What is Digg?141 Comments
- drowningfish, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5
So they will "hide" the bloatware?
How is that truly modularizing the OS?
What a waste, as said prior, it will be cracked in no time.
Give me a "bare-bone" OS and let me decide what I want, don't put all the bloated junk on there and just hide it behind Door #2. - MioTheGreat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"So they will "hide" the bloatware?"
Ugh. This isn't 1985. A few background processes that take up a few extra megs of memory and the rare 1% of CPU usage, or a program that takes up all of 50 megs in 'Program Files', never even doing anything unless you call upon it, doesn't hurt you. It's not like every byte of hard drive space or memory is all that precious anymore. - rhyno2000, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3The cluenessness never ceases to amaze me. I believe Microsoft is aware that people pirate their products. No matter how many dollar signs kids use to spell their name... they didn't become the biggest and the richest by being dumb.
That being said, they're planning to release *seven* versions of Vista. As the article mentions, it's simply easier to manage a single code base. Easier to distribute more features to users as there's no need to transmit content -- tons of bandwidth savings there.
Will it be cracked? Durrr... Probably before it's even released. Every single flavor of Windows is available right now to anyone anywhere, and again, MS knows it. But once again, Digger Kiddies completely miss the point, and jump at the opportunity to flame.
And the crashing jokes are stale as hell. Windows has been an overall stable OS since Win 2000+ - hotwaterham, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"Lame, no DIGG!
Mac OS X."
KillerX, you may not be particularly interested in this bit of news but the story/information is in no way lame (or old, or spam, or a dupe, or a bad link). Stop being a blind zealot and realize that people come to digg for more than just Apple news.
And if you don't have anything to contribute to a discussion then don't bother posting. - skyfex, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Windows Home Edition is not unbloated, it's just plain crippled.
- EPeters, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3just makes hacking the os easier for everyone. Thank you Microsoft!
- tobtoh, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It's not as stupid an idea as it may appear at first glances.
First, the OS is going to be pirated no matter what they do and the people who want to use the pirated copies will do so regardless of whatever steps MS does.
So what benefits does MS gain by only releasing 'one' OS?
* Well I'm guessing that maintenance is easier.
* It's probably easier for the 'normal' user to get the features they want - ie for those that are willing to pay for their OS (which is the majority of people), the experience will be better.
* Possibly also, the size of the OS (in terms of CDs or DVD) may be quite a bit larger (since it's all pre-bundled already) ... this isn't a problem for those that buy the software (1 DVD or 5 isn't any harder to carry back from the shop) ... but it makes it more tedious to download a large pirate ISO. - Padawan830, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Well I would say the market they aim for is not the kind of people that will hack and crack their software. I mean who do you think they are more worried about, Joe User, or a corporation that is going to upgrade their software? Seeing as how Joe User will probably buy just 1 copy (and I mean come on the people who generally crack their software don't buy it leagally anyways..), and corporation is going to buy hundreds upon thousands and the corporation is not going to crack their software. A majority of companies have legit copies and do all their software actions legally (at least the ones I have worked with and know of) so they are not worried. PLUS the amount of people that actually spend the time to crack their software is a very small percentage of users. I mean think of how many people have Windows XP? Now think of how many got it with their computer systems when they bought their computer and never upgraded or cracked it? That's a MUCH bigger figure than the percent that will crack it.
It makes sense to me for Microsoft to do this. I mean production costs would HAVE to go down wouldn't they? I mean they would essentially be making the same disk that is distributed to every computer.
But hey we don't know how it all works yet so can we really say it will be a good thing? We might all be suprised at how Microsoft handles this ;-) - hotwaterham, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"Microsoft is the next blue-chip to jump onto the i'm-asking-to-be-hacked-out-of-existence bandwagon"
Cracked versions of Vista are going to exist no matter what. Microsoft knows that.
I'm just glad that they're making it easy for the average user to upgrade. It's a smart move, and I suspect that a lot of users will take advantage of the upgrade system. - spikes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I can assume they will only install whatever depending on the product key you enter upon installing. Sounds more properly done to me.
- G-RaZoR, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1First off XP Home and Professional are not on the same disc. Second Off, this is a great idea. They can save money by only having to manufacture one disc. They can save money if people want to upgrade, there are no added costs to Microsoft. They can just charge customers for the features, etc. For example, say Bob has Vista "Home" installed. He starts up a small business, and wants to upgrade his system to "Professional", instead of running out to best buy and spending $100 (or pirating it ;)), he can go into Control Panel, enter in his credit card info, and the info is securely sent to M$, from there, he gets a new key, he puts in his Vista CD, enters the key, and boom, the features install. :)
- rompom7, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You're all morons.
