Linked by Joel Pomales on Wed 12th May 2004 19:38 UTC
I've been trying Linux on and off for a couple of years. My first experience with Linux was with a version of Slackware (can't remember) way back in 1996. At the time the installation was so daunting that I gave up all together. For a little background I consider myself a proficient computer user.
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If you change your hardware often, you might have too!
So far, I have removed/replaced a hard drive, replaced a DVD drive with a DVD-RW, and installed/removed a sound card. No problems as of yet. I have re/installed XP 4-5 times on this machine (across multiple partitions) and whatever activation that goes on has been automatic. The product was apparently activated before I got this machine, so I have never had to ask MS once to activate it.
Why are we forced too activate XP?
Unless somebody has a gun pointed to your head, nobody is forcing you to do anything. If Linux is so badass like people around here say it is, go use that. It's a free country.
Why does WMP try to comtact to some wupdate.microsoft.com URL AFTER each file I played with it?
I believe this is to update your library from the CDDB database thingy (or whatever it's called). Like Microsoft really gives a shit what movies you're watching.
Yet you do not mention that Netmax Firewall (Linux distro) does indeed have its own form of activation.
I don't know about Netmax Firewall (never used it), but I do know that Borland's Kylix v3 for Linux has Product Activation built in ... seems this trend is not just a Microsoft thing afterall.
Anyway, I don't think there is a thing on this PC Microsoft could collect that could do me any harm. I used to lose a lot of sleep over this, trying to kill every friggin' cookie placed on my machine. Then I found out that the amount of info MS could ever get from my PC don't add up to a hill of beans compared to what information other marketers arleady have about me (which they could easily share with MS anyway), so now I don't lose sleep over it.