The problem with the software industry

Software licensing is no laughing matter when the BSA funds it's operations through squeezing small businesses with legal extortion.

extortion: Unlawful exaction of money or property through intimidation or undue exercise of authority. It may include threats of physical harm, criminal prosecution, or public exposure. Some forms of threat, especially those made in writing, are occasionally singled out for separate statutory treatment as blackmail.

It's articles like these that should enrage any computer user.

"BSA audits zing companies for software that came with used computers they bought to save money. The BSA considers software pirated if a company can't produce a receipt for it, no matter how long ago it was purchased. Software boxes or certificates of authenticity are no help, because the BSA argues the software could have been obtained from an illegitimate source."

"Beyond hunting for dicey characters buying and selling counterfeits, the BSA also devotes significant attention to other forms of what it calls piracy by business users. The money harvested in these company-by-company crackdowns is not parceled to its members whose copyrights were infringed; the funds stay with the BSA to fuel its operations. (BSA's worldwide settlements soared 53 percent last year to $56 million.)"

It's time to reel back in the BSA and it's piracy. It's far too easy to fall out of compliance when the BSA requires such high standards to prove that the software is legitimate. I would contend that most piracy is blatant and that going after companies for simple software licensing foul-ups sends the wrong message.

"Enraged, CEO Sterling Ball vowed never to use Microsoft software again, even if "we have to buy 10,000 abacuses." He shifted to open-source software, which lacks such legal entanglements because its underlying code is freely distributed."

While I laud Bell for switching to Open Source it's for the wrong reasons. He is not switching because it's the best tool for the job, but because he believes it will protect him from further extortion from the BSA. In reality the BSA can hit him up again and he will still have to prove that he does not have any illegal software on his systems costing him time and money.

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Why 2007 ( and '08 and '09 ) will not be the "Year of the linux desktop"

Whenever I talk to my mother about switching systems the first question that she asks is “Will it run Quicken?” This is no trivial question as she has over 7 years of data stored in the archives and she uses it for her business. The answer to this question is important to all linux users as without understanding Windows users you will never be able to entice them over.

Right now under linux the honest answer would be “No”. While you might be able to get it running under Wine or CrossOver, both admit that there are serious limitations with this solution.  There are native UNIX applications like Money Dance, but that does not offer a drop in solution since it lacks online banking and other feature.  Really there is nothing for the advanced Quicken user, just as there are advanced Office users that are equally put out by Open Office.

Don’t get me wrong I think there is more to linux than the desktop.  It absolutely shines in a managed environment or in the pre-packages environment where the end user does not have to worry about the low level management of the system.  It also goes without saying that the server realm will continue to be dominated by linux for some time to come.

Anchor Applications a.k.a “The Killer App”

This question underscores one of the current failings of the linux community. The inability to bring to fruition any applications that are linux only and compelling.  For the most part the “superstar” desktop linux offering fall into one of three categories.  

• Blatant rip-offs:   Kontact, evolution,  AmoraK, songbird ( oops songbird is cross platform ), and more.


• Cross-platform staples:  Firefox, VLC, and OpenOffice


• Ported to Windows or Mac: Gimp, and Pidgin

Compare that to both Windows and Mac where there are plenty of “Anchor” application that their end users really can’t live without.  Try to get an accountant to go without the use of QuickBooks, a Videographer without FCP, or a photographer without Photoshop and you get the idea.  These people do not have any reason to put up with any degradation in their experience no matter how much it might save them in software licensing costs.  While consumers are cost sensitive, they tend to be much more time sensitive and software.

The problem this presents for linux is the lack of traction with desktop linux users.  What’s keeping them from fleeing at the first sign of something offered on one of the other desktop solutions ( be it from Windows, Mac, another distro, or other platform )?  Really there is nothing.  Applications already make it dirt simple to move most files to and from linux, Windows, and Mac without incident.  There are virtually no files that you can create under linux that can not be read by Windows, Mac, or other platform.

The Linux Desktop Market

What appears to make up the current linux desktop market.  This only includes those people that are running an unmanaged, standalone copy of linux on their desktop or laptop computer.