Microsoft make more money of people using their OS, much more than they get for the retail value. - bignate, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I think this is excellent. Here's why:
MS has a history of letting its anti-piracy systems interfere with normal, paying customers. Anyone who's tried upgrading XP Home to Pro for a business network (like on a store-bought laptop) knows that it's a pain. You basically have to re-install the OS.
Letting people simply unlock the features of the upgraded versions makes it easier for PAYING customers. MS is actually putting the convenience of average users above it's concern with piracy. This is an excellent step in the right direcion for MS and I applaud it. - hotwaterham, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Exploitable? Most probably! But the targeted demographic isn't going to be pirating Windows any how.
This will probably be a great thing for Microsoft and (if the upgrade steps really are simple) end up in a significant amount of upgrades. - CatcherInTheWhy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If Microsoft encrypts certain install files with AES encryption and you simply buy the key required to decrypt the features' install files, I don't see how anyone could break this really. Bits can be protected, its not very hard. I'd bet anything their implementation scheme will be similiar, and as long as the necessary key management precautions are taken, this will work.
Also, its not like you'd have to pay full price for each upgrade I'm sure. Maybe they could also have contests for users of their services (like Hotmail, MSN) in which users will be selected for a free upgrade or something... - hotwaterham, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"It's fairly twisted of them to do something like this. Obviously, the different versions of the OS are identical save for some censorship. They're going to charge people multiple times for something that has already been sold to them!"
Identical save censorship? When people buy Home edition, they pay for Home edition...not for Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate, etc. and the additional features contained within each of these. Upgrading is never mandatory and most users are 100% happy with the standard edition. - AzBaja, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This should fix the OEM problems, I do not need all that extra junk when I reinstall the OS on a OEM pc. I should still be able to use the same liscen weather it is full of om programs or just a simple install.
- Urusai, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Hey why worry about cracking Vista when I got a cracked version of Linux?
- CatcherInTheWhy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@nyrol.
Its obvious to EVERYONE that all data in a non-quantum cryptographic scheme can be broken.
The point I was trying to make is that, given strong encryption methods, Microsoft COULD lock their software down so that people can't pirate it. If Microsoft compartmentalizes their install binaries and encrypts them based on certain SKU keys, then it would (theoretically) be possible to keep a machine from being upgraded without authorization. Given that every disk has its own, unique, LONG keys for each SKU contained on the DVD, it would certainly possible that Microsoft could store information about such keys and, through the simple use of SSL, exchange these keys over the internet to their customer.
That being said, its true that there could be a workaround in which one person transfers decrypted install files to another's computer or something like that, but given all the avaiable hashing technology, I'd bet it won't get cracked unless they want it to in the first place, because there are CERTAINLY ways of keeping things secure, assuming that by the time the crypto is broken, Windows Blackcomb will be out and everyone will be implanting quantum computers in their brain. - aresef, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I can see somebody unwrapping a new copy of Vista, clicking on the start button, and then seeing a dialog box saying, "Thank you for purchasing Windows Vista. Unfortunately, the Start Button is not an active feature in this version. For only $49.99, you can upgrade to Windows Vista Start Button Edition."
- fenix25, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i'm downgrading to 3.1 again..
- nnonix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I like when people say things like "So I guess people will be able to buy the version who's only feature is crashing at boot time".
I can't help but think that if this was your experience with Windows ..... you are truly too stupid to use a computer. Give up now. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1it will be cracked just like every other piece of software licensing system on earth
- Launchpad90210, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"The piracy issue is pointless. Those who will pay for the OS will pay for it. Those who won't, won't. It doesn't matter if this make it "easier" to crack or not, because it be cracked will no matter what they do."
That's only true to a point. Casual piracy - the guy at the office who's installing a test machine and figures what the hell...upgrade to the mega copy - is thwarted by casual copy protection such as activation, which is why they keep adding it. It'll never stop the dedicated warez junky, though. - Branden, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Exploitable...Stupid people man im hacking it for sure!"
It's either they allow the average user to upgrade easily and you hack it or they don't allow anyone to upgrade and you still hack it. They are stupid why? - gabeN, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0sounds like its BEGGING to be hacked...
- cneil, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Windows XP Home and Professional are already hidden on the same CD, Microsoft is just continuing to do what they have always done.
- hotwaterham, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"I haven't been waiting to see Vista at all. I haven't seen anything that excites me much, I don't see any improvement on the total power and usability of the operating system itself. To me, vista just has some nice looking graphics hacks..."
