Re: Cryptogram Comment

From: Tom St Denis (tom_at_securescience.net)
Date: 06/18/04 

Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2004 13:00:07 GMT

Guy Macon <http://www.guymacon.com> wrote:
> Read what I wrote, please. In the scenario I describe I am not a pirate
> and I am being harmed by the actions that you are defending.

You may be harmed but who is doing the harm? The company who *sells* a
product then supports its *customers*? Or the pirate who *steals* and then
doesn't have enough common sense to at least use a firewall/AV?

>>Any private sector company is responsible to it's customers and
>>shareholders only.
>
> You couldn't be more wrong. They are responsible to those who they
> harm and are required to take all reasonable steps to reduce that harm.

Again I don't see it as Microsoft doing the harm. I have a legit copy of
windows [which I seldom use]. I keep it up to date via their website which
works just fine. To me they did their part.

Nobody is questioning that Microsoft should patch their OS. What I am
questioning is this belief that Microsoft should support pirates as well.
Recall they're trying to make money off Windows. Why would they encourage
pirates to never license [via giving them updates]?

In fact if anything by supporting pirates they *will* make the world less
secure. Their profits will lower [well maybe not] then they will have to
hire fewer people, pay existing staff less and eventually the code quality
will be less than it's already at. Take that!

Tom

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Windows XP Product Activation...
    ... The software piracy rate was much higher in 1994 before the PC ... > for Microsoft. ... there was more profit in discouraging casual copying. ... It's like handing the pirates a ticket to pirate. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: So much for M$ Genuine Advantage Program
    ... >>>Security is about protection. ... It's intended to catch the pirates selling software to the hapless ... "Microsoft was also planning to announce on Tuesday a program known as ... genuine victims of counterfeit Windows software and who would thus be ...
    (comp.sys.mac.advocacy)
  • Re: Finally, MS is doing the right thing about Piracy
    ... Vendor giant warns channel off counterfeit software after jailing of pirates. ... Microsoft has again warned the channel to steer clear of illegal software after two members of Europe's largest software counterfeiting ring were sent to jail. ... A German court recently sentenced the father of notorious software pirate Ralph Blasek, himself jailed for five years in July 2003, to 16 months' imprisonment for selling counterfeit software and infringing Microsoft copyright. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: XP
    ... Without the pirates, WPA most likely would not exist. ... Microsoft has created WPA to help protect its own interests form those ... > Linux doesn't surge in popularity due to Gate's horrible policies, ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware)
  • Re: Finally, MS is doing the right thing about Piracy
    ... Vendor giant warns channel off counterfeit software after jailing of pirates. ... Microsoft has again warned the channel to steer clear of illegal software after two members of Europe's largest software counterfeiting ring were sent to jail. ... A German court recently sentenced the father of notorious software pirate Ralph Blasek, himself jailed for five years in July 2003, to 16 months' imprisonment for selling counterfeit software and infringing Microsoft copyright. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)