Windows 8 To Fight Piracy With the Cloud 404
MrSeb writes "With the latest Windows 8 build (8064) that has been delivered to Intel, it's clear that the company is taking strides to make sure that its upcoming OS isn't quite so easy to pirate. For starters, the generic volume license keys that were so easily exploited during the early days of Windows 7 leaks will no longer be an option for pirates. Product keys also won't be shipped in the prodkey.txt file included in the build packages. Instead, installers will need to retrieve a unique key from a Microsoft web page. There's also a good possibility that the recently-surfaced fast booting patent could come into play as well. If Microsoft does indeed have designs on using a remote server to push OS code to systems at boot time, that code would be a very clever place to embed activation-related programming. Even if a crack was discovered, it would be neatly undone during a subsequent start-up sequence — similar to the way Microsoft's now-idle Windows Steady State could turn back the clock on an entire Windows installation after rebooting."
Microsoft has also indirectly confirmed in a recent blog post that Windows 8 will make use of an app store.
"push OS code to systems at boot time" (Score:4, Insightful)
Found it!
If you no longer even own your full OS and require "pushed OS code at boot time" the Cloud Scam will be complete!
Re: (Score:3)
Tethering the OS to external dependencies like this, make it worth less (or maybe even worthless) as an OS to me, regardless of the reason for doing it.
And yes, linux distros are generally dependent on repositories, but you get to pick which mirror, including your own internal one.
The cloud and app store marking is hilarious. Inherently inferior mobile/touch inspired interfaces are not going to topple the desktop, because many people have real work to do.
Re: (Score:2)
And yes, linux distros are generally dependent on repositories, but you get to pick which mirror, including your own internal one.
You can always just download the entire repos in one shot and have them at the ready whenever you want. All of Debian, for example, can be downloaded to something like 8 DVD's. [debian.org]
Re: (Score:2)
Re:"push OS code to systems at boot time" (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm fairly certain this will apply mainly to consumer versions. The corporate world won't put up with external dependencies like this for any number reasons, so I'm sure copies bought via corporate channels like volume licensing won't be crippled in this way.
Or maybe I'm wrong, in which case when our next set of upgrades happen in about two or three years, I may in fact be making a strong case for moving from Windows entirely.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
This would be a major issue for the medical field where it is often IT policy is to block external communication. There's also another major problem that I am truly dumbfounded why no one is really seeing (or at least caring about) and that is the notion of resilient capability. Dependency on the "cloud" for compute resources be they general applications, or now perhaps even the OS itself creates a beautifully vulnerable target for deliberate attack or natural disaster. Just as was evidenced with the 196 [wikipedia.org]
Re: (Score:2)
My thoughts exactly.
I am not worried personally because I am transitioning away to Linux completely on my desktop/laptop, and when required, I access a Windows Server 2008 server across a VPN connection if I need that platform to develop or test something. Most of the stuff I am developing with now even has a Linux version.
If they think for one second that I am going to make an entire company dependent on the Internet connection, they are smoking some real good shit.
No way that corporate will allow this, a
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah... They'd have to remove that feature, or allow some kind of internal licensing server... Because there's no way in hell I'm going to roll out an OS that bricks my workstations when the Internet goes down.
Re:"push OS code to systems at boot time" (Score:4, Insightful)
The VLK license codes are usually the ones used in pirated Windows. The VLK codes are easy to mask when the system dials in (it's not unusual that multiple machines have the same code), they usually unlock all the different flavors Windows comes in and not easy for Microsoft to de-active (unless they want to piss off a major client).
It doesn't prevent them from doing so, the institution I work at is at it's 3rd or 4th VLK for WinXP and at least one of them is easily found in Google and will fail the 'Genuine' test.
The problem I find with pushing OS code is that when (not if) a flaw is found in the system or a private key gets found it opens the way for malware to enter into the system and masking as OS boot code it won't be easy to find or remove until it's too late. It's a security incident waiting to happen. The other obvious problems are when the system is not on a network or their systems are not available besides bandwidth. If they allow for systems to run without 'checking in' a crack for the system will easily be built.