• Hard core linux users:  These are users that use linux because it’s linux.  They don’t need a reason to run linux.


• Cheapskates:  People who get the $199 special and don’t want to be bothered with windows.  People who have a pile of computers in their basement/attic and can’t be bothered to pirate another copy of windows when linux is “good enough” for now.


• Techies:  UNIX professionals who need a tool that will interact well with other Linux/UNIX system.  The problem with these users is that it seems like they are flocking to Mac hardware since it gives them the ability not just to interact with UNIX services, but will also boot or virtualize linux and windows as well.


• Refugees:  People from the Windows world who feel they are no longer welcome.  These users are also likely to be poached by Apple.

Realistically there is only a limited number of people that are hard core users.  The bounds of the other two groups will ebb and flow with the times.  If Microsoft ever started giving away a “home” version of the OS the linux desktop movement would be set back years in total numbers because only the hard core users would remain.  Dell’s foray into selling Ubuntu on some of it’s laptops will be an interesting experiment in the overall growth of linux.  Will it have a material impact or will it just fizzle out like almost all other attempts people have made?  HP, Dell, and countless smaller vendors have been preinstalling variants of linux or freedos for years without significant impact on the market.

But What About ‘X’

Well I have received a number of reasons over the years.  Some of them less compelling than others.

• It’s about choice:  Good for you.  If you can make a solution of hardware and software work for you then congratulations.  But you seem to forget that it’s not a reason for someone else to switch.  The possibility of some future advantage is rarely a good motivator for someone who is comfortable with what they have.


• It’s not Microsoft:  It’s amazing how many linux advocates take this position.  Personally I wouldn’t shed one tear if Microsoft disappeared tomorrow, but that is still not a good reason for an existing Windows user to switch to a linux desktop.  Personally I will not recommend a Windows solution to people at the current time.  Based on pst behavior I see them continuing to treat their customers like criminals when they are not busy making their current hardware and software obsolete.


• Developing counties:  While poor places like India, China, and the OLPC project do offer an excellent opportunity for linux to get hundreds of new users there is also a huge problem.  As these places become not poor they will once again be aggressively courted by Microsoft and Apple.  I foresee any gains in these markets to be taken back once their economies have picked up again.


• New users:  There is also some delusion that all new users could take to linux as well as any OS.  I feel this is true, there is no reason a new user would not be able to pick up Ubuntu as easily as Windows these days.  The problem is they have little reason to stick to linux when push comes to shove.  When a “killer app” is released for this user under Windows what’s to stop them from jumping ship?  The smart ones will virtualize, but lets face it most users are not that smart and will end up dual-booting or wiping linux.

And That’s Not All!

At this point I have been concentrating on the lack of “anchor” application for the linux desktop, but I could have selected any number of the other failings that linux has for this piece.  I can think of no less than a half dozen possible issues that linux needs to address before a significant desktop userbase will ever be achieved.

Conclusion

Every year for the last few I keep hearing “It’s the year of the linux desktop” but don’t you know it never happens.  Each year it’s heralded in by some new amazing success stories and breakthrough news.  Each year comes and goes and nothing happens.  This year will come and go too without the desktop market being consumed by Linux. 

The linux desktop market is doomed to a niche.  I don’t believe it can ever grow beyond a very limited set of users that will be constantly “flipped” to one of the other two desktop platforms as they grow and find their own “killer app”.  Without it’s own “anchor” linux will always be adrift, picking up refugees, techies, and cheapskates who will bring down the community and then leave.

To the linux users who take offense to this article, write in your own blog and post the link since it’s going to take more than just a one line reply.

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Internet Explorer 7 ( IE7 ) Another Pretty Face From Microsoft

As a majority of the people reading this blog are using IE I figured I would give it a spin. While the sporty new UI is quite slick, the WOW factor wears off quickly as you attempt to do any real work.

Because my XP is full patched I have IE7 and was raring to go. I decided to give my usual array of website a drive with the new browser to see how well it ran against my old stand by, Firefox 1.5. This is not meant to be an exhaustive blow-by-blow, but a simple review of how IE7 seems to respond.

