RSSCommentary: Bill, Your Windows is Leaking!
By Aaron Dobbins | Published April 30, 2001, 12:55 PM
As Windows XP moves along its beta track it would be naive of anyone to believe that the operating system itself, as well as various other bits and pieces, were not being passed around on the net like mashed potatoes at a Thanksgiving dinner. BetaNews itself has seen many an e-mail come through directing us to different Web sites and persons playing host to this "Thanksgiving feast" of Microsoft software.
Just today, a Web site is offering Microsoft's Windows Media Player 8 Beta 2 for download. WMP8 was supposed to be confined to the Windows XP beta test and only ship with copies of the OS, a decision which has raised anti-trust concerns.
Over the last two weeks numerous people have pointed out Internet Explorer 6 downloads; not just Beta 1, but various interim builds between it and the upcoming Beta. Aside from changing some icons, you really are not missing all too much yet.
Microsoft does seem to be working on more security features for the browser, something it has been criticized on in the past. And the addition of the "Media Bar" (formerly known as the "Personal Bar") lets users search the net, grab weather and news information, and play media clips directly in the browser via a dockable player. The Media Bar at this point very closely resembles the Netscape Sidebar, with the addition of the aforementioned media player.
Microsoft will seemingly never be able to stop its leaky Windows or components. They are regularly passed around the net from person to person and Web site to Web site.
Microsoft may be a multi-billion dollar company, but does that make it right? People love to get these early glimpses to what the future holds, what can companies do to stop it? The demand for these leaked products is so great these days that anyone is willing to risk their employment.
It is well known that if you want a Microsoft beta, or any retail release, you could probably get it from the Net in a short amount of time - without paying. This problem has plagued Microsoft for years, and will continue to do so in the future. Microsoft has announced a product activation feature, which seems to be causing a PR nightmare, rather than stopping pirates. Is there any way to stop the leaking?
Originally, Billyboy Gates intended (or so he tried to make everyone believe) to drive IBM and all others into bringing the computer to the home and to the masses. Well, he certainly did make "Big Blue" hurt and caused them to move over, but unfortunately, he's pushed it all too far - so much that we're now living in a Windows world. Why not have stuff pirated and pushed all over the place? It only ENSURES that you're using M$ products instead of the others. Sure the code is bloated and you have to purchase heavier equipment yearly in order to keep up. It's all in the plan. Without Microsoft, IT departments wouldn't have that much work to do. Without Microsoft, outside consultants wouldn't have consulting to do. Hardware manufacturers would have devices that didn't need updating constantly and would probably go out of business.
Look, sorry about the sarcasm here. I'm just about sick and tired of it all. I've seen M$ from the pre-beginnings through to now, and I really don't want to live in an M$ world. It's basically the same as everyone everywhere driving the same car and wearing the same clothes and driving those same cars down roads that M$ has laid out for us all. Doesn't matter a tick about whether you like it or not. That's not an M$ game. You're going to run Windows and that's that. I just really hate the fact that M$ has been allowed to grow this large and has been allowed to choke off all the other consumer based OS's, as well as tailor computers and devices to what M$ dictates.
We've already laid to rest QEMM and DesqView/X - too bad. Good product. Now, we're seeing BeOS die out due to this. Who's next? Personally, I don't think that M$'s philosophies on overall honorable business are in tune with the real world. Do you honestly think they care about the future? The future of our computing growth? The future of the computer business overall? Nah. Money. That's all that's what matters. No honor. Nothing.
I'm just glad that every peice of M$ software that I've gotten (just about) has been free. I certainly won't pay for it. Would you pay for a Whopper with cheese only to find out there is very little meat, no cheese and more bun than you can possibly eat? Nah.
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|Windows ME sucks elephant c*ck! This is the worst os i've ever used and produced by microsoft. The only reason they distributed this piece of crap was that their a$$es are in a sling with the anitrust case and they knew they were going to lose, so to make everyone think otherwise of their code-robbing techniques they come out with a low cost operating system that they preached was faster than Win98. Why do you think they were selling this piece of crap for $49.00's for the upgrade? Answer: To find fools (Like anyone who thinks ME is good) to support them in their appeal!
