[svlug] Windows rebates in Israel

[Chris Miller]

On Thu, Dec 4, 2008 at 10:49 AM, Don Marti <dmarti at zgp.org> wrote:
> begin Rick Moen quotation of Thu, Dec 04, 2008 at 12:07:35AM -0800:
>> It's amazing how shameless both the OEMs and Microsoft Corp. are about
>> honouring the terms of their own EULA (specifically, the clause that
>> very clearly says that you _must_ return the OS for a refund if you
>> don't accept its licence terms) unless you drag them through either
>> endless months of bureaucracy or the courts.
>
> Try reading the bushel of legalese that comes with
> a new Lenovo laptop.  There's actually a "no Windows
> Refund Day" section in there: they will not issue a
> refund for bundled software without the hardware.
> (Large PC vendors won't accept a purchase order from
> small companies.  They want you to use a credit card
> and click through their one-sided contract, which is
> how they enforce this kind of stuff.)

It sounds like Lenovo was replaced with an evil clone which had some
DNA from Verizon and AT&T injected into it!

> Of course, when I'm Pirate Czar, all this will change.

Interestingly enough Microsoft is currently considering a more SaaS
approach to Windows, namely making it a subscription-based product.
Some interesting things about that:

1) Sharing subscriptions is difficult.  Most subscription-based
services limit the number of clients that can be simultaneously used
under a given subscription license.  If my .NET passport has one
Windows subscription attached to it, and I try and use two copies of
Windows at the same time using my .NET passport, then it doesn't work.
 It's easy to catch and impossible to defeat.*
2) Subscription sharing is incredibly rare because:
 2.1) If I give you my credentials you have the ability to use my
identity within a certain scope.  You could get me in trouble.
 2.2) If I want to use my credentials to use the software as well,
then I have to purchase two subscriptions, which really defeats the
purpose of sharing an identity.  (why don't you just take my cash and
buy a subscription on your own identity?)
3) If you don't want the software any more, don't renew!

Also interesting is the concept that Microsoft could release "Windows"
(without any epithet attached) and then just keep patching it (kinda
like a Linux distro...) because their source of income is continuous
as long as people keep subscribing/renewing their subscriptions.

By doing this you basically sidestep the whole piracy concept, because
piracy only works with a finite resource that can be stolen, such as a
CD-Key to activate your software.  If the software requires that you
authenticate based on your .NET passport and then uses your identity
to verify your right to use the software, I don't see how that can be
stolen.  You can always steal someone's identity, but that is still
harder to sell.  What if the thug I bought the identity from oversells
it?  Sells it to two people, so now there are three people trying to
use that identity (the original owner, me, and the other person is was
sold to).  It becomes a contested resource, decreasing its value
significantly to the black market.

* barring a DNS poison and setting up your own subscription authority,
which would be hard since you'd have to break the encryption and key
signing that verifies the real server.

-- 
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