"Vista sounds like it has the possability to be amazing."
Which is it, tequlizard13? - appdx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Not like I use windoze anyway, but thanks for easier hacking bill!
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0this can't end well.....
- oepapel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"If Microsoft encrypts certain install files with AES encryption and you simply buy the key required to decrypt the features' install files, I don't see how anyone could break this really. Bits can be protected, its not very hard. "
Gee, I hope that's what Microsoft thinks too! This is TRIVIAL to break. All you need is ONE valid key and you can decrypt and build an unencrypted install disk. Or you can reencrypt with a different known key and build/'distribute different keys.
AES is a very very poor choice for MS. If they are complaining about building 7 releases, how do you think they will react to building 500 million unique releases? - tegulizard13, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0koolaidgurl,
thanks for that link, ill be downloading that interview to watch. Its nice being able to have actual information on the subject rather than speculating endlessly. again, thank you.
I guess i will jsut wait and see what happens, Vista sounds like it has the possability to be amazing.
I still think its gonna get cracked though ^.^ - Zerocool82, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I just hope it's a better OS than XP. I about to use all my Hard Drive for Ubuntu and dump Windows. I know there trying to make more money and have there customers pick but I just hope in the upgrade it doesn't crash. I think Tech Support will get more money with that.
- haylcron, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I don't get Microsoft. Why do we need so many different versions of the OS to begin with? I have an Xbox 360 and a windows XP Pro machine, and the xbox wants media center before it'll stream my stuff. What a complete frustration.
Microsoft needs to follow the lead of Apple, sell one version of the OS. - NtroP, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Uhmmm... This means that EVERY version of Vista will have EVERY vulnerability and have to be patched for? I hope that the parts that are "disabled" are truly disabled and not just hidden. This would be a worm-writers dream otherwise.
It might make it easier for MS to patch though... - OBKenobi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0[quote]byoung - like they do with xp? Hacked. Everything hacked. This is a dumb move by MS, they are waving a red rag in front of a bull.[/quote]
It's not a dumb move, it makes support manageable. This is how they will eliminate not having to deal with seven separate builds. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Seems like an ok sorta idea - 'course it does beg the question, "Why don't they concentrate on getting one OS right before releasing 20", but - to each his own.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@G-RaZoR: Bob would still have to pay for the professional. perhaps not $100, but it would still come at a fee.
- byoung, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0continual updates (ie auto updates) will check the keys, this will keep the piracy levels down i think, as they would check running correct version etc etc.
- behemothaur, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0byoung - like they do with xp? Hacked. Everything hacked. This is a dumb move by MS, they are waving a red rag in front of a bull.
- influx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I played with the vista while at CES, I didn't see anything that made me want to switch. It just looks like a prettier version of xp. Just like gabeN said... "sounds like its BEGGING to be hacked..."
- behemothaur, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0vista-all.torrent
nice. - DigeratiPrime, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0i would imagine they would give everyone "Vista Base Edition" and then you validate and pay to download the "Upgrades".
- bignate, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0And BTW, I'm a little peeved that Digg has become this safe-haven for software pirates. Half the ocmments in this thread talk about how it will make illegally cracking the software easy. Why is this cool? A company spends YEARS developing an OS. Charging $150 isn't that bad for the product you get. Don't like it? Don't buy it. Use Linux or something else.
- brickbat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0amazing? What exactly do you see as amazing about Vista? Most of the improvements over XP like the virtual file system were scrapped. The rest seems to be fluff.
- falloutsyndrome, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0thank god for hacking :)
- vernsan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I wouldn't mind seeing this, instead of formatting and reinstalling a fresh copy of the OS everytime, all you have to do is put in a key and there it is. New features with a click and maybe a reboot. I'd say it would clear up lots of time in tech support to reinstall windows just to upgrade to the pro and such.
- flap, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0it's going to be sweet when you click on somehting and it says "if you want to do this you have to upgrade".
that is going to be sweet. - superkendall, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"You have reached Page 30 of your Word document. I see by your calendar it is due tomorrow... Please deposit another $100 to continue with the download of 'Word 30+'"!
After all, if the OS can do it why not Office? And it can be pulled off if your office suite is Live - and aware... - rdoger6424, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Hey why worry about cracking Vista when I got a cracked version of Linux?"
WTF? What distro are you using? Linspire? Mandriva? -
Show 51 - 100 of 138 discussions
Browsing Digg on your phone just got easier with our enhancements to the 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is