Adaptec should sue the MF's for trying to emulate their Goback software by creating that worthless, hard disk robbing system restore feature! What a piece of $hit! And who needs that slow, and useless help & support window! I can jerk off faster than it loads up!
Thank goodness for crackers & hackers!
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|If anyone actually got to play with XP, which I know many have, me included, then you should know what is so great about this OS. So what if you found some problems, that is why you should get the betas. They are a lot more stable than daily builds. Except now, there are no new features going in so all they are doing is stablizing. If you people think the public knows what they are talking about, then pull your head out your a** and wake up!!!
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|The story makes like its such a big deal. You seem to be forgetting the fact that people can get the beta for only $10 if they pay to download it from Microsoft. Anyone can sign up for it too (well anyone that live in the United States).
If people want to run a beta, its their choice. If Betanews doesn't like that, then I question why your site even links to beta software for download?
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|They should be handing out the OS like AOL discs... let everyone and their cousin try Windows XP. Collect even more massive amounts of data from the user experience than you already do. That is some serious beta testing/input.
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|I think you're right... and I also think that was definately one of M$'s goals with the relase of the XP betas. It seems that no security was placed on XP betas. Though many may look on this as just another mistake of bill's, for those of you that have seen XP up close and personal, you'll note the "Comment?" link in absolutely every window. Aswell as the very secure 180 day trial period. Unlike the ME betas, aswell as most trial software, this 'trial' period doesn't end when YOUR clock hits day 180. But rather when M$'s clock does. This means there's no real way to cheat this unless you plain and simply don't go online. But then you have to ask yourself, how many people would bother with getting a copy of an XP beta, and not be online.?
The other important thing to note is that we have NO clue what kind of security the official release will have; knowing that M$ is placing alot of faith in XP, understandable since it does knock all it's predecesors in the water, wonder wonder what kind of fun stuff we'll have to crack this time around.? :)
Another smart move of theirs was to allow people to get ahold of it illegaly, this means that they get beta testers for free. No charge, and all they have to do is sit back and listen.
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|Reading your post I was trying to figure out if you were being serious or joking. I really hope you were joking and being sarcastic. Windows XP secure 180 day evaluation? Sure...that wasn't cracked already (and never will be). Free beta testers for MS? You do know that to be a beta tester you have to pay them $50 or something like that. XP has been all over the place (you'd know that if you actually read the article by the way), all version of it were 100% cracked, no expiration date or anything like that. MS can't beat pirates...MS can make life alot harder for the legit windows owner or the guy that got ripped off by a vendor that sold him a copied version of XP. MS even admits to that...and they said themselves that their activation scheme will be cracked within a week of release, but they are out to stop the "casual distribution of XP between friends".
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|Hmmm... I certainly wasn't billed to be a tester, neither was any other tester I know.
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|No? My mistake then...as far as I understood it you had to pay MS something like $50 to be a beta tester for certain products. I could be wrong...all my other points still stand tho'.;p
Niro;)
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|If you sign up with BETAREQ@MICROSOFT.COM then it is free. Almost all Microsoft betas give the testers the final copy for free also. Beta testing is an honor that I charish.
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|I like windows ME!
I might buy XP when it comes out as long as it is not like 400 bucks LOL
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|I usually do beta test the unauthorized copy of the OS. I figure if they see the value of it they will continue to have "leaky windows" :)
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|these leaks are all intentional folks.
this gives microsoft an opportunity to get a whole crapload of beta testers, and make them feel "special" cuz they got their hands on software that wasn't supposed to be available to them.
personally, I don't beta test, since I got too much stuff and I only have one computer that I don't need always crapping out on me.
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|Yeah.. you are right. If nobody pirated XP, then not very many people would know what it looks like. Many viewers out there will check out the screenshots, and offer suggestions on the layout and such.