If you haven't already migrated away from Windows, I would recommend doing it soon. There is no reason anymore to stay with it. I have successfully phased it out at my place of employment for both Mac and Linux. Sadly people still depend on MS Office so I still have to donate to Bill Gates' trust fund but it's a bunch cheaper than having to buy Windows, Windows Server, CAL's for every single piece of server software they sell etc.
Re: (Score:2)
I thought quick booting was the whole point of hybrid hard drives
128/256/512 MB of flash memory is more than enough to hold whatever code MS wants to push over the internet.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The mouse deprecated the keyboard?
So you did not use a keyboard to type in that message?
Re: (Score:2)
... the mouse deprecated the keyboard?
Re: (Score:3)
yes, I copies This Reply using word from This very page with mouse. Who needs keyboard? I just needs someone to supply word.
(ooc: Nobody wrote copy yet?)
Re: (Score:2)
I've used the Windows 8 demos, the UI you are referring to is one of several, and not the one I have active. Stop the FUD.
Re: (Score:2)
How many touchscreen monitors at your place of employment? is your employer really likely to replace dozens, or hundreds (or thousands?!) of monitors all at once so that everybody can shove their mouse in the corner? unlikely. The mouse isn't going to be obsolete for a long time. Not to mention I can't imagine trying to play an FPS game with touchscreen controls.
Also, having everybody reaching across their desk to poke their monitor all day long sounds like an ergonomics nightmare.
Re:"push OS code to systems at boot time" (Score:5, Insightful)
In Soviet Russia.... (Score:2)
If we have cloud, tablets, and HTML 5 life is good
Gawd (Score:5, Interesting)
I really hate the direction software and computers are heading.
I'm not that old.. but it just seems like every new thing makes me cringe. Maybe it's for the best and this is the way people want it, and maybe I'm just too attached to the way things are now (or I guess the way things were) to adapt to all this new thinking, but dammit if I don't feel something I'm passionate about is slipping away.
Maybe I should just go plant trees for a living or something :(
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
I'll stick with my gentoo thank you very much ;p
This was more of a general "direction of the industry" statement than a "oh god, I'm gonna hate the next windows" statement.
Re:Gawd (Score:5, Insightful)
I consider Ubuntu to be an example of the problem.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
+1 (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
I'm a Gen-Y'er and I feel the same way. Seems like everything's been going backwards since the mid/late 2000s. Computers are turning into toys for passive media consumption.
Re:Gawd - There's a cost involved (Score:3)
Webcams (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
So now if you are not sitting in front of your computer it will put up a message saying something like:
No face defected. Smile for the camera to continue.
Just to add to the trauma of a horrible disfiguring injury now you will have to buy a new windows license if your face is disfigured.
For the sense of humour impaired: I am just having fun with paranoia.
Re: (Score:2)
For the sense of humour impaired: I am just having fun with paranoia.
Or maybe you were told to say that... :)
Re: (Score:2)
Let's not forget all the racism issues with webcam-based facial recognition, too!
Re: (Score:2)
Obvious question (Score:2)
How is that going to work with systems that are not connected to the Internet? Like almost all of the systems I use at work and any secure system.
To the roots (Score:4, Insightful)
Microsoft needs to go back to their roots and remember that their success in the PC market these days can largely (but of course, not entirely) be attributed to the fact that many younger people pirated their OS and used it a lot.
This is why they should just let piracy go, especially for the OS and Visual Studio, that way when people enter the workforce, they already are accustomed to these things. This is why RIM should be so disturbed that many younger people don't use BlackBerry's anymore; when those younger people enter the workforce, they're going to scream and yell to get their iPhone's and Android's connected to the exchange server.
It has always been this way, and Microsoft would be stupid to forget it.
That said, there's the China piracy problem, which is outside of above.. maybe this is targeting that..
Very True (Score:2)
Even if I were totally ambivalent about running OS X vs. Windows, I'd still prefer OS X simply because I don't have any activation nightmares.
It has led to me to use Crossover on the Mac (WINE variant) over running Windows in a VM for any Windows app I need to tun as well... basically I've had enough pain in my life from activation and want no more of it.
Re: (Score:2)
This is why they should just let piracy go, especially for the OS and Visual Studio, that way when people enter the workforce, they already are accustomed to these things..
