I never said it did say, SPOOFE. As a matter of fact, I believe I’m one of the people you’re referencing to up there- I linked to and quoted a cite that said the information is relatively harmless.
You’re insinuating that said WPA gives unfettered access to your HD- I didn’t. I’ll be, and was, the first to say that MS doesn’t probe or ping a person for anything more than a small code revealing your systems specs.
Take a look at what I’ve written, SPOOFE, it’s there for all to see. Saying I stated things when I didn’t, only makes you look bad.
No fucking shit, SPOOFE. What do you think I’m saying? All software if free for me to us, for free, because I’m a citizen?
Get real.
I’m saying, and all I’m saying here- over and over again it seems- is that I think Microsoft XP goes too far. Yes, if I fucking agree to use it, than I agree to those Draconian rules. But I never said I wanted to use it, did I? I said, NO! I won’t use it because of those rules.
And, I’m sorry, but that “privilege” thing is odd. You don’t mind your privileges being violated?
And while your ignoring the questions I’m asking in my current post, would you at least mind looking at one of the first questions I asked up there? To wit: "What I’d like to know is what you’re getting at- Do you find that level of intrusiveness beneficial? Why?"
Are you daft? What part of “XP simply checks the configuration file to make sure that it and the current hardware configuration do indeed match” do you not understand? This file is on your LOCAL hardware. It is not on MS servers, and MS does not dial into YOUR computer to check it, and XP does not phone home to MS to verify anything. The OS verifies this file on your machine by itself, which is why people have been able to make cracks for the WPA.
MS itself does NOT check anything. XP does all the checking according to an algorith embedded into the OS. Part of this algorithm is to prompt the reactivation if when the OS polls the hardware currently in your system and it doesn’t match the hardware profile initially generated on your first activation. THIS FILE IS LOCATED ON YOUR LOCAL MACHINE. MICROSOFT IN NO WAY ACCESSES THIS FILE, NOR DOES XP PHONE HOME TO CHECK IF THE ACTIVATION IS VALID.
I’m not convinced that it doesn’t check back with MS, but I’m willing to be less resolute in my belief that it does.
I’ve only looked at two other articles on this topic since reading your last post, and while it’s not really clear what the writers are getting at, the insinuation seems clear (To me at least).
I wouldn’t argue that I got the facts about it phoning home wrong. Why the dance with fucking words from Microsoft on this topic is beyond me.
But there it is, as painful as it is to think I was that wrong, and I’ll end up doing that dammed search after all, until I find anything that says in fucking concrete that it phones home, I’ll back away from my position.
Since I’ve backed myself into the proverbial corner with saying that was my main problem with XP, it’s disingenuous of me to start bitching about other aspects of it.
So, instead, let me reiterate what I said earlier. I don’t like Windows XP and I wish I could avoid it all together. Alas, I doubt I’ll get be able to avoid it down the road.
Anyrate, would you mind answering why you think this is a good thing? Or -maybe this is a more correct way of putting it- why doesn’t this tactic on MS’s behalf seem to bother you?
If you’re that freakin’ concerned about Big Brother Billy Boy rooting around on your PC, then just run Linux!
And contrary to previous (grossly erroneous) postings on this thread, Linux DOES work, and very nicely too.
Anyway, this old story has been going around for YEARS. Remember when they used to say that Windows 95 used to ‘phone home’ to Microsoft so that MS could check out what software you had on your system? Sheesh.
If it’s that much of a pain, just run a fucking anti-spyware program. Or change to Linux.
CnoteC, please post if you dig up the smoking pistol. I admire you sticking with this thread.
It doesn’t bother me because deep down I know I should be paying for the intellectual property rights. Certainly, in the past, I have benefited from the shareware that has been floating around most of Asia. Places such as Hong Kong have to a very great extent eliminated the illegal copies you could buy for a few dollars. It is more difficult than it used to be, but still relatively easy in China to get pirated copies of just about everything.
Do you have problems buying computer games that you have to insert the CD or it won’t run? I mean, you can install the full files onto your PC, but you still have to put in the CD for verification.
I am also a published author, have been plagarized and not seen the full amount of royalties that I should have.
Yeah, I was lying out my ass there, psychogumby. I almost got away with it too! I was so close to fooling you all… so close.
I run only one OS on my system. While I understand that many others out there dual boot, or run secondary OS’s on their system, it wasn’t so common a practice that it immediately jumped to my mind to limit my statements to XP when talking about ‘systems’.
I was coming from the perspective of running only XP, and nothing more. In that case, you’ be as locked out as I said you would.
On retrospect, I should have immediately thought, “Hold up there Chris, remember every aspect and every possible configuration people out their have. Yours may be the norm, Chris, but it’s not the only setup.”