Other companies have been using the same mechanisms for years. Ever used a Steinberg or Native Instruments product. They're either secured with a dongle and also keep track of hardware changes and/or improper use. Or take "World of Warcraft" where Blizzard can lock you out, if you violate the terms. It is really nothing new or outrageous.As long as it works as intended, I don't care if I "own" my copy of Vista or "lease" it. Granted, the term is misleading. The lease enables MS to lock your copy, if it violates the EULA. If you play it by the book, then noone should have a problem with it.Let's just assume that you sell a product and find out that 30% of all the installs are illegal unpaid copies. Wouldn't you be ticked off as well? It is nearly impossible to produce records, movies, software and games (heck, even FSX) like 5-10 years ago. Let alone impossible for independent bands and movie makers to even break even on production costs. Piracy hurts us all.Someone needs to pull the plug on software piracy. MS did and people still seem not to be happy about it. To what extend does it affect the normal user of Vista? Probably not at all. Will it affect the torrent/music/movie junkie who downloads a copy of $2000 in software in 30 minutes - for sure. And those are and will be there ones who cry the loudest. The time of shopping for free is over.Pat

of the monopoly. I'll wait for the intelligent, un-bloated, OS that will inevitably come out within the next 5 years. I say "inevitably" because of the second law of thermodynamics. Since I, personally, have always been many years late on "upgrading" Windows, to my greatest benefit, I'll just sit back, sim-fly and enjoy the show.

Someone needs to pull the plug on software piracy. MS did and people still seem not to be happy about it. To what extend does it affect the normal user of Vista? Probably not at all. Will it affect the torrent/music/movie junkie who downloads a copy of $2000 in software in 30 minutes - for sure. And those are and will be there ones who cry the loudest. The time of shopping for free is over.So the solution is to intrude into the lives of those of us who are the paying customers? That's a business model that simply won't survive.The thing I like most about Vista's release? It will spur the further development of products like Linux and apps that can run on them.

@Wyoming&SoarPics: Linux is currently as "bloated" as any other OS. Ever tried to install a recent version of SuSE with all the "bells and whistles" on a machine with less than 1GB Ram? Good luck. KDE and Gnome are as bloated and complex as Vista. OSX is only more "lightweight", because of the limited amout of hardware that is being supported.Please explain in detail in what way MS does intrude in our lives? Name ONE example that is unique to Vista and that hasn't been used by other companies before.Pat

Wow, You have to read threads like this to realize how many paranoid people are out there. Microsoft has the right to deactivate programs that compromise the software (Vista). Do you really believe that is a hardware driver or a game? No, its to find out what Cracks are out there for the illegal Vista users and lock it out of the O/S. It easy enough to find those cracks and now Microsoft will introduce a feature to defeat them. Own the O/S? Have you ever read any EULA? You are paying for the right to use the software. Use it anyway you want and the manufacturer, Microsoft in this case, will not care unless it is illegal. Then do you really deserve any consideration?Keep a lookout for black helicopters and guys in suits with sunglasses.

Name ONE example that is unique to Vista and that hasn't been used by other companies before.You're missing the point, Pat. It's not about what others have or have not used before (or now). Software vendors claim certain rights at the expense of the rights (where the law allows) of their paying customers. Life couldn't get more narrow-minded than that.Stopping piracy is important to all of us (due primarily to it's ugly impact on commerce), but making the paying customers wary or unhappy due to the current popular copyright protection schemes will benefit nobody... vendors and customers alike. Rather than continuing to persue the piracy issue at the expense of the customer's confidence and comfort, software vendors must reach the point of embracing their customers as allies.

>Someone needs to pull the plug on software piracy. MS did and>people still seem not to be happy about it. To what extend>does it affect the normal user of Vista? Probably not at all.>Will it affect the torrent/music/movie junkie who downloads a>copy of $2000 in software in 30 minutes - for sure. And those>are and will be there ones who cry the loudest. The time of>shopping for free is over.Piracy has been present from the day the first computer was created. Despite 40 years of efforts and a multitude of supposedly "final remedies" for it, piracy is well and alive more than ever. Anti-piracy measures are just becoming more and more sources of trouble for honest paying customers. The same will be true for Vista.Well, I know AVSIM and most of its readers have a radically different opinion on that...Marco

Ok, then come up with a suitable alternative. What would you suggest to stop piracy?Software is not free. Even some of the rather inexpensive FS add-ons, like Active Camera and Radar Contact are tracking hardware changes, so I don't find it surprising at all that larger companies are implementing similar mechanisms.