Also, the piraters themselves become potential beta testers. Just because they are using Windows XP without authorization, it doesn't mean they can't offer feedback on the product.
The more the merrier...
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|Sounds like a reasonable explanation for 3.11 and 9x. Although I think by now microsoft would like to leave there marketing strategy in their own hands.
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|I've always believed that the best way to sell software is to have three levels:
Basic/Demo - Free to home users
Premium - Reasonable fee (~$100) for advanced users
Corporate - License based fees.
A lot of shareware companies uses a model similar to this and the game industry has long recognized that a free, playable demo is the best marketing tool. As for the big companies, the best example I can think of (even though I hate them) is Adobe.
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|As long as things are digital, nothing will be secure. There will always be cracks.
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|yea, windows media player in win ME rocks...finally, a way to ditch wmp7..hehe
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|Dude.. what are you talking about? Windows Media Player 7 COMES with Windows Me. Didn't you know?! Aeek!
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|All you guys are saying that everyone with half a brain would download the leaked windowsxp and then think theyre special and provide feedback. But you forget that those people with half a brain will also crack the os to remove all teh comment tabs and and expiry date!!!! and not provid any feedback. Like me =) fools be smart crack ur leaked software.
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|yea, and now we can ditch wm7 for wm8, which makes it alot better....wm8 is a whole lot more stable then wm7.:)
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|yea, and now we can ditch wm7 for wm8, which makes it alot better....wm8 is a whole lot more stable then wm7.:)
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|...... shutup. ME blowz 2000 balls.
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|First off i loved this comment " yea, windows media player in win ME rocks...finally, a way to ditch wmp7..hehe " Gee aren't wee the kind of person we want far away from our big toys. Second off don't compare unstable garbage like windows ME to a very stable operating system windows 2000 ( pro ,srv ,adv srv etc.. )" I know you cant play hardly anygames on 2000 boo hoo ".
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|As I understand it, when Win2k was released, word spread quickly that for gamers it was a P.O.S. to be avoided. It turned out later that the problem was just with drivers. Once good drivers were released, people found out that the speed hit could actually be very small and worth the huge stability increase. I am sure it will be the same way with WinXP. As is right now, a lot of the people I know who consider themselves hardcore gamers run Win2k or dual boot with it and Win 98.
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|Everything thats $hitty in the world has a crack! ;-)
Make no exceptions to this rule with Microsoft! It will come to the market with a crack included!!
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|ddddddddddddddddddddddddffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffleaking ,piracy wmp7, xpmp8, win me[laughing],cracking, hacking, and unregisterd beta testing...good lord people get ahold of yourselves, there is one simple fact behind everyone of these issues its the harsh reality that we face every single of every single day spent online Microsoft and Uncle Bill has the world by the balls, reality check for you cyber zombies Microsoft wouldnt be so big if it had any competiton what so ever just as adobe is to my industry microsoft is to the computer world..the standard.. you all sit and laugh about getting your unregisterd "cracked out hacked out" versions of winxp
when what your all forgetting is its still microsoft technology
it has no rivals save 2 a still fledgeling yet very powerful and totally unuser friendly os [linux] and a totally worthless company whose only reason for survival is the software its made to run[mac]and even now thats being proven to run better ported to the pc and yep you geussed it windows.. its easy to use its gettin more and more powerful and stable and constantly being proven time and time again.. microsoft is the standard in wich all operateing systems present and future will be compared to and riveld by...if you dont like that then tough s*** you have no buisness sitting here b****ing about it when some of you dont even know what os wmp7 was released with..do you all not realise that a company that big
that influencial could come and take youre pretty little unregd the windows away on a whim if they wanted to
microsoft software is pirated for one reason
it keeps the sales up
and keeps the public in uncle bills hand
if he dindt want you have that unregd version with all the comment tabs and expiration dates hacked and cracked
by god you wouldnt have it
thats one thing you can bet your life on and not worry about the loss
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|i have absolutely no clue where all the ddddddddddddddddddddddddffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff
ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff
ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff
ffffffffffffffffffffff
came from!!=]
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