Microsoft Corp. is stepping up it’s piracy enforcement tactics. Windows Vista users will be particularly affected by the new piracy enforcement procedures.
Microsoft said Wednesday that people running an unlicensed copy of Vista that it believes to be pirated will be denied access to some of the hottest features of the operating system. That includes Windows Aero, which is an improved graphics technology.

If a legitimate copy is not bought within 30 days, the system will limit functionality by restricting users to just the Web browser for an hour at a time.

During that scenario, a person could use the web browser to surf the Web, access documents on the hard drive or log onto Web-based e-mail. But the user would not be able to directly open documents from the computer desktop or run other programs such as Outlook.

Microsoft said it won’t stop a computer running pirated Vista software from working completely, and it will still allow access to critical security updates.

By switching to such a forceful new piracy tactic will Microsoft run the risk of having users stick with XP in an effort to avoid the hassle and expense of updating to Vista? Time will tell. Better yet, this may be the time for consumers and businesses to take a closer look at open source versions of Linux desktop.
Microsoft is expected to release Vista to business customers in November and consumers in January.

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