Microsoft Tweaks Windows 7 Antipiracy Mechanism
Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT)’s Windows Genuine Advantage antipiracy technology is so widely loathed that the very mention of WGA is enough to cause customers’ blood pressure to spike. Apparently cognizant of this, Microsoft has given the antipiracy technology built into Windows 7 a new name: Windows Activation Technologies.
Windows Activation Technologies is more than just a repackaged version of WGA, however. In a Q&A posted Thursday to Microsoft’s Web site, Joe Williams, general manager of Worldwide Genuine Windows, said Windows 7’s antipiracy mechanism will work as it does in Vista Service Pack 1.
Vista SP 1 users who don’t activate at login see a dialog box asking them to do so, but Microsoft grayed out the ‘Activate Later’ option for 15 seconds, presumably to give users time to think about the gravity of the decision. In Windows 7, users don’t have to wait 15 seconds to choose to activate later, although they are presented with a dialog box informing them of the benefits of activation, according to Williams.
Microsoft introduced product activation with XP as a means of combating piracy by requiring users to input a valid product key in order to activate the system. In 2005, in a bid to stamp out product activation circumvention methods that had sprung up, Microsoft introduced WGA, which verifies the authenticity of a user’s copy of Windows on an ongoing basis. Williams said Microsoft will continue to issue WGA updates for XP.
For More about this: Click here
Hackers have broken into the US Department of Defense’s $300bn (£206bn) Joint Strike Fighter programme, which is partly funded by the UK.
A contoured belt called a B(l)aby boasts a built-in MP3 player. Brainchild of Geof Ramsay, a series of special “speakers” transmit vibrations from the music to the fetus.
The discovery of a dozen species of Western Ghats tree frogs that are new to science is evidence of significant biodiversity surviving in certain parts of India. It is at the same time a cautionary tale on how mindless development can wipe out species that have not had the opportunity even to enter the scientific record. The recent find, together with the rediscovery of the Travancore bush frog which was thought to be extinct, is certainly a moment to celebrate. Scientists have made an educated guess that only a tenth of the earth’s likely biological diversity has been described. In the case of amphibians, the first comprehensive global assessment, involving more than 500 scientists, came up with 5,743 species. The study’s distressing conclusion was that a third of these creatures — mainly frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and limbless caecilians — faced the threat of extinction. It is evident that habitat loss is the primary cause of population declines of species. Contamination of the environment by chemicals, especially pesticides, is a less visible but serious threat. Invasive species and fungal attacks are other factors. The loss or severe pollution of water bodies, which are essential for many amphibians to complete their life cycle, is decimating their numbers. Further, global warming takes a toll of amphibian-rich ecosystems.
After launching its direct-to-home (DTH) services across India last year, now Bharti Airtel is in talks with companies to launch its DTH mobile services for luxury cars, buses, and trains, according to a Business Standard report.
