culture of *NIX

Craig White plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us
Sun, 29 Apr 2001 20:52:34 -0700


> -----Original Message-----
> From: plug-discuss-admin@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
> [mailto:plug-discuss-admin@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us]On Behalf Of David
> A. Sinck
> Sent: Sunday, April 29, 2001 4:58 PM
> To: plug-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
> Subject: RE: culture of *NIX
>
>
>
>
> \_ SMTP quoth Craig White on 4/28/2001 23:49 as having spake thusly:
> \_
> \_ Then one day, the logs stop and I get a call from him that his
> very young
> \_ web programmer needs help configuring their new Windows 2000
> system, which
> \_ turns out to be a pirated copy of Windows 2000 Advanced Server.
>
> Be Helpful.  Be Honest.  Call the Business Software Alliance.
>
> If they are being so clever as to put CC# in the bare out there, they
> deserve much worse than a visit by the BSA.
>
---
I briefly considered this - but then...

1. I have to govern my own conscience and no one elses - I didn't work on
it,
   aid in the setup, show them how to disable license checking etc or in any
   way, encourage the use of an illegal copy.

2. They won't be the first nor the last company to hang a db on a machine
   directly exposed to the internet. The scary part of this - an this could
   apply to any company that you deal with is that they could put the
   database with cc#'s, the same one with telephone orders so you are in
   reality, no safer calling in your cc# orders than you are ordering via
   the internet.

3. If I call BSA, it would seem like sour grapes on my part and I want any
   customer that I deal with to freely choose not to use me any longer
without
   fear of retribution and without fear that I will restrict their computer
   usage in any way, shape or form. I won't withhold passwords, etc.

From what I've seen in the setup of Win2K server, it generates its own
broadcast to Microsoft servers and every network attempt to reach Microsoft
Web, Updates etc. generates some probes of ports 53 and 515 so I think they
get clued in fairly quickly anyway. It also seems to me that on May 9th, the
30 days grace period for licensing registration ends and various services
such as terminal, file and print services will shut down. Time wounds all
heels.

Craig