I will just wait let the guys who feel they have to have the latest and greatest stuff now iron out the bugs in it with their money and time.Right now XP does all I need or want for now.

Ok, then come up with a suitable alternative.Sorry, but that's not the responsibility of the consumer. If it was then the consumer would logically right their own software (if they could). They can't, so they are stuck buying the software from a vendor. Just like we buy all our other products.What would you suggest to stop piracy?First thing would be substantial prosecution (both civil and criminal). Sadly, few countries take intellectual property piracy seriously. They ignorantly consider it a largely victimless white collar crime. Not until they realize what a nasty, costly toll it brings to commerce will we see serious prosecution.One thing is for sure, though... current anti-piracy schemes used by many software vendors simply are not working. As the computer world grows ever larger piracy continues to grow with it.

Ok, you're against software piracy, but it's not the responibilty of the consumer to react, but it's also wrong, if a company takes measures to stop illegal activities, which is able to wipe out and entire generation of artist, record companies, software manufacturers and movie makers. Who should take some action then?Substantial prosecution sounds like a good alternative, but unfortunately not practical, because it would overwhelm any judical system. You simply cannot throw every 12yo into jail, who choses to download the latest Top 10 song.The problem has to be defeated by the source and that is, unfortunately, DRM. You/We are paying the price for a generation that has no respect for ownership. Mind me, I have also created mix tapes for my friends back in the 80s, but that is just nothing compared to the MASSIVE copyright and illectual infringements that are being violated nowadays. I welcome the change, even it does inconvienence me.Again, DRM or WGA will only affect the ones who chose to break the law and use it. It will 'inconvenience' us, but that's it. It has hardly to do with taking our freedom or liberty away.

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>First thing would be substantial prosecution (both civil and>criminal). Sadly, few countries take intellectual property>piracy seriously. They ignorantly consider it a largely>victimless white collar crime. Not until they realize what a>nasty, costly toll it brings to commerce will we see serious>prosecution.>>One thing is for sure, though... current anti-piracy schemes>used by many software vendors simply are not working. As the>computer world grows ever larger piracy continues to grow with>it.>I'm with Greg, until the many countries that allow for rampant piracy (Asia comes to mind) are made to do something drastic about it, it will continue to be a problem and 'we" will pay for it. Instead of all these lame protection schemes, the WORLD needs to adopt a task force that hunts these pirate sites down and puts them out of business and prosecutes them to the fullest.I am not opposed to an OS checking for corrupt code or an illegal install, I am against someone invading my PC and especially against a company like MS being the ones to tell me what I can and can't have on my PC. Considering their past record and the fact they have strive to eliminate competing products by offering their version instead, they are NOT in the best position to be telling me what programs I can or cannot have on my PC.Unless the DRM issue is resolved, the best bet for those that will need DX10 for gaming is seperate PCs, one that controls all it's content for gaming and one for NORMAL use.Regards, MichaelKDFW

Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe nForce4 SLI-x16 / AMD

I agree with you and totally understand the point.However, it is not like MS has hired 10k analysts who randomly check your computer for illegal software, snoop on your data, read your email and delete kiddie porn. Again, if you play by the rules, you'll not have problem with it and it won't affect you negatively in any way.DRM is a business decision. It is the 3rd party companies and individuals that can CHOOSE to use DRM. Noone needs to use it.If you come across a website and pay for a DRM movie, then you have to deal with the (potential) negative consequences, if you upgrade your hardware. It doesn't matter, if you use Vista or XP.

Interesting stuff, a lot of paranoia, but legitimate points too.I guess if you don't pirate software, then no need to worry, but all the same, I do find all this very invasive, who are MS to play Big Brother, anyway its not like they are a government? If the Major Hollywood and music studio players are paying Microsoft to snoop on us, then it is for their benefit, they must be crossing Billys palm, so why then are the Vista OS's the most expensive for us consumers?Somebody is raking in money with this scheme, and its not us.I think its time for an official rumour control from Microsoft to surface, speculation, real or not is getting out of hand now.I just want a clean ... small footprint OS that can run a few games, even Flight sims and be able to surf the net, if Vista can be configured to do this, all good and well.