Hacked Vista Software on the Shelves in China for $2.50

[Laura@NBF]

Screw the limited edition signed collector's Vista plate set with matching flatware and signed Bill Gates lithograph, China's already rocking it black market style with Vista knocks on the shelves in two CD sets. The software, which is already purchasable for the low, low price of about $2.50, is thought to be the Frankenbuild version or some other hack of beta code to get around the activation process. Either way, it's unlikely to be going anywhere but home with Chinese consumers.http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/21/it-begins-black-market-vista-copies-already-on-chinese-shelves/

This is just lovely. It's sort of hard to believe that this can not only GET to the shelves, but actually STAY there... And people buy it? Oy.

[mobilewannabe]

Well... it was only a matter of time.

[Goran]

The reason its able to stay on the shelves is because anti piracy is not as strictly controlled in other parts of the world as they are in America for example. I have been to many European countries that had burned DVD's, CD's, Games, Software, etc for sale on the stand. Those countries have bigger things to worry about then software piracy =\

[abf]

in some countries its legal to sell, but illegal to buy pirated media. sorta like the law that says its legal to download, but illegal to upload (well..the reverse of that i suppose). others purely dont care at this point. once vista goes official i wouldn't be surprised that the market would just grow (to include the final release, not just beta)

[cs5]

$2.50 for a copy of Vista, heh, I wouldn't complain.

[pdonket]

$2.50 for a copy of Vista, heh, I wouldn't complain.

You will once microsoft fux your computer up :w00t:

[fr0mundacheese]

[H]ot! Thanks OP in for two copies

[Blackartemis]

Same goes for Thailand ;)

[Blackartemis]

Hell I have to run a hacked version of XP because the damn Code on the bottom of my 9300 wont work when I reinstall windows! I call dell and they tell me to call Microsoft which puts me through to India and they have no damn clue what to do. I don't feel like paying out my nose for international calls to fix this problem.

[cs5]

You will once microsoft fux your computer up :w00t:

Then I'll reinstall my $2.50 copy of Vista. lol.:thumbup:

Honestly, cheap products are born out of necessity in countries like China where the Vista home premium edition will probably take 3 to 4 years worth of work for the average man just to be able to afford. :closedeye

[Blackartemis]

Thailand the average salary of a college grad is 7000b per month meaning $175
I make like $600 teaching English w/o tutoring or combining my fiancee's salary.

[DaddyOf2Girls]

A business collogue of mine has been to china on several business trips. He reported that there is more than one version of Windows XP and MS Office that are knocks offs but widely used. They are reverse engineered products. He was given a laptop which was configured to run on the local corporate network. It was clearly not genuine XP or Office, but the features were mostly in the same place and it could read and save his documents and run what looked like IE.
It is only a matter of time until someone in China reverse engineers Vista and under cuts the beta hack to sells it for less than $2.50.

As you can imagine this creates a big problem for software developers in China because there is not one single operating system. Each has its own unique issues.


The people who buy this Vista hack will likely not be able to get patches and updates from Microsoft because it will not pass the "Genuine Windows" test. Not that it matters, most people are used to the chaos of hackers and viruses. That’s just part of daily business.

[Goran]

There are bypasses for "Genuine Windows" currently and there will be for Vista no doubt.

[CrackatiCz]

You guys ever heard of the Middle East?! My Dad came back yesterday with Windows Vista in his hand and said, heres my coming back present, funny thing was it was pirated, I asked where did you get it? "Syria" They have stores filled with pirated software and games and movies, I asked "What else did you bring?" he said "Autocad 2006, Photoshop CS2, Discovery Channel movies..." He only spent $2.15 for all of it...

[Doughy]

I had the RTM version and swapped a couple of my beta 2 files with it and it activated, i thought i was good to go until it did an update and then crippled it. Im back to my genuine xp now but i seriously think of paying £125 for the OEM Ultimate version. Im just wishing there was more compatible software like firewalls and antivirus. It wont be long i guess.

[bmwrob]

Then I'll reinstall my $2.50 copy of Vista. lol.:thumbup:

Honestly, cheap products are born out of necessity (greed) in countries like China where the Vista home premium edition will probably take 3 to 4 years worth of work for the average man just to be able to afford. :closedeye


How would such a person put the pirated OS to use - I'd assume that a computer would probably not be within his budget?

[Blackartemis]

We have computer plazas/malls full of PC parts and shop after shop of pirated music, DVDs, games, and software. Costs $2.50 per CD $5 per DVD. It's not some back alley shady deal. These places are right on major roads and packed with everyday people. Again try to tell a Thai person why they should pay 50-75% of their monthly salary for a CD.

[Hamsteria]

I'm surprised it took them so long to get it out.

[adewolf]

Thus more and more reason to use Linux.

[Ericko]

Thus more and more reason to use Linux.
:plzdie:

[adewolf]

Can't take a differing opinion eh FUD maker.. Do you work for M$$$?
Please will you DIE...

[Ericko]

Can't take a differing opinion eh FUD maker.. Do you work for M$$$?
Please will you DIE...
Please don't take it so hard. It's just a forum joke. This thread is not about which OS is better.

I don't work for M$.

And lately I had tought about trying Linux. But I'm fine with M$ so far.

[adewolf]

Ok sorry I mis-understood...
BTW, try Ubuntu Linux...
;)

Alex