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Page Updated and Links validated 9 December 2002.
What's Wrong With Product Activation
What Microsoft say:-
What a man who is respected says:-
- Software installation will be more complicated. Installing software is complex enough. Adding product activation into the mix will make installation even more complex, unreliable, and frustrating.
- There is no way to de-activate the software. If you purchase a new computer, you will need to phone Microsoft for permission to reinstall the software on your new system. The people at the other end of the phone line, of course, have no way to verify that the software was actually uninstalled on the first system, so it's likelythat a new activation key will be issued with minimal hassle. Or maybe not.
- For Office XP, a maximum of eight (or is it eleven?) activations will be granted. After that, you will be required to purchase a new license. So, if a person formats his/her hard drive frequently, Office XP will have a very limited lifespan.
- Is it really possible that Microsoft's activation servers will be up and running 24/7/365, with no down time? Not likely. Even if product activation works flawlessly 98% of the time, that still results in problems for hundreds of thousands of users. And, of course, the activation servers will be prime targets fordenial-of-service attacks. The telephone activation alternative requires that you read a long string of characters to the phone operator, and then receive another long string of characters back.
- Consumers may now find it impossible to resell their software. Microsoft's EULA does allow a "one-time permanent transfer" of the software. But who would want to buy a used copy of software that may have only a few or no activations remaining?
- There is no guarantee that Microsoft will continue to issue activation keys in the future. If, 3-4 years from now, you replace your existing computer, will Microsoft still be willing to issue a new activation key? Will they charge a fee for this? Or will they say, "Sorry, this product is no longer supported. Buy a subscription to the latest version." No one knows the answer. And if Microsoft has an answer, they aren't saying.
- Software that uses product activation can be disabled remotely by Microsoft. This can be done by not providing a new activation key if they suspect the software was not installed legitimately. See this article for an example of how Microsoft has disabled some Office2000 installations that were suspected of using unauthorized product
keys.
- Activation data is stored on Microsoft servers and on end users' systems. There is a possibility that these servers could be compromised either accidentally or maliciously. And there is a possibility that a virus could specifically destroy the activation information stored on the user's system. In such a case hundreds of thousands of legitimate users could lose the use of their software.
- Product activation may set a trend. If consumers don't raise a fuss about product activation, it's very likely
that other software vendors will follow suit. When that happens, moving all of your software from one system to another will be a nightmare.
- A common claim is that software piracy is responsible for the high cost of software. If that's the case, shouldn't Microsoft be lowering their prices instead of raising them?
