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Less-Than-Genuine Buyer Protection | 31 comments (31 topical) | Post A Comment
How much research is enough[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#3)
by partan on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 09:16:47 AM PDT

It's unbelievable to me that the problem has gotten this bad.  We not only have to research the software we purchase, but also the business we purchase it from and their supplier..."to infinity and beyond"?  This is a sad state of affairs.  I guess the only way to know that you have "genuine" anything is to buy it from the manufacturer, making retail stores and warehouses obsolete.  Maybe that's what Microsoft, and the like, are really up to?

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Don't be silly[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#8)
by Anonymous User on Sat Feb 23, 2008 at 07:10:13 AM PDT

The reader tried to save a buck.  He got burned.  Lesson learned.  If a price is too good to be true, it probably is.

And no, this doesn't rule out buying it retail.  Many stores sell legit, SEALED copies of Windows XP, Windows Vista, etc.

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Are you sure?[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#13)
by partan on Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 07:56:24 AM PDT

I've heard of issues with even sealed copies of software.  Activation has it's issues.

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"Genuine" Software[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#16)
by Anonymous User on Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 03:42:41 PM PDT

While I am not a fan of Microsoft's licensing policies, I am definitely against software pirates (and no, I don't want to start a debate on pricing lecels, etc!) If you are a volume licensing user, you know it - so if your software doesn't come with a certificate of authenticity it is stolen or mis-licensed. Next time, check for it! Without it you just paid $94 for a 50 cent CD, and someday Microsoft may wake up and invalidate your software.

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Actually...[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#24)
by Anonymous User on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 05:24:48 AM PDT

...no matter what, if you pay for Windows you just paid big bucks for a 50 cent CD. That's its marginal cost of reproduction. Whether the rest of the money goes to M$ or goes to someone else it was pure profit.

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What is it with guys like you[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#34)
by straybeat on Wed Apr 02, 2008 at 06:15:02 PM PDT

It's Microsoft's piss-poor system. Why should I have to be a software engineer to determine if my Windows is legal? How would you feel if you took your car in for a tune-up and the mechanic said, "I'm sorry, your engine wasn't a genuine GM, it was built in somebody's backyard, so we pulled it out and disabled your car!" Would that be your fault because you're not a master mechanic and should have known that when you bought the car? How long would this lame argument last if auto companies operated like Microsoft has been allowed to?
General malcontent and non-conformist!
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Less-Than-Genuine Buyer Protection | 31 comments (31 topical) | Post A Comment
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