MS Zone Users Must Use Passport Accounts 451
pathos writes: "CNet reports in this article that Microsoft, in its continued obsession to get everyone and his/her mother to be a registered Passport user, forced all of it's MS Zone gaming site users (including players of 'Asheron's Call') to open accounts in Passport in order to keep using the service... too bad that a bug with their .NET deployment kept many users not being able to access the service..." Of course, if you run the hotel, you get to say who uses the pool ...
Resist! (Score:2, Interesting)
Micros~1 can be stopped, but we all have to work together and resist!
Passport is essential to the Micros~1 plan for world domination. We can stop it by refusing to participate.
This thing scares me, really. How long will it be before every Windows user is required to have a Passport account before they can log into their workstation?
I refuse to use Passport. (Score:2, Interesting)
I have decided to start boycotting the Microsoft. Please also start, if you care about your rights as a citizen of the 21st century.
Wouldn't it be amusing if...? (Score:5, Interesting)
Maybe when MS sees 4 million people logged on as $L4$hd0t it'll realize that the people don't want to be uniquely identified in EVERYTHING they do.
reverse (Score:2, Interesting)
If you're staying at my hotel, and swimming in my pool, I want your info.
Shame.... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Maybe this is not so obvious... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:what would motivate a site (Score:3, Interesting)
Stinks of a Monopoly (Score:5, Interesting)
How is it that Microsoft is able to take it's monopoly in Office Suites and require you to create a Passport account in order to register them? Isn't that just creating a monopoly in online Registration?
Once everyone has been forced to register their Office and Windows with Passport, why whould they bother to register with another service? It is just like bundling the browser, only this time they are bundling the online registration.
It's crap of the highest order. It is even worse than the monopoly movie theatres have on food and drink. They state that you cannot bring in outside food or drink and make you pay extortionist prices for the crap that they do offer. It is not a free choice, in the sense that I went there for the movie, not food, but if I want food with my movie I have to pay out the whazoo. This would only be fair if I had the choice of brining in outside food and drink.
Same thing for amusement park food pricing.
Can I return Asheron's call? (Score:3, Interesting)
A more useful plan... (Score:3, Interesting)
What does this translate into? Helping people learn other operating systems. Contributing to software projects that improve the usability of those other operating systems. This does not mean going out a proseletyzing and shouting "Windows sucks!" That sort of approach just makes you look arrogant and turns people off. Until we can get the masses on board, a boycott is nearly useless.
Want MS To Fix Bugs? Ya better have a Passport! (Score:2, Interesting)
Don't even think about contacting Microsoft Tech Support [microsoft.com] without a Passport!
How to screw MS (Score:2, Interesting)
1. Don't give them any real information. Ex:
a. You live in Afganistan
b. Give them a junk Yahoo email that you use to sign up with other services.
2. Never use passport for any other purpose than authentication for your bogus account.
a. Contacts
b. Wallet
c. You get the point
3. NEVER PAY for passport. If they ever decide they want to force people to pay for it, simply do like everybody else and opt out.
If you think like a cheap bastard, then MS will never get thier grips on you.
If anybody has other any other ideas, or PLAUSIBLE scenerios on how MS can screw you even if you adhere to these rules, then feel more than free to reply.
Business senseless. (Score:3, Interesting)
Really? Do you want one key to open all your doors. Do you need the same level of security for advert laden email as you do for real identity protection? Sometimes seperation is a good idea. Sometimes it happens because you bought everyone and were too dumb to fix things as you did it.
Logic asside, if they do it you would hope that they could use something that worked (what is it, Kerebos?). They has proven incapable of protecting anything, from credit card info to Hotmail to individual PCs [min.net]. Who would trust them as they move all their services to the system first used for Hotmail that has been broken already? They should realize that this is just one more reason not to do business with Micro~.
M$ is evil but, as usual, they are not very good at it.
Microsoft will win this passport war, unless (Score:3, Interesting)
Let's consider for a moment how Microsoft has tried to take on the instant messenger market. They've bundled MSN messenger with Windows XP, but many people already have been using ICQ or AIM for years. They won't bother signing up for MSN messenger because they wouldn't be able to talk to their buddies on the other services. But with Passport, there is no alternative around. Sure people may reluctantly sign up for it, but once they have it, they've already gone through the painful process of giving away information. Now they'll be more likely to use other passport services.
But we don't have a good competitor for passport because close to 100% of the slashdot readers, and *nix people in general, don't like the idea of passport. If we don't like the idea, then we won't bother implementing it. Maybe there should be a movement for a competitor to passport. You don't have to use it immediately, or at all. I highly doubt Bill Gates has his credit card number sitting out on those oh so vulnerable
It's Microsoft's site... (Score:1, Interesting)