copy protecttion doesn't work (Re: MS Product Activation for Windows)

[adam at cypherspace.org]

Ray Dillinger wrote:
> But if Microsoft and its ilk do in fact successfully create systems
> that prevent "piracy", it won't be possible to be a hypocrite about
> it any more.  And with commercial software flatly refusing some
> kinds of use, perhaps a fair number of people who now *think* they
> are not doing any piracy will have to face some harsh facts.

Well I think the main reason no one bothered to write a license number
generator for win9x, win2k and the windows NT versions is because the
inconvenience factor is low right now -- most people have some license
numbers lying around.  People typically use the same code on all the
machines on their network just for convenience.

(Well probably someone has in fact written a crack for the different
windows versions, but my point is no one has an incentive to use such
work-arounds, because the copy protect code is not too much of a
nuisance).

The second they introduce this anti-piracy measure -- if they actually
go through with it -- the copy protect code check will be broken, with
a patch to disable it, or a program to generate licenses.  Everyone
will use it whether they paid for the windows CD, got it free with
their machine, or copied the OS.

So pretty much the only effect they'll have is to inconvenience their
users, and probably as Ray suggests make more people have negative
feelings about copy protection mechanisms because of the extra
inconvenience.

Adam