The OS should be cheaper... no way should the basic crippled version of the OS cost $100 for an upgrade and $200 for the full version. Mac OS X is $29.99 and has almost no OS Piracy.
Also, just FWIW, MS does have a free version of Visual Studio called Visual Studio Express [microsoft.com] that works quite well for students.
Re: (Score:2)
Calm down, Steve Balmer. Put down that chair.
Oh, and in my last job I spent about ten years writing software that was given away for free; you couldn't run our hardware without it, and that was where we made our money.
Re: (Score:2)
Hey. Whatever does the job. Of course neither you nor I have any standing in this matter. So the fact that you are b*tching about this is totally bogus. It's up to Microsoft to decide if tolerating piracy is good for their bottom line. It simply isn't up to you.
You can argue about whether or not it makes good business sense.
Whether or not it is "right" is not up to you.
Re: (Score:2)
He's just echoing the common sense that Bill Gates has said over the years.
http://news.cnet.com/2100-1023-212942.html [cnet.com]
"It's easier
Are you serious? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
A momentary irritation to a pirate and a massive headache for non-pirates. It's how software business is run nowadays: make your product less usable than the pirated version in order to stop piracy. Only a CEO could think of something that brilliant! Looks like someone will be getting a nice end-of-year bonus for an "innovative solution."
Stick with the old (Score:2)
Guess ill just be staying with windows 7
Re: (Score:2)
Yep, hopefully 7 will be the new XP, and get around a decade of use with an extended update cycle.
As long as there isn't some stupid thing like DirectX 12 as Windows 8 exclusive. Then again, most developers are still shipping DX9 engines with the extra features as options that don't really add much.
Re: (Score:2)
As long as there isn't some stupid thing like DirectX 12 as Windows 8 exclusive.
You bet your ass there will be, this is exactly what they did with Halo 3 for the PC.
But hopefully someone will come out with a crack to install DX12 on 7, just like last time.
do a lot of people really pirate Windows? (Score:2)
i mean most computers are bought at retail with real licenses. how many people really pirate windows compared to microsoft's cost to implement this?
or did the ipad and just cheap fast hardware really stretch the upgrade cycle so MS is hoping to cash in on an OS upgrade and needs to a way to protect themselves?
Re: (Score:2)
Constant internet connection? (Score:2)
Does this mean we'll need to be constantly connected to the internet to keep using Windows?
Yuck? Haiku OS seems more and more tempting each day...
Isn't this the most dangerous idea possible (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Bill Gates said that back in the early/mid '90s IIRC. Back then Windows copy protection consisted of "Enter the key printed on the box to install. Right key? Thanks, that's all, you'll never deal with the copy protection again!"
Nowadays it's "Well this computer's starting up. Same hardware as last time? Lemme check the serials on each component and the amount of RAM...looks good. No funny business with the system clock? Okay...alright everything's in order, I'll let Microsoft know. See ya next boot, I'll be
Windows 8? (Score:2)
Does anyone even care about Windows 8?
Windows 7 seems like a very solid OS. While I understand the reasons to upgrade from XP (DX11, old security) and from Vista (vista sucked) has Microsoft shown anything at all that would make someone want to upgrade from Windows 7? Many people still haven't made the jump from XP to 7 yet.
I will be perfectly happy with Windows 7 for at least another year or two. There's nothing that Windows 8 could give me that I need. Maybe when DX12 comes out?
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe when DX12 comes out?
Surely you mean 'when DX12 games come out'? Which will be about five years after 50% of new PCs have DX12; even today most games seem to be DX9 possibly with a DX10 renderer option, which is primarily because Microsoft refused to port DX10 to XP.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It's funny how you hear the same comments ever 3 years or so when MS releases a new OS.
Yeah, I remember all those comments in 2004 when Microsoft released the replacement for XP.
The simple fact is that no-one but Microsoft thinks that installing a new version of Windows every three years makes sense. Windows 8 is a spectacularly dumb idea that merely fractures their OS lineup even further when people have barely even moved to Windows 7 yet.
People complain about numerous Linux distributions, but once Windows 8 comes out there'll be something like thirty different versions of Windows to deal wi
Re: (Score:2)
Microsoft will make you care, by withholding DX12 and perhaps later IE releases, the same thing they did when Vista was first released.
