 

[chuckr]

Apparently you missed my other posts where I clearly explained that when I built my new computer in July of this year, that I purchased a copy of Windows Vista 64-bit Ultimate OEM from NewEgg for $189 with a free upgrade voucher to Windows 7. So, yes I'm a paying customer with money directly out of my pocket. And it's not as if I pulled a fast one or swindled anybody out of the free voucher with my Vista purchase.....the program that I took advantage of is sponsored by Microsoft and available to anybody. It wasn't even a grey area purchase like a Technet subscription. It was a legal purchase and I'm bound to the restrictions placed upon it. (ie, it's an OEM copy so I can only put it on one computer and can never transfer it to another computer).

The launch day show in Detroit is going to provide me with another copy....but I don't really have any other computer in my house that I intend to run Windows 7 on...so it's likely going to just sit there.

As a side note, I've got quite a number of other machines that I use at home and all are running either the OEM copies of the OS's they came with, or some flavor of Linux. So, please don't try to make it appear as if I am talking out of both sides of my mouth. I could clearly pirate and run Windows 7 on quite a number of my other computers, but I simply choose not to, because the cost associated to license them properly is simply not worth it to me. And pirating other Windows OS's would be extremely easy as I have worked in the past and currently for companies which have VL keys for XP, and MAK keys for Vista and Win7. And even with very easy to obtain copies, I'm running legit. So yeah, as you say, "Heavy Stuff"

I however do rather like Windows 7, have enjoyed the experience provided by the free beta and the RC1 release and because I do play games for Windows, I've elected to purchase and run Windows 7 on my recently self built machine. Thus, when I paid approx $1,200 for everything from NewEgg, $189 was associated with the cost of the Windows OEM license for Vista 64-Ultimate that I elected to buy.




Well, I too haven't paid for very much of the software that I run either...but that's entirely because I opt to run a ton of open source software that does what I need and doesn't come with associated licensing costs. In this day and age, I just honestly don't get the "need" to pirate most software packages. I've honestly just not had any real need for any commercial software in the past few years.

The only time MS gets my money is when I bought my new laptop 2 days ago.


Interestingly enough, you are pretty much beating the drum of the open source movement...but yet rather than embracing the movement and supporting the cause, you instead just pirate software which is closed source and intended to generate revenue.

For me, this is where the heart of the matter is at. If you feel strongly enough that something should change, you have to make sacrifices and sometimes do things a little different. For example, everybody seems to rave about Adobe Photoshop...but as we all know it's very expensive. But rather than pirating it and giving Adobe the time of day, I'd rather use something like Paint.net or the Gimp and support and help their cause. Same thing goes for Microsoft Office. It's very expensive...but rather than pirate it and use it anyway...I opt for Open Office. And by putting my time and effort into figuring it out and donating to the cause...i help provide a better more useful product for others to use. Including those who are working very hard for a living and barely making ends meet.



I wouldn't expect if they are making $5/day or less that they are able to purchase computers anyway. Clearly food, shelter and their overall well-being have to be a priority with such a low income.

Apparently I did.

Rather than just "sit there", why not send it to "macgyver2" ?
It seems that he's 'paid his dues', and would be most appreciative.

For those earning $5/day or less, I'm sure that their governments will look after them, appropriately...

 

[Colonel Travis]

whilst i dont agree with piracy i feel that the industry propagate's the very thing that it's trying to tackle.

This makes no sense.

1.) Piracy affects every piece of software available. Some of the cheapest crap is pirated the most.

2.) There wouldn't be a Windows 7 if it cost the consumer no more than "£30 at most" for an upgrade. It would be Ubuntu or Zeta or worse, and have fun switching your office secretary or mother-in-law or school system or any given worthless bureaucrat in any given worthless government over to that. You, the individual, do not set the price. But you, as part of the free market, do, with, of course, the assistance of Microsoft, who has to pay a lot of people to think about how you can touch a screen and move a map around without it looking like an Atari 2600. Can you - from scratch - make a box on the screen move around with your fingers? I sure can't. Besides, your "reasonable" price will not be reasonable to someone else. You're price is insane for this guy in China, who's selling 7 for $5.85.

Let's say you did sell a Windows 7 upgrade for £30 for everyone on earth using a Windows PC. As of 2008, there were about 1 billion PCs in use. Windows XP, Vista and 2000 account for roughly 89.6% of all OSes in use, so that's about 896 million PCs we need to upgrade, which would give Microsoft £26,880,000,000 ($43,709,528,100.68), which would be about $16.7 billion dollars less than the company's revenue in 2008, which means they would be screwed. Revenue does not = profit. But at least it would be Christmas every day for a long, long time for the publisher of Ubuntu For Dummies, at least until Ubuntu starts charging for its OS because the skyrocketing demand will force it to, or else it will go under and then we'll have to use crappy Zeta and the world will come to a screeching halt and then everyone will start throwing rocks and each other like it was 100,000 years ago and boy won't that be fun.

Yes, I'm exaggerating but not that much.