The first thing you can't help but notice is the new interface. Minimalistic but functional would be the way I would describe the new interface. The two "drop down" menu's are "Page" and "Tools". Despite my initial confusion as to where to find things I was quick to catch on. First I wanted to check a number of bugs with web applications that I have been using and most of them were browser independent.

So far so good. It looks good, responds well, was quick and easy to setup.

Problem in a Flash

The first sign of trouble was when I went to check my website stats. The Google Analytics website makes heavy use of flash. Upon the first visit I was asked to install the flash ActiveX. Unfortunately for me it did not work. I tried several other sites and the same thing, flash only partially worked. Attempting to re-install flash would not work. This sent me on a quest through the search engines finally ending up at a Microsoft forum where several possible solutions were offered by different MVP's. Finally I found a flash removal tool that was able to completely remove the previous installation so that I could reinstall directly from Adobe. This solution was able to fix my problems with flash.

This is not a solution that would have been easy for a new or inexperienced user would have been able to discover on thier own. Why Microsoft could not have included corrective action before installing ActiveX controls that it knows in advanced are faulty escapes me.

Cookie Monster

I don't have a complex system. It's a stock XP SP2 home with Norton AV and the XP firewall, I don't use any other filtering applications. IE7 was unable to remember my cookies properly across browser sessions, but only for Google sites.... Hmmmm. Even between Google applications the "remember me" function fails to work properly because of one or more of MS's new security features. I took some time to see if this had something to do with me. First things first I tried adding google to the always accept cookies under under "Internet Option" without any change in behaviour.

Moving on I decided that the google toolbar might somehow be interacting poorly with the new IE7, hell Adobe flash didn't work right, so I went ahead and used the new tools in IE7 to completely deactivate the google toolbar any any other google browser plugin. I did this through the "Manage add-ons" tool that IE7 has added so conveniently to the "Tools" menu.

Unfortunately after all of that things got worse. Now every attempt to go to the Google AdSense page pops up a warning about Intranets.... WTF MS do you have to remind me on every damn page?

Bugs

Within my short span of using IE7 there here are a few more bugs that I ran across.

• Flash is quirky requiring re-installation of ActiveX control for some
• Cookie behaviour is unlike anything that I have used
• Appears to "dislike" many Google services
• Quick tabs are not kept updated with the tabs
• Quick tabs rendering appears to require their own fetch and loading of pages!
• Full screen "auto hide" of top menus is great, except that only mouse movement activates it. When using keyboard shortcuts the menu does not pull down automatically

But it's not the obvious bugs that are the problem it's the random issues. Watching the newsgroups there seem to be as many seemingly random issues as there are installations of IE7.

Run Away?

During installation of IE7 we are told that we can uninstall this product at any time, unfortunately this might be stretching the truth. The uninstallation wizard warns that any application installed after IE7 might not function properly after uninstallation ( Whoops ). At least they are getting more honest about the reliability of the uninstall method. Not wanting to risk the overall stability of my installation I did not attempt uninstallation.

MVP's posts generally agree that the only safe way to remove this application is with a "restore point", unfortunatily this solution only works so long as you are not making and real changes to your computer. It really is the sledge hammer of removal tools and it's a crime that Microsoft is allowing this application out the door without proper uninstall support.

UPDATE: Followed steps on this helpful page to remove IE7. The steps include turning off Automatic Updates and rebooting twice. Oh, and tell me why, oh why, does automatic update tell you to reinstall IE7 after a user just finished uninstalling it? ( another bug ).

Conclusion

Yet again Microsoft has released a half-baked product. While sporting a new and improved UI with slick new graphics it's got a rotten underbelly. It's quirks will confound and confuse the average user and at the same time thumbs it's nose at advanced users as well. It seems to be unable or unwilling to render without comment pages that work just fine in other browsers that I use. Businesses should be very afraid of how there Web applications will respond within this monster. While the bugs are still being worked out I recommend a browser like Firefox or Opera to get essential work done.

My big question for Microsoft... is IE6 so completly broken that this is a "Critical Update" or just another way for Microsoft to push Vista?

