To: rballard@cnj.digex.net (Rex Ballard)
Cc: densmore@Crocker.Com, online-news@marketplace.com
In-Reply-To:  from "Rex Ballard" at Jun 6, 95 06:03:27 pm
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Rex Ballard and  others wrote :- 
>
> On Fri, 2 Jun 1995, William P Densmore Jr. wrote:
> 
> > dave oliver wrote:
> > We've seen a lot of conflicting information on this up-coming Microsoft
> > Registration Wizard.  The entire issue sheds some interesting light on
> > both Microsoft and people out here in the field who are sometimes a little
> > too eager to see the company in a bad light.


For the record, what is now being called the Registration Wizard first
incarnated on a "free" disk called the "Upgrade Advisor" over a year and
a half ago.
The "Upgrade Advisor" took an inventory of all apps on your hard drive and 
then recommended that non-Microsoft apps like Wordperfect, dBase etc
be upgraded to Microsoft apps !! In some of those cases the use of the
word *upgrade* in that context would be offensive to some.
Now the same code, no doubt, appears to have surfaced in an online form.

> 
> > Later word, states a bit more calmly that the Wizard is really a software
> > assistant that helps a site administrator with software registration 
> > procedures so that the company (Microsoft) can provide better customer
> > support to software users.  This is the "good cop" scenario.  Not too many
> > newsgroups focus on those companies who try to give high-quality support, 
> > so I can not be sure if Microsoft ran this idea by some customers first.


asrtily agree. good cop as this may sound, the earlier paragrapgh should suggest that the
real intention is to find out what *competing* programs you are using.
I wouldn't be surpised if you are then bombarded with offers on MS Net
getting you to "upgrade" to MS software.

Now I wish I could get something from MS as good as the Linux software I
use to run my Internet gateway, e-mail, USENET feed, Wais-server and
Andrew software all on an old 486/33 with 16 Meg. 

> > Hidden between these two "cops" is the fact that Microsoft wants to know
> > who is using its software.

There is no such inherent right implied when I buy a piece of software -
what next ? They want to know what menus I click on so that they can improve
their software ?
At some point all of these so called "good intentions" cros the line and
invade privacy, let's not forget that.

> 
> > Let's face up to something perhaps most people 
> > dont want to admit: software theft is RAMPANT, mostly because people assume 
> > that the chance of getting caught is virtually nil.


Microsoft actually benefits to a certain extent when someone copies Windows
or DOS - they are "locked in" and in future will use Windows or DOS - at
some point along the line they will become a paying customer.


> Other than a bit of Media Hype, what makes the word processor produced by
> Microsoft so much more intrisicly valuable that the Andrew package which can
> be legitimately owned for under $30/copy.

Agree !!

> 
> > Is this fair, then, that Microsoft wants to know who legitimately 
> > uses its software?  Or is it a huge invasion of privacy?  If it IS an 
> > invasion of privacy, would we take the hit to get better customer service?

Once you calculate that as a trade-off, there's no going back !
You can't get back the information about yourself, should you chnage your
mind a little later.  Take such a step with extreme caution because it is
for a longg long time, if not forever.

> > This costs money, and if we are to continue to 
> > get software that is easy to install and use,, money needs to flow 
> > back to the authors.


Yes, but we if we proceed to allow only one company to write sofware -
there won't be any other authors left.
 
> > Microsoft is of course a huge author of 
> > software, and they are trying to do something about making sure they 
> > get the proceeds from their work.  In many senses, that point is fair.


> > It is not clear in what
> > form information goes back to Microsoft,
> 
 
> > It would
> > have been enough for the Wizard to search out only Microsoft products. 
> > How, for example, could information on non-Microsoft products be useful 
> > to Microsoft Customer Support?

It's useful to MS marketing, which will have access no doubt.

> Very close to absolute power.  Power corrupts...  Even if "Saint Bill"
> is benevolent, what about his Leutenants?
 
> 
> > And, I can see absolutely no benefit to the
> > customer from all this horse-trading.  So, what's the big deal about 
> > telling Microsoft about the software we use?

Go ahead, but make sure to come back and tell us how it all went.

> 
> > dave oliver
> 
> 	Rex Ballard
> 	Standard & Poor's/McGraw-Hill
> 	Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect
> 	the Management of the McGraw-Hill Companies.
> 


Nitin Borwankar,
metanews@borwankar.com


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