For me it is about privacy. I have no issue with MS getting their due. I like what the Bill and Melinda gates foundation do. For me, I hate the privacy violations inherent is WAT and activation. I also hate being treated like a thief and I love a good challenge.
Just for fun If it was about privacy you should not have accepted the EULA at the time of installing 7.
Hm im not really interested in defeating it. Altho i for now cant afford windows 7 for my computers beacuse i dont have a job but i think that wat and prices are wrong way to go to stop piracy..
As a developer it's just for the challenge, plus it also means MS may learn from things and build a more secure OS in the future. With that said though one more pirated Windows version is one less user on Linux and if I remember reading correctly someone at MS has said that eventually even the pirate may pay out for Windows if he/she feels it's worth the price.
It's about Money, privacy, greed of the manufacturer, you nor anyone else can convince me, that with the billions that M$ makes that a few thousand pirates running around has any material effect of these monopolising basterds. It is, as when you were young and mummy and Dad told you not to do such and such because it wasn't proper...it's the intrigue of the Cat and Mouse Game.
My thought is " If it can be accomplished why not do it" so if Microsoft allows pirates to circumvent their security and allows normal Internet users to run pirated copies,so be it.
I am annoyed that M$ can LEGALLY make you pay for USE of the OS and LEGALLY get away with NO RESPONSIBILITY. REALLY would you buy a car TV or any other consumer good and let the Manufacturer avoid any issues relating to usability, suitability, safety and then dictate which roads you can drive on, what programs you can watch AND fit a device that spys on you and reports if they think you are wrong - often mistakenly. Governments around the world need to crack down on this ABUSE of customers - the EU is right to tackle some of the issues with M$ that they do no matter how trivial they may seem. M$'s EULA is an outright abuse of consumer rights. I'm not against them selling their product and making money but they go beyond reasonable. But the biggest reason is their antipiracy "solutions" make many mistakes and flag legitimate systems as pirated causing distress and anger to the legitimate customers affected while a pirated system managed by someone who becomes skilled at avoiding the WAT or whatever continues on unaffected or at worst has to install another round of antiWGA or whatever. Their attempts have failed totally. If they get really tough and break significant business or Royalty OEM systems it is over for Windows so why don't they just admit it and get over it - OH wait - they have - well kinda - because they have made this latest one voluntary after they killed off the tough antipiracy in Vista in response to poor retail performance.
its got to be for the hell of it ...i've never paid for any kind of software or data/media in my life ... if its on the net and up for grabs i'll go for it
Well, I choose reason over rant to justify my behavior and, having said that, actually have no recourse at all.
Convenience mostly, I go through Windows installs pretty regularly, testing things, attempting to set stuff up right then screwing up and needing to reinstall, starting fresh for performance, changing hardware, etc. Going through the legit way, you have to ask Microsoft's permission to reinstall the OS, hope it works, and when it doesn't, sit on the phone forever going through their crap to beg that they'll let you do it just 1 more time. By ignoring all that crap I don't have to worry when I upgrade my CPU or clone over to a bigger or faster HDD that I have to sit on the phone with MS (dont even have a phone near my computers even, so it'd be doubly annoying), or that they decide I've reinstalled too many times, etc. Plus, full price for 7? wtf, its practically just Vista SP3. Apple at least made snow leopard $30 and its to leopard what 7 is to Vista. Oh, and I HATE the different versions of Windows. Again, Apple just has 1 version of their desktop OS, and if they're worried about some people installing stuff they wont use, just have the option when installing to customize it and leave out stuff they wont use, then just let them install later if they do, like a lot of Linux distros. Nah, far better to just cripple the different versions to make you buy ultimate, then they can pretend that its still cheap cause you can get the home version for 120 (for the upgrade version anyway, which doesnt take into account the money you WASTED on Vista)
I like to know about what I am going to buy. I like learning new inovative ways to save time and money in reguards to application in the real world I don't think they 're to worried about anyone doing this because in china they sell it for dirt.....lol
I voted for for problems of privacy. Actually my Windows is legally activated, however according to EULA, I cannot call it of mine and now MS does want to examine my life and my habits? I cannot admit it. This WAT is like a virus and it should be treated like this.
For the hell of it. I think Microsoft deserves money for their hard work, but I also enjoy learning HOW the system works, rather than just make "activation" this mysterious box. As well I like being able to help users who on paper are legitimate, but are having problems officially activating.