Re: Microsoft Activation ... UGH

Subject: Re: Microsoft Activation ... UGH
From: "Chuck Martin" <cm -at- writeforyou -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 15:08:58 -0700



"Sean Brierley" <seanb_us -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote in message
news:216187 -at- techwr-l -dot- -dot- -dot-
>
> Does anyone here document activation?
>

I wrote this about product activation a couple of weeks ago in Macromedia's
Dreamweaver newsgroup:

"Product Activation is like the door Nazis at Fry's and other electronics
stores: the default assumption is that you're criminal until you prove
otherwise, rather than the other way around.

"Monopolists seem to employ this strategy more often that smaller sompanies
and as a substitute for software quality. Have you not learned form the
Intuit lesson? Symantec added Product Activation to its 2004 product line,
and that (plus the fact that it apparently also slows down machines its
installed on) is already driving users away from upgrading and looking for
alternatives (including me).

"Product Activation doesn't prevent piracy, but it does annoy and offend
legitimate users. I don't think that's a good way to treat paying
customers."

I got this in email a few days later:

"You won't know me, but I happened to read your piece on Google below, and
just wanted to say I have never seen a true'r comment posted. I agree with
you 100%."

Meanwhile, Intuit has aplogized to its customers for inflicting product
activation on TurboTax 2003 buyers:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20031010/tc_nm/tech_intuit_dc_2
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/pcworld/20031009/tc_pcworld/112858

(Interesting how this story came out *after* I wrote the original post.)

Chuck Martin



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