 

[Dark Nova Gamer]

One thing I do not get is this 'cost to make it'. Yes I understand its time consuming to develop and write the Operating System but it doesn't cost that much to make a copy of it! Hell they basically charge us as if it was one of very few copies.

 

[pparks1]

Rather than just "sit there", why not send it to "macgyver2" ?
It seems that he's 'paid his dues', and would be most appreciative.

Because I think as part of the agreement for the free gift, I'm legally obligated to keep this for myself for my own private use. I mean I'm sure that giving it away wouldn't really be an issue and MS would never come after me for it...but I do think there is a stipulation about this if I am not mistaken.

 

[Jonmor68]

The price of Windows is not the entire issue with a lot of enthuthiests.
They often upgrade, change cpu's m/boards, reinstall etc; then have to phone in and explain why they need to reactivate.
I have a friend that does this, he has 2 laptops which came with Vista, and 3 desktops home built for which he purchased Vista and activated. However because he's all the time changing and reinstalling he got sick of calling Microsoft to activate and is now using pirated versions on all desktops, without worrying about activation, while legal disks and licences are sitting in his draw.
Why can't Microsoft just recognise an activated key as a single activation and not worry about what has changed.
In Australia we will have to pay $199.00 for a W7 Home Premium upgrade and $429 for Ultimate upgrade. $150 and $250 would be more reasonable.

 

[chuckr]

Can you - from scratch - make a box on the screen move around with your fingers? I sure can't.
Besides, your "reasonable" price will not be reasonable to someone else.

Yes...

I've done similar work for the govt. and the "reasonable" price was my salary.

The fun part was porting to IBM, SGI, Sun, and a few others.

A piece of pie...

 

[Tews]

Sounds like your real complaint is with the price, not with the fact that your friend has to phone in for activation... Lets call a spade a spade here..

 

[Antman]

Sounds like your real complaint is with the price, not with the fact that your friend has to phone in for activation... Lets call a spade a spade here..

Chuckle. The OEM install is a spayed version.

 

[Tews]

Chuckle. The OEM install is a spayed version.

Too True!! :roflmao:

 

[Mellon Head]

A need and a want are often the same thing. I need an OS. I want Windows. I just shelled out $170 for Vista HP x64 in February, before the tech guarantee. Oh well, boo-hoo. MS offered me a discount upgrade on Win 7 HP for half of the price of the new upgrade if I pre-order. I don't NEED Win 7 - well, not right now. I WILL need Win 7 in about 2 years, when some of the specific commercial software that I use regularly gets on the 7 bandwagon and screws me out of Vista support, like they did with 2000, and are now doing with XP. They call it "moving forward", and they're a vertical market, and they can, and do, get away with it.

I could pirate, but I choose not to. Software is drastically, even punitively overpriced, and as someone already said, this pricing method encourages the very piracy problem that companies are trying to prevent. I still believe in owning my own OS, and having it legally licensed. I am ethically obligated to by a clause in my employment contract with the firm I work for, but I don't do it for that reason. I do it to encourage the further development of future enhancements to the OS I use now. Remember, there would be no Windows 7 if nobody went out and bought XP and Vista. It wouldn't make sense for MS to continue to make improvements to a product that they continually lost money on, now would it?

If you hate the cost of software, there are many open source alternatives. Many of them are even superior to the commercial product. If you hate the cost of Windows, then use Linux, but don't complain when development on Windows slows down and stops because MS can't make any money on it anymore. Companies exist to make money, and they incur overhead and expenses to make that money. The more money they lose by piracy, the more that revenue, and profits go down. Eventually there's a break point where the demand does not make it feasible to continue new development on a product. It happens in the semiconductor industry all the time.

How many 8088 CPUs has Intel sold in the last year? Hmmm. I wonder why it's pretty much obsolete? No money = no demand = no new Windows. Think about that while you're trying to crack the activation on Win 7.

 

[Dark Nova Gamer]

A need and a want are often the same thing. I need an OS. I want Windows. I just shelled out $170 for Vista HP x64 in February, before the tech guarantee. Oh well, boo-hoo. MS offered me a discount upgrade on Win 7 HP for half of the price of the new upgrade if I pre-order. I don't NEED Win 7 - well, not right now. I WILL need Win 7 in about 2 years, when some of the specific commercial software that I use regularly gets on the 7 bandwagon and screws me out of Vista support, like they did with 2000, and are now doing with XP. They call it "moving forward", and they're a vertical market, and they can, and do, get away with it.

I could pirate, but I choose not to. Software is drastically, even punitively overpriced, and as someone already said, this pricing method encourages the very piracy problem that companies are trying to prevent. I still believe in owning my own OS, and having it legally licensed. I am ethically obligated to by a clause in my employment contract with the firm I work for, but I don't do it for that reason. I do it to encourage the further development of future enhancements to the OS I use now. Remember, there would be no Windows 7 if nobody went out and bought XP and Vista. It wouldn't make sense for MS to continue to make improvements to a product that they continually lost money on, now would it?

