Key Question about my free copy of Vista Ultimate

[DaveJ]

I'm not trying to start any kind of OS debate, here, I just want to get along, seriously.

I feel lucky. I went to an MS seminar, a free event anyone can sign up for, and they gave us all copies of Vista Ultimate. Actually it has the option to install the other versions too.

My colleague who also went called MS support and was told he has to wait 24 hours to get the key.

But -- it works fine without they key and he was told that the trial period "never expires." Whaa? Rules aside, that seems to mean that it could be installed on as many machines as one wants.

Has anyone ever heard of this? It sounds like MS just wants to get Vista out there so much they're giving it away.

On a side note, my coworker who is pretty experienced in the market pointed out MS is one of the only companies that does not need to make money, they could operate on interest alone. Could explain why they are giving things away now, similar to Google.

[Hokie]

1. I would stop listening at the point that your colleague said..

"MS is one of the only companies that does not need to make money, they could operate on interest alone."
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[DaveJ]

3. I can't be mean to him

I sit in the same room with him 8 hours a day so we have to get along.

[RoyGBiv]

2. Hrrrmmm ...

I've run across two versions of Vista Ultimate that "never expired" whether you entered the key or not. One was a beta version, which didn't strictly expire, but had reduced functionality. The other was a version intended for corporate use ... not exactly the same as the corporate versions of XP that floated around for awhile, but similar.

Take that for what you will, but I very much doubt MS is "giving" anything away.

I also have a question about this statment: "Actually it has the option to install the other versions too." If you have a fully functioning Vista Ultimate, why would you even want to install other versions? That suggests some sort of trickery. "This is free for you, and it lets you install downgraded versions of the same software if you want." Huh?

Weird stuff going on with that.

[DaveJ]

4. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts?

I understand what you're saying. Every other company needs to resort to deceptive tactics to make money. I'm not sure if MS needs to though. We'll see. I will let you know if there are any poblems.

So far it's running great, actually my PC seems to have been designed for Vista even though it came with XP. It had problems waking up from sleep mode before but now it instantly recognizes a mouse click and turns on right away.

My theory is, MS needs to get Vista out there in order to further their other technological initiatives. Even though their lawyers would not let them say it, I actually think they'd be fine if I went around installing this all over the place. I'd be giving it to people who really don't care but it would promote the Vista brand.

I don't normally work on other people's PCs so that's not going to happen. It's all just speculation.

[RoyGBiv]

5. Something like that ...

I don't know if I'd go with the theory that MS doesn't need to make money. They're beholden to stock holders, and stock holders expect a profit. If they don't get a profit, they are no longer stock holders, and then the company's value decreases, and eventually that theory about being able to live off interest goes out the door. It's not like all that value is in cash, not like throwing money in a bank account with a guaranteed interest rate.

Anyway, that's neither here nor there.

If whatever it is you have works for you, go with it, but, yes, be careful of such "gifts."

An interesting aside that came to mind because of this:

Due to Alfredo's inspiration over in the OpenSource group, I started messing with VirtualBox. At length, I got curious and installed a virtual Vista machine on my Linux host. There were some niggles getting it working. The network didn't want to come up on the initial install. I had to allocate 1 gig of my memory for the system and another 128MB of it to video memory to get it to work decently, had a bit of trouble with shared folders on my Linux host, but other than that, it all went smoothly. And it's interesting to play with. At the very least I've been able to work out a few issues others I know are having with their Vista machines that came off as Greek to me when they described them because of my unfamiliarity with the Vista interface.

I still don't like it, but I'll let it sit in its jail on one of my drives and bring it up if the need ever arises.

OnEdit: As to the original question, I have no proof of this and am certain no Microsoft exec would ever admit it openly, but my own theory is that they've given up on Vista and are focusing on Windows 7 now.

[DaveJ]

6. MS is a powerhouse, in some ways maybe...

...sounds crazy, but in terms of their wealth and domestic influence may have equal power as government.

I'm glad you got Vista working with VirtualBox, it shows it's not the beast people make it out to be. It runs better than XP.

I think you've got to be a techie to really understand how Vista is better than XP. Obviously the interface and graphics did not win anyone over. And nobody understood why they needed to uninstall old drivers and software. Well, get real, old drivers and software are just that, old. I'm sorry if there are important applications that someone may need to upgrade but it is in the name of progress.

I hope Vista will not be another Windows ME. I think Vista will be a significant member of the evolution.

I understand the troubles. I am trying to develop a server that will send notifications to a client. Sounds easy. IM and P2P apps do it all the time. But in the new .Net world it's become slightly taboo to even mention it. So I understand how things have changed. MS is creating a new way of creating applications. Average users will never understand that.

