What happened to Microsoft? You know,
the company we directly or indirectly make our livings off of? They've been
acting pretty strangely for the last year and a half. In the last few
months, I've heard from a frightening number of people who were once devout
supporters of Microsoft and Windows Technologies ask about how to break into
the Linux world. Just a year ago, these same people told me Linux was a bit
player and not worth their time.
Yep, there are a lot of former
Microsoft fanatics walking around these days. These former standard bearers
joked about the goofball DoJ suit regarding Internet Explorer and
Netscape. They knew IE was a much better product and that the market
decided which product survived. They also know the consumer is not harmed by
bundling features like media player, disk defragging, Internet telephony,
and instant messaging.
So what's causing the rats to jump
ship?
I don't pretend to know, but I propose that the following
issues have led to a great deal of disaffection in the Tech
community:
The RegWorm
Balkanization of Microsoft Operating Systems
Certification Woes
No one of these issues by itself
would cause a mass exodus. But, put them together with tough economic times
and you get a bunch of Microsoft expatriates.
The
RegWorm
OK, there is no RegWorm. It's called Windows Product
Activation (WPA). I also realize that Product Activation is not product
Registration and it's not a Worm. However, I needed a malicious sounding
term and RegWorm does the trick.
If you haven't heard about the RegWorm,
it's a feature included in WinXP (already seen in Office XP) that requires
you to "Activate" the product before X number of days. If the product is
not activated before the timer runs out, too bad for you! The OS will not
start.
When WinXP is installed, a code is generated that ties that
copy of Win XP to the computer. When the product is activated, the code,
which is based on the machine hardware configuration, is sent to Microsoft
for safekeeping. You can activate the copy over the Internet or over the
phone. Of course, if you can't start the OS, the phone is your only
choice.
That's cool. But what happens if you wipe your machine every
weekend because you're a software tester, shareware masochist or Windows
enthusiast? What happens when you add and remove hardware components, such
as a USB hard disk, USB NIC, RAM, sound card, or processors? You probably
will have to activate the OS again, because the hardware code will
change.
How often can you call and get your OS started again? Can you
call at 3:00AM (when most geeks are doing some serious head banging)?
How long do you have to stay on hold? What if you're at a small business
customer site and you need to change out hardware or reinstall the OS
because the electricity in the building just hosed the system? Who is
responsible for your hourly rate when you sit on the phone waiting for your
Activation Code for an aggregate of over 200 hours over the course of a
year at $200/hour ($40,000)?
There are a number of well-respected
Microsoft observers who have voiced similar concerns over the RegWorm, and
there are a larger number of people in the trenches who hope that Win XP
never sees the light of day.
Of course, there are a few people who
claim that I'm a moron and an alarmist because of comments I've made about
the RegWorm. I'm not denying either of those general assertions, but
they do not apply when it comes to the RegWorm issue.
Microsoft has the
right to protect its copyright, no doubt about it. But the RegWorm is far
too malicious a solution. Not only is it malicious, it's also a dumb
solution when you think about the problems Microsoft currently has with the
DoJ.
Think about it. When the OS doesn't start, you are denied
access to other vendors' applications. The Microsoft product is
disabled, as well as everyone else's. No AOL for you today! The RegWorm
becomes the penultimate Denial of Service attack.
The main problem is
that the RegWorm won't stop people who know how to get around it, and it
just PO's the people that can't. A far better solution would have been to
copy protect the CD-ROM so that the 'burners' could not mass-produce it.
Then you would need the original CD to install the OS. This would stop
the real copyright killers - the mobsters that...
You must be logged in to view this entire article. Click Here to Finish Reading this Article
Earn an affordable, online bachelor's degree in Information Technology—Security Emphasis plus nine IT certifications including Sun Certified Programmer for the Java Platform, MySQL Core, and Security+. Your prior college and IT certifications may waive some degree requirements FREE subscription to Network World. Your complimentary subscription will include 50 weekly issues jam packed with news analysis, expert industry opinion and management/career advice, all of which is packaged with your business needs in mind. We want to help you connect the technology dots and help you advance your company's business goals
Email this Article
Print this Article