If you hate the cost of software, there are many open source alternatives. Many of them are even superior to the commercial product. If you hate the cost of Windows, then use Linux, but don't complain when development on Windows slows down and stops because MS can't make any money on it anymore. Companies exist to make money, and they incur overhead and expenses to make that money. The more money they lose by piracy, the more that revenue, and profits go down. Eventually there's a break point where the demand does not make it feasible to continue new development on a product. It happens in the semiconductor industry all the time.

How many 8088 CPUs has Intel sold in the last year? Hmmm. I wonder why it's pretty much obsolete? No money = no demand = no new Windows. Think about that while you're trying to crack the activation on Win 7.

Linux does not have the same usability as Windows does. Microsoft can still make a profit and keep the costs low, no instead they must make a greedy profit and keep the costs high.

 

[7Dreams]

Linux does not have the same usability as Windows does. Microsoft can still make a profit and keep the costs low, no instead they must make a greedy profit and keep the costs high.

Yeah Linux Is Lo-Fi.

 

[macgyver2]

To whom ever said its not a need/want stuff. Until you live my life don't assume what is a need or want. I have one job skill and that is computers, I get by with tech support with local families or college students and they run windows 7 so if I want to support these people I NEED windows 7.

As for giving up stuff I need is what I need, new pants shirts stuff like that not food or shelter and I would never take away from my wife, she got what she needed I went without so I could get a computer able to use the programs I use for working some of which cost 600 or more, I am a network+ Security+ and Certified Forensic Computer examiner (CFCE) all of which set me back thousands just to prove I could do the work before I saw any money come back to me. I have been on both sides of this debate, I used my certs to help stop people from doing what i do now.

I believe some time in the future, hopefully soon this problem/debate with become a mute point as open source and just a better overall "system" will eliminate the need to steel that our own society drives with all the excess we think we need. Take any product that is stolen regularly that there is more product then demand, which makes little sense they don't lower the price or give it away since sitting on a shelf or where ever isn't making any money anyway.

A man down the street went to jail for 2 months for steeling a hammer and other hand tools so he could get a job in construction after losing his job. Now the stores have more then enough tools they could have helped him out so he could make an honest living. would you help pay for his tools so he could work? my tools are windows and this laptop, I found the money for the hardware and running 7 which will expire in 29 days are you going to help me pay for it so I can work legit? (I don't think anyone will) will I pirate 7? well if I can earn the extra money to pay yes I will, do I think I can earn it before I run out of time, not sure I want to pad MS profit margines to be honest but then again I settle for the free copy of 7 home premium whatever from my new laptop which had vista on it and should fall under the upgrade thing.

 

[pparks1]

Linux does not have the same usability as Windows does.

For the average person, it doesn't. But it gets better and better and closer and closer all of the time. Driver and hardware support is usually the hardest part and that is so dependent upon the manufacturers the community with drivers and insight into their products. I've been very fortunate with Linux and I closely research my purchases to ensure that the products that I use are well supported by the Linux distros that I use. Companies like ATI who turned their heads for years to Linux, don't even get a chance at my business. I use Nvidia as they have been there longer and provided better support.

Yeah Linux Is Lo-Fi.

Guess that all depends upon how you look at it. With the exception of gaming...my Linux box can do just about anything my Windows box can do, with 1/2 the hardware, none of the cost, and can be completely modified by me or any other developer to fit my needs exactly. It's stable, it's secure and it's got tons of applications. There are zillions of distros to pick from to get some tailored right to my specific needs. There are new versions coming out all of the time. Doesn't seem so lo-fi to me

 

[Dark Nova Gamer]

For the average person, it doesn't. But it gets better and better and closer and closer all of the time. Driver and hardware support is usually the hardest part and that is so dependent upon the manufacturers the community with drivers and insight into their products. I've been very fortunate with Linux and I closely research my purchases to ensure that the products that I use are well supported by the Linux distros that I use. Companies like ATI who turned their heads for years to Linux, don't even get a chance at my business. I use Nvidia as they have been there longer and provided better support.

Guess that all depends upon how you look at it. With the exception of gaming...my Linux box can do just about anything my Windows box can do, with 1/2 the hardware, none of the cost, and can be completely modified by me or any other developer to fit my needs exactly. It's stable, it's secure and it's got tons of applications. There are zillions of distros to pick from to get some tailored right to my specific needs. There are new versions coming out all of the time. Doesn't seem so lo-fi to me

I love ATI, less problems compared to nVidia (in my case anyways). Yes for the average user its a big mess, when they get it like Windows or OS X (easy to install things, easy to configure, easy to do pretty much anything) Then I'll consider switching.

Gaming I care less about because any games I play are on the 360 or are browser-based (thus no need for installation).

Summary: Until Linux becomes easy to use, a lot of users will turn their heads. Thats why companies like AOL (I believe second biggest Dial-Up provider?) don't even bother with a linux program due to the lack of users that actually run it.

The more it is used the more companies will consider it, but until that day OS X and Windows will rule.

Why does piracy debates always turn over to linux? Opensource isn't always better and especially when its linux.