
How To Turn Customers Into Pirates - vaksel
http://torrentfreak.com/how-to-turn-customers-into-pirates-090228/
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tom_rath
I went through similar crap when re-installing QuickBooks after a PC-Upgrade /
Windows install.

The registration key wasn't accepted by their server (different hardware) and
I was instructed to call their support line. After a brief time on hold, I was
then subjected to about 10 minutes of up-selling and scripted 'intelligence
gathering' ("[customer name] what is it your company does [customer name]?",
"[customer name] what is your annual revenue?" "[customer name] we appreciate
your business and would like to offer you [some crap-assed product] at a
discount.")

After declining to answer all questions and (politely -- mentioning to the
call centre staffer that I knew it wasn't their fault) asking for them to just
give me the damn validation code for installation, I was then allowed to use
the software I paid for.

It would have been easier to pirate the product, which is what I made clear to
them in my (ignored) letter of complaint.

Idiocy.

------
kajecounterhack
Okay so this happened to me with windoze...and guess what I did? That's right,
I said "screw you" and learned Linux.

Pirates created: 0, Open-Source Advocates / Linux Zealots: 1

~~~
rdrimmie
I have two unused copies of XP Home sitting around unused because I could not
find installation media. I was able to torrent a copy in under 30 minutes, but
unfortunately the way it was hacked breaks the key authentication so I can't
use it to register my legitimate key.

Several hours ago I could have been up and running with a working but hacked
version. Now I am just frustrated and irritating everyone I know with calls
searching for XP Home media. Turns out everyone I know has Pro.

I was already planning on dual-booting Ubuntu (the XP install is only for
games because I am too lazy to play with WINE), so I guess now it's .5 and
1.5?

~~~
sho
Ha. I know the feeling.

I have a HP box not 3 metres from me with an XP Professional install key on a
fricking _sticker_ on the case. I can't find the original media. The code
doesn't work with any other disk I can find. I need Windows to play games
(HL2, not available on my usual Macs).

What do I do? I "pirate" Windows XP, of course. Now I'm running a pirated
Windows XP Pro on a machine _with a Windows XP Pro key on a sticker on the
case_. It's surreal. The lack of respect it engenders for Microsoft and their
WGA crap is palpable.

~~~
anamax
IANAL, but this sounds like a class action lawsuit or an argument that MS has
stolen something from you. (You paid good money for that license as evidence
by the sticker. You have something that purports to be the program that you
paid money for, but the two don't work together because of affirmative
measures by MS.)

In many/most US states, they can't get around the implied warrantee of fitness
(the thing that you bought does what they said it would do when they sold it
to you), which at the very least for an OS includes "installs".

~~~
kajecounterhack
unfortunately, it was also partially your fault for losing the actual media.
then again, microsoft should at least have some way of verifying your key for
another copy of windows that is the same version...

you know what, that problem is actually caused by a few possibilities

1) It's an OEM sticker. You'd have to find/download an OEM disk in that case
that matches your manufacturer

2) You're downloading XP Pro with a SP when you have a key for plain old XP
Pro

It could always be something else, but these are two (read: common) scenarios
I know that have frustrated myself and friends in the past.

No more, no more. OpenSUSE ftw.

------
omouse
This is why Free Software is much better. There is no license that needs to be
bought or activated and thus none of these problems exist.

~~~
patio11
If you made a single-point induction on software in my field for proprietary
software versus open source, you'd probably conclude "License keys are
annoying but on the other hand installers that actually function are sort of
groovy."