Re: (Score:2)
Microsoft will make you care, by withholding DX12 and perhaps later IE releases, the same thing they did when Vista was first released.
And, as I pointed out above, more than four years after Vista was released the majority of games are still DX9 because that's the only way to support all significant versions of Windows; DX11 has been out for some time but only a few games even seem to have optional DX10 renderers. On that basis, by the time we start to see many DX12 games, Windows 9 will be out with DX13.
BTW, whatever happened to that AGW thing? It was all big in the news a few years ago but I never seem to hear anything about it anymore.
As a Linux user... (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm OK with this.
The sooner the theft of Microsoft products ends the better. Turn all the knobs to 11, Mr. Ballmer. The sound of gnashing teeth will be as sweet as Beethoven's Pastoral symphony.
--
BMO
Take a lesson from Mac OS X (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Apple dropped the price of OS updates from $129.99 to $29.99. Piracy for OS updates dropped significantly and they actually make more money at the lower price point. Plus since more machines are running the latest version of the OS, they have less problems with old OS issues.
Apple can do this because their software is tied directly to the hardware, MS is solely a software company, realm of computers anyways. Office and Windows are currently the most profitable divisions of the company http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2011/04/microsoft-beats-estimates-but-not-apple-in-third-quarter-earnings.ars [arstechnica.com] I'm sure they would sell more upgrades at a lower price but the question to answer is: "What price point nets them the most money?"
Windows: used only when I have to... (Score:2)
lol @ Microsoft (Score:3)
What happens when my computer doesn't have an internet connection? Are you going to drop the ENTIRE laptop market? No... You're going to have to account for that, and that will be exploited.
The ONLY way to fight piracy is to lower your prices. Sell windows for $30 a box (probably what you're selling it to Dell for anyway) and it wont be worth anyone's time to pirate.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah. netboot from microsoft.com - what could possibly go wrong?
Yeah, no kidding. With a move like that, Microsoft will instantly direct all black hat focus and activity to their netboot service. Talk about painting an even bigger target on your back.
I mean, can you imagine GOATSE'ing an entire country on bootup? What devious soul could resist that?
Re: (Score:2)
Come on. Based on that premise, all black hats should be targeting Windows Update servers. WU happens automatically for most Windows users. So far, WU's held strong. There's no reason to believe that said netboot code wouldn't be similarly hardened and protected.
Re: (Score:3)
Already happened.
http://securityandthe.net/2008/08/22/rumor-confirmed-both-fedora-and-redhat-servers-hacked/ [securityandthe.net]
In connection with the incident, the intruder was able to sign a small
number of OpenSSH packages relating only to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4
(i386 and x86_64 architectures only) and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 (x86_64
architecture only).
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/87516/Debian_Project_servers_hacked [computerworld.com]
http://www.cio.com.au/article/369912/free_software_foundation_software_repository_hacked/ [cio.com.au]
Oops wrong OS! Please continue with the regularly scheduled bashing, i mean programming, Slashdot.
Re: (Score:3)
He's not a fanboy, he just is not satisfied with the level of security offered by debian and fedora and therefore chose... er... windows.
Re: (Score:3)
or you could, you know, just stick with windows 7? It's the new xp or 98se, they're going to be supporting this thing for years and years...
Re: (Score:2)
I don't use Windows much anyhow (other than games) so I guess I'll just be moving to consoles.
a) Right, because consoles haven't been moving towards being always online, or requiring mandatory firmware updates to use, and they certainly have never done anything draconian in terms of drm or copyright protection. They're way more hacker friendly and give you far more freedom than Microsoft Windows does. Are you entirely sure you've thought this move through?
b) I estimate that there is a zero chance that windo
Re: (Score:3)
Hell, it's even in the summary:
And you should know better than to rely on that.
I (and possibly many others) interpret this as needing an internet connection to boot Windows, as in booting from their remote server.
This is why /. readers are often labelled slashtards.
The reference to a "remote server to push OS code to systems at boot time" refers to the fast net booting technology that microsoft patented... where instead of waiting for a complete system image before booting, the system can begin booting much
Re:Widows? (Score:4, Funny)
Here it begins.. the FUD (Score:2, Insightful)
Here it begins, the FUD DRM campaign against Windows 8 and a collective group of people getting their panties in a twist.
