[ Outline ] · Standard · Linear+ Everyone to get Upgrade to WinXP SP2, (even illegitimate copies)

[captbics]

The story is at Computer Times

Both legitimate and unlicensed users of Microsoft's XP operating system software will be able to download the Service Pack 2 security patch for free. Microsoft's increasing concern over information security has translated into its decision to bite the bullet and make its upcoming SP2 (Service Pack 2) security patch available to all users - including those using pirated copies of its Windows XP software.

"We haven't explicitly done anything to SP2 to exclude it from pirated copies," said Microsoft group product manager Barry Goffe. The United States-based executive was interviewed via telephone. This is unlike SP1 (Service Pack 1), which had features to prevent users with pirated copies from downloading it. In SP2's case, the mammoth 80MB to 250MB patch can be downloaded and installed on computers running both legitimate and pirated copies. Users can also request a free CD copy of SP2, although shipping charges could apply, something which the company has yet to finalise, said Mr Goffe.

"It was a tough choice, but we finally decided that even if someone has pirated copy of Windows, it is more important to keep him safe than it is to be concerned about the revenue issue," he added. He admitted, however, that it is more than altruism that helped Microsoft come to this decision.

captbics

This post has been edited by captbics: May 9 2004, 01:59 PM

[Zone55555]

Given that most of the people they'd block would be those running off of known-compromised corporate volume license keys, they could nuke them, but that would entail re-keying the legitimate corp copies to a new key. Not likely any time soon, as widespread as they are.

Also, given that it's so trivial for the people out there to generate their own corporate install keys that MS doesn't know about to blacklist, and that it's trivial to change keys on an existing installation, I just can't see it being worth MS's time to worry about it.

Their main thrust has always been knocking out the high-volume pirates-for-pay anyways. All in all, best that they let the upgrade to out there to limit the number of vulnerable boxes - controlling the possible outbreaks that give them a bad name is worth more to them than nailing the occasional two-bit pirate anyways.

Just my opinion.