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Windows Genuine Advantage ( WGA ) needs a new name.... Windows Genuine Extortion

UPDATE: If you are looking for information on how to pirate Windows you have come to the wrong blog. I recommend you take a look at Linux and Apple. If you must use Windows pony up the $80 to NewEgg.com and buy a OEM copy of the software and be legal!

From Wikipedia

Extortion is a criminal offense, which occurs when a person either obtains money or property from another through coercion or intimidation or threatens one with physical harm unless they are paid money or property. Euphemistically, refraining from doing harm is sometimes called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime groups. The actual obtainment of money or property is not required to commit the offense. Making a threat of violence or a lawsuit which refers to a requirement of a payment of money or property to halt future violence or lawsuit is sufficient to commit the offense. The simple four words "pay up or else" are sufficient to constitute the crime of extortion. An extortionate threat made to another in jest is still the crime of extortion.

Looking Back

My mother needed a windows system that would stand the test of time. It needed to just work and provide her with the applications that she used. She really didn't care about all the features, but I settled on XP Pro so that I could remote control the system from afar. Back in 2002/2003 it seemed like the most viable option for her needs. In retrospect it pains me to know that decision ended up costing me far too much of my time over the past several years.

I setup my mother's system almost three years ago with Windows XP professional. Being a good geek at the time the only good way to install XP was slipstreamed with SP1 and a VLK to avoid "activation woes". The setup was painless and the system has been operation since that time with need for little more than an occasional cleanup and defragment. This year as Microsoft started pushing WGA I knew it would eventually lead to nothing but trouble for us.

In the past few months the WGA Notifier finally made it's appearance on my mothers system and she has been calling me ever since to get it fixed. Recently I went over to try and clear this up by resetting the product key to a perfectly valid OEM key.

Note: I know that the use of the VLK was technically in breach of the license, but at the time it was the most effective way to do a slipstreamed installation without the hassles of activation. This was not an attempt at piracy since I had a fully licenced copy availible. Between OEM cruft installed by default and activation it was far easier ( at the time ) to do it this way.

Windows Genuine Annoyance

My mom called and complained to me time and time again that the messages were "everywhere" and would not go away. I had no idea that she was being quite literal and the messages were far more pervasive and annoying than I thought possible of Microsoft.

There are messages on the logon screen, there are timeouts when you log in, taskbar popups that would make any scammer proud, and of course the inability to do anything on Microsoft's site without being nagged or outright prohibited because they believe you are a dirty pirate. It's not bad enough that they are nagging the crap out of you, but clicking on the balloon "To resolve now" is an exercise in frustration. The problem occurs because the WGA task bar widget opens the pages in the default browser, unfortunately for those of us who have decided to turn off IE, those pages launched are useless in firefox.

So all of these messages from Microsoft to resolve the problem are just dead ends for those who have a safe browser installed.

"Get Genuine" aka I Want My $150 Dollars Now!

After activating IE6 I was able to finally make some heads or takes of what was going on with the system and I became infuriated. From my perspective I had the following four option available to me.

I already knew that I could re-install from original media and use the OEM key to create a working system, but this was a none to pleasant option for a system that has been running for almost 3 years. The fact of the matter is that restoring the system to all of it's functionality would be a full time job for me even with the backups that I have. All of the software on CD or downloaded over the years would have to be reinstalled and reconfigured to work in a manner that my mother had become accustom to.

According to the Genuine Advantage webpages I could "Get Genuine" and avoid a re-installation by ponying up $150 in order to appease Microsoft ( for the time being ). They would provide me with tools and keys that would make the error messages go away and even send me copies of the software on CD for future re-installations.

I could try and update my installation with other tools in order to get it to recognize a perfectly valid OEM key for XP Professional, but the documentation for that is scant at best.

I could go back to the warez groups and use some WGA removal tools to stop the nag/spyware that Microsoft has installed on my mothers computer.

Unfortunately for me I selected trying to get windows to recognize my perfectly valid OEM key.

