MS Office Genuine (dis)Advantage
p2pnet.net News:- As of October 27, Microsoft cop program ‘Office Genuine Advantage’ (OGA) will stop anyone using an illegal version of Microsoft Office from downloading Office templates or other Office downloads, and those using Office Online templates will now require validation.
Moreover, continues TechTree India, " from January 2007, pirated Office users will no longer be able to check for and download Office updates" unless they’ve passed a verification test.
"Microsoft says it will continue to provide a complimentary copy of Microsoft Office to help qualifying customers, who have unknowingly acquired counterfeit versions of Microsoft Office 2003," says the story, " But even for this, users will be required to fill out a counterfeit report, provide proof of purchase, and send in their counterfeit CDs to verify their entitlement to a free replacement copy of Office".
"What does Microsoft expect you to do?" – asks ITWire rhetorically. "Why, buy Office legally, of course – whether the existing Office 2003, or preferably, from Microsoft’s point of view, the upcoming Office 2007, due to be released in the next few weeks. Home users will likely be able to take advantage of a special ‘home’ version of Office that will allow you to legally install it on up to three computers, as is the case with the ‘Student and Teacher’ edition of Office 2003.
Meanwhile, "Those customers who have unknowingly acquired a counterfeit version of Office, but cannot provide the necessary details will be required to cough-up a license fee," Techtree points out.
"And, this fee will be to the tune of $359 (Rs 16,155) for the Office Genuine Advantage kit for Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003; $269 (Rs 12,105) for the Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003; and $139 (Rs 6,255) for the Microsoft Office Student and Teacher Edition 2003. The offer starts next month."
"As it happens," says Guardian Unlimited, quoting John Naughton in The Observer, "this column heartily approves of stamping out the pirating of Microsoft software, because then large numbers of people will realise how expensive the stuff is – and may explore alternatives to paying tithes to Redmond.
"However, with the arrival of Vista, the new version of Windows, the ‘Genuine Advantage’ scheme will take an interesting twist. If you fail to register your copy of Vista with Microsoft then your computer will effectively stop working after a time, allowing you to run only a browser – until you register the product with the folks in Redmond. And this will happen even if you have paid for the software licence."
At the beginning of his piece, The Observer mentions George Owell’s 1984, a book that’s being increasingly quoted as the many and various international conglomerates, notably thos running the music, movie ," and software industries, move to gain control of the Net and the people who use it.
And at the concusion, "back to Orwell," Naughton says. " ‘Political language,’ he wrote, ‘is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.’ ‘Genuine Advantage’ is just such a phrase. It implies an advantage is being conferred upon the consumer whereas, of course, quite the opposite is the case."
Nor, of course, is there anything ‘genuine’ about it.
Also See:
TechTree – Genuine Microsoft Office is a Must! , October 30, 2006
ITWire – Office pirates beware: Microsoft about to put in the boot, October 30, 2006
Guardian Unlimited – Windows Genuine Advantage? Bah, humbug, October 29, 2006
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