Remember some gems for Windows 7, can anyone tell what became of them?
Draconian-DRM-Revealed-In-Windows-7
http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/02/16/2259257 [slashdot.org]
Debunked here:
Oh, the humanity: Windows 7's draconian DRM?
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/02/oh-the-humanity-windows-7s-draconian-drm.ars [arstechnica.com]
Vista was the most fudded one though(DRM etc.) , with a fake columnist ma
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
From the summary:
There's also a good possibility that the recently-surfaced fast booting patent could come into play as well. If Microsoft does indeed have designs on using a remote server to push OS code to systems at boot time, that code would be a very clever place to embed activation-related programming. Even if a crack was discovered, it would be neatly undone during a subsequent start-up sequence — similar to the way Microsoft's now-idle Windows Steady State could turn back the clock an entire Widows installation after rebooting."
Who writes this crap? Companies come up with patents all the time. Doesn't mean that they're going to be implemented.
Even Chrome OS doesn't come close to booting from the cloud. And Windows has had updates to the Activation checking code in Windows updates since a long time.
Works well for baiting Slashdotters though.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Seriously, most of the comments on the article already seem to indicate that Slashdotters have already fallen for the flame and link bait as if it were the truth, just like in the Windows 7 DRM article. It's almost surreal if it were not so predictable. Flamepait posts drive ad traffic from getting people worked up over nothing.
Re:Deja Vu (Score:4, Informative)
I normally have respect for haiyfeet as his comments contribute a lot and he knows what he is talking about.
In terms of DRM ...
IN actually, I find a lot more pirated versions of Windows XP than Windows 7 on a popular torrent site. The windows 7 ones were hackjobs taht required a special bootloader from some guy (seperate download) and with the hacks you get a Windows 7 OS but you can't use Windows update for patch 2334. Some give error messages a lot and so on.
Maybe there is a perfect pirated Windows 7 professional edition out there, but after reading this I decided to stick with Windows 7 home premium with these hassles. Windows XP has been hacked awhile back.
I have not seen a hacked version of Office 2010 either that worked for more than a week or two. Microsoft has got it down well with its DRM. I hate the DRM and I think Microsoft are idiots in their pricing scheme to the Asian world but it is their choice to be stupid. You need to pay if you use their products. Thank god for GoogleDocs and LibreOffice.
Re: (Score:3)
I have yet to see a hairyfeet post that wasn't hysterical ranting with almost no basis in reality.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Here it begins.. the FUD (Score:5, Informative)
Well of course these speculations should be taken as that until MS locks down features. Those articles you link deal with panic over MS enforcing anti-piracy for third parties. However given the history of MS pushing for more anti-piracy features of the OS itself such concerns are not neccesarily FUD. My main concern with that would be the false positives. Having been inconvenienced with calling MS for them to bless my installation of Windows for no apparent reason I can say it's a concern.
Lets take this from the article:
With the latest Windows 8 build (8064) that has been delivered to Intel, it’s clear that the company is taking strides to make sure that its upcoming OS isn’t quit so easy to pirate. For starters, the generic volume license keys that were so easily exploited during the early days of Windows 7 leaks will no longer be an option for pirates. Product keys also won’t be shipped in the prodkey.txt file included in the build packages. Instead, installers will need to retrieve a unique key from a Microsoft web page.
That was the case for Windows 7 Beta and RC releases as well,with the keys expiring in 1 year. Don't see anything new here, the article does cite any sources except a build to Intel which is obviously a preview build which always required you to get a key from Microsoft web pages to operate.
Re: (Score:2)
>However given the history of MS pushing for more anti-piracy features of the OS itself such concerns are not neccesarily FUD
Concerns are different from FUD claims. The article takes a patent filing and then extrapolates it to Windows and makes up it's own fears about what Windows *could* be. I don't see how is that a concern and not FUD. Is there any other source for this 'concern' ?
Re: (Score:3)
Here it begins, the FUD DRM campaign against Windows 8 and a collective group of people getting their panties in a twist.