I started my quest with the standard search of Google and came up with a Knowledge Base article from Microsoft. With it I was able to get the system to fail activation, but for some reason I could not get it to take the new product key. This was ok, I would jut call the activation hotline since they have been helpful in the past with strange error messages like this. This time they were initially helpful and even waited as the very slow system rebooted, but then were unable to help. The real kicker was when I mentioned that I was trying to change keys because I was getting a WGA error. The person on the phone told me to buy the $150 "Get Genuine Kit" and then proceeded to hang up on me.

At this point I am livid and I have to take a break from the computer.

Getting Real Help

That same evening I went home armed with new information about why, why, and how. It turns out that the only reason the validation is failing is because the venerable VLK used has been blacklisted by Microsoft. Going online with the search "VLK OEM" I was able to finally pull of the correct answer to my quandary. Microsoft has a product called the "KeyUpdateTool" that helps to convert a VLK to an OEM key including updates to the software to make it valid. Why was this not the first option that Microsoft presented to people rather than a demand for payment? I will be trying out this tool in the next day or so to see if it's working and I will report back.

I was also able to find forums run by Microsoft when researching this story, forums that were not apparent on any of the screens that the WGA tools brought up. These program presume guilt and act accordingly without fear of repercussions. My mother probably would have been incapable of divining this option from the information given and would have been forced to "pay up" had I not come to her aid.

Extortion

"To protect your copy of Window, you must click Get Genuine now."

"pay up or else" ... I was not kidding when I said it was Windows Genuine Extortion. This whole process is designed to intimidate and coerce customers in to paying protection money to Microsoft. This is not some vague threat, but a specific threat to withhold fixes to manufacturing defects. They fail to properly disclose how this could be in error and they do not help the customer with the issues that their software is directly responsible for creating. It's not like people are asking for a free upgrade to Vista, we are talking about security bugs and engineering defects in XP. Even the threat to withhold these fixes without payment should constitute extortion on behalf of Microsoft.

Make no mistake, this is a clear cut protection racket designed to earn more revenue from customers to frightened, lazy, or busy to discover the truth for themselves. It's use as an anti-piracy tool is limited since those people truly pirating XP will disable the WGA notification and use a 3rd party patching tool to get their security updates. Yes, the people really hurt by this change are those honest customers that want to "do the right thing".

Looking Forward

Had I the option I would have installed Linux in a heartbeat, but unfortunately my mother was far too tied to specific, proprietary, software to make that a real option. Had Apple been where it is today I would have gone with OS X in a heartbeat. But for now it's XP or bust and I have to deal with the mess that Microsoft has created for it's customers.

The next generation of Microsoft products only make the whole system worse. WGA is now an integral part of Vista. This should at least reduce the number of false positives the systems creates, but it now means that every user making almost any change to the hardware of their system will invoke the wrath of "Activation" by calling Microsoft and begging to be allowed to continue to use the software they purchased legally.

Mark my word, this whole process has soured my palate for Microsoft. I have up until now believed "The right tool for the right job" but I can no longer in good conscience recommend Microsoft because of this latest attack on it's customers. Thankfully looking around we have several options available to us. Both Apple and Linux's offering are robust and compelling for the modern consumer. While all have some shortcomings there are very few customers for whom Apple or Linux are not an acceptable option moving forward. Even if Microsoft never goes to trial for this criminal offense I can only hope that they are tried in the "Court of public opinion" and people see this for mess that it is.

Postscript

The other night I went over armed with the KeyUpdateTool and this time I had much more success. It took me a total of 30 minutes to use the key, reboot, and then do a telephone activation. Now her system is "genuine" and "authorized". While I understand Microsoft's wish to combat piracy, they only thing that they really accomplish with this latest round of inquisitions is to further aggravate customers by treating them, once again, like criminals. Shoot first and ask questions later is not a smart way to build a lasting relationship in the market.

After speaking with mom we have come to the conclusion that her next system will probably be a nice shiny Apple MacBook.

Post-Postscript

If you want to read up on more stories just like this all you need to go to Microsoft's own forums. There is story after story after story after story after story after story after story and I'm just getting warmed up. My personal favorite is "My Mother is a Software Pirate".

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