As reports that the built-in WGA check (i.e. the built in check to make sure that you aren’t using what Microsoft considers an illegal version of Windows) is being removed from Internet Explorer 7.
The move is remarkable because it is the first time that Microsoft has removed WGA checks from a product in order to increase the attractiveness of that product. It’s difficult to see this as any but an attempt to get as many users as possible to install IE7, even those who have pirated Windows.
Yup. Dang difficult to see it any other way. Microsoft’s official explanation?
Because Microsoft takes its commitment to help protect the entire Windows ecosystem seriously, we’re updating the IE7 installation experience to make it available as broadly as possible to all Windows users. With today’s “Installation and Availability Update,” Internet Explorer 7 installation will no longer require Windows Genuine Advantage validation and will be available to all Windows XP users. (Source: )
Where by “entire Windows ecosystem” we mean “we’d rather you steal Windows and use Internet Explorer than steal Windows and use Firefox.” as Ars suggested (same article as above):
…the only people who would typically be foiled by IE7’s built-in WGA would be pirates who have already cracked Windows activation and Windows’ own WGA. One imagines that, rather than searching for a “cracked” version of IE7, most of these people would simply download a free browser such as Firefox.
They are also the same people who would be most likely to realize that IE7 gives them nothing that Firefox (or Opera) doesn’t, and that given Microsoft’s track record for security and generally lousy software design, I’m sure most never even bothered to look for a cracked version of IE7.
I just love the fact that Microsoft is acknowledging that piracy really isn’t as important as market-share.
Not as much as I love the fact that when I recently reinstalled OS X I didn’t have to both looking for a 36 character code to put in as I would have with Windows (well I don’t really have any idea how long it is, the last version of Windows that I manually installed was Windows 98 SE, the only others I’ve used [Win2k and XP] came pre-installed).