OT Windows XP SP2

[Horace Greeley]

Duaine,

At 09:42 PM 10/4/2004, you wrote:
>Boy are you SP2 downloaders in for a surprise. Really - stop and think 
>what has to happen - MS - has - to know exactly what is installed on your 
>PC - be it legal or pirated - