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Microsoft isn't winning many fans with its anti-piracy strategy in China.
Just a few days ahead of the launch of Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) and Office Genuine Advantage (OGA), computer users in China are steaming mad, according to a report from China.org.cn.
The problem? The new software (which is opt-in) will pester and annoy users of pirated versions of Windows software by sending out reminders every couple hours and turning screens black, presumably until users relent and buy legitimate copies.
According to an official Microsoft site, a user of a pirated copy of Windows will experience something like this:
"The user may reset the background to a wallpaper or another background color, but every 60 minutes, the desktop will be reset to a plain black color until the copy of Windows passes validation. In addition, a persistent notification will appear in the lower right corner of the desktop."
It's sort of a weird concept -- Microsoft is basically asking users to voluntarily subject themselves to torture by virtual nagging. And Chinese users, naturally, aren't excited about it. The problem, they say, is that Windows is priced unreasonably high at $200. Some even speculate that the prices are part of a conspiracy against the Chinese, according to the report.
Still, the solution seems pretty obvious to us -- just opt out of the program.
*Photo: *Flickr/Ikhlasul Amal ____
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