It's now more about being a software architect rather than a coder. Coders can be outsourced from anywhere but architects are insiders who need to be within the business, so the whole idea of their approach is keeping jobs at home.

Users don't understand this.

[RoyGBiv]

7. It's a paradox ...

... of a sort.

I really dislike Vista. Really and truly. I've messed with it on other people's machines since it came out and posted a lengthy rant about it some time ago based on personal experience.

But ...

What most people seem not to like about it (excepting the resources it requires just to run properly) are actually the things about it that are good. The UAC, for example, is a specific complaint people have, but that is actually an improvement over XP. MS could have done that differently and made it somewhat less annoying in the way it presents itself, but it does provide a measure of security that XP does not.

But MS is to blame for its own demise in this. They got people accustomed to the idea of running as "root" or "superusers," and that's how the culture has developed. Real security is not an issue with most people. Oh, sure, they want their systems to be secure in the abstract, and they'll spend all kinds of dollars trying to make that system secure, but they aren't willing to make what are relatively minor alterations in their own behavior to help that along. I've never been unintentionally infected with a virus/trojan/etc., not because of my using Linux (I used Windows and before that DOS up until a few years ago) or some sort of protection software, but because of behavior.

Anyways ...

[MyNameGoesHere]

9. Can i ask you why is it

different when UAC pops up than when Linux asks for root or superuser credentials? Is it the interface you dislike? I don't understand the "way it presents itself" thing. As an admin for both a Linux and Windows mixed environment I probably deal with the credential request a 100 or more times a day. They are both an annoying necessity, but i really do not favor one presentation over another.

[RoyGBiv]

10. Not saying it's different ...

I'm not saying it is different. I imagine if I did a side-by-side comparison with people who've complained about the UAC, they'd find Linux's way of doing things equally annoying.

It's not *me* who doesn't like it. It doesn't cause me the slightest irritation. I believe I said elsewhere this was one of the things I thought was good about Vista.

I'm parroting what others have said who've complained to me about it.

"The way it presents itself" involves what comes across as doubled security. You click to run something, and you're asked "Are you sure?" and then the UAC pops up and asks again. I think (I don't know ... but I think) this could be streamlined. But, I'm not saying Linux does it better from a "user friendliness" standpoint.

I know I'm drastically simplifying, but I'm talking about how it looks to people who don't know what's going on underneath. I don't know that this could be made more "user friendly." I don't know that it should be. But that's what people complain about because they grew accustomed to the older way of doing things.

[regnaD kciN]

8. MS routinely puts out "site-licensed" versions of its OS...

The main difference is that these versions don't need to be activated...but you still have to enter a valid product key for it to install and/or keep working after a set period of time.

My guess is that, if Microsoft actually put out a version that didn't require either a product key or activation...well, let's just say you'd probably be able to find it all over the Torrentverse in record time. On second thought, considering it's Vista...maybe not.

:evilgrin:

[DaveJ]

11. I actually like Vista...

I spend a lot of my time in my dark cave, which is an unfinished workroom where I do my programming and electronics, and chat on the DU and such.

Since I installed Vista on the living room computer, though, I'm finding myself venturing out of the darkness a lot more often. Before using it, I didn't understand the need for a full featured OS, but it really is nice. For instance, it's very useful to be able to hover over tabs to see a thumbnail view of other windows without opening them entirely. Also, Vista wakes up from sleep mode much faster than XP, at least in my experience. Internet browsing is faster, probably not because of Vista per se, but since it forced me to upgrade from my crappy wireless network card to a better one. And it just looks and sounds a lot nicer, IMHO.

I've been involved in .Net development at work too so I think I have a greater appreciation for why it behaves the way it does.

My Vista experience has been very positive.

I don't want to get into any kind of OS war. I'm sure other OS's are nice too.

[Dogmudgeon]

12. I had a similar problem

I went to a Microsoft developers' conference earlier this year, and got a ton of freebies -- all official, standard-issue stuff, including Vista Ultimate and Visual Studio.

NONE of it would unlock over the net EXCEPT a web server beta and the SQL Server beta. When I called the activation service number, I was bounced around to a number that was perpetually busy -- I mean, for hours.

But at that point, I had just about had it with Microsoft. For that and other reasons -- like a major malware invasion which a just wrote about -- I switched over to Linux.

I have no idea what MS is doing, or why. The company seems to be intent on destroying itself. I have heard that they are going to start using a subscription payment model for Windows, so that all users will be obliged to pay for it, each year, indefinitely. And I have literally not run into a developer in months who has not either switched over, or is planning to make the jump, to the Penguin. (Of course, it helps that I no longer work developing MSOffice add-ons.)

Good luck. But, sadly, I don't think you'll get much satisfaction. Give Linux a try instead. :)

(I intend no religious warfare by saying that -- but everybody needs a Plan B.)

--p!