And here comes their knight in shining armor, recoiledsnake, ready to fight the good fight on behalf of defenseless multinational corporations...
I tease, and that's not to imply that we should stand for lies just because the target is a wealthy corporation, but I do think we need to assume the worst when it comes to corporations. I'm assuming windows 8 is going to be windows 7 but with several added layers of stuff to make sure you're running only authorized copies of windows, office, and any other prog
Re: (Score:2)
I've installed a widow before. She was a better deal than a Russian mailorder bride. And she came with a free lifetime supply of patches and bubblegum.
Re: (Score:2)
"Microsoft's now-idle Windows Steady State could turn back the clock an entire Windows[sic] installation after rebooting."
I've already had Windows inadvertently wipe an install after reboot.
Re: (Score:2)
For sure. The only way this'd see any enterprise penetration would be with a local license server - you know, like the one we got rid of when NT4 went out of vogue.
If not, all I can say is... FFS, hasn't anyone learned from the Sonicwall stupidity?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
MS should really give a free license for the KMS server. Why should I have to pay for a license for a box to validate licenses?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Already do this with KMS and MAK keys. KMS keys talk to a local license server. I think these articles are just written in a way to scare people and sell ad impressions. In the end, we're probably just seeing a different kind of volume key for corporate and maybe more hoops for residential users. "ZOMG DOWNLOAD AN IMAGE EVERY BOOT FROM MS" is kiddie bullshit.
Re: (Score:2)
Why? Most Admins would LOVE the chance for machines to be forced to phone home more often. Microsoft will add a "keep alive" function to Enterprise copies for sure. It would Still get keyed every time a user hit the AD which is at least daily in the enterprise world. Users would never know unless the went on long vacations with their machines away from work.
Exactly! This is the "Post PC Era" (Score:3)
Microsoft is clearly doing its part in this, by taking actions to kill-off Windows.
For which effort, I heartily commend them!
Re: (Score:2)
I think its more about A-la Carte software.
You buy Windows Basic then pay for your DLC/Extras. A few extra $$ for Media Centre or even Dolby support (now its not included).
Office can have clip-art packs, exporting to older formats,
Photoshop could drop its price then charge for every little add-on, file format or whatever.
Re: (Score:3)
Windows dominates desktop PCs, but the era of the PC is ending, and Windows will go the way of NetWare unless Microsoft figures something out. Windows 8 is very tablet oriented, but is that really going to help much? The only thing Windows really has going for it these days is that most people use it, and Winows 8 is going to have to compete on its merits in the tablet world. But I wouldn't write them off: Kinect and Surface show that MS isn't quite out of ideas yet, interface-wise.
As the corporate world
Re: (Score:3)
Flying cars, Fusion, etc.
The era of the PC is not ending... we're decades away from it ending. There are a wide array of functions that a desktop PC gives you that no mobiles devices will fill. The only change that is happening here is that the PC is no longer the ONLY general-purpose computing device available. The explosive growth of one segment does not mean a different segment needs to die. I
Re: (Score:2)
You thought keyboard turners were hellish in world of warcraft, wait until you have to deal with the touchscreen interface players!
Somehow, I doubt that the PC-as-we-know-it is going to die in the year or so before Windows 8 comes out.
Re: (Score:2)
So will Windows 8 require an internet connection just to turn on the computer?
Possibly. Not to mention the DLC.
It looks like you are trying to type text. Do you want to download Notepad from the Microsoft App Store?
(Credit card, activation, MSN account and gamer ID required)
Re: (Score:2)
Because Windows is the promise to OEMs that they will get a sale. Pirate copies take away HARDWARE SALES from the OEMs like Dell Microsoft has bullied for decades. Microsoft views all PC parts sold not for repair as potential Pirate platforms. They can't stop WHITEBOX because 25% of the windows copies sold are from small vendors... That Microsoft gets triple profits from too. If Microsoft broke the whitebox market they'd be an instant monopoly actor because the rest of the market is only 10 other players.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm hoping to get my gaming PC off Windows before I need to upgrade to 8. Then I'd be 100% Windows free :D
Re: (Score:2)
Oh, my favorite are the bundles... Not sure how they'd work that with OS's, but I'm sure they'd find a way.
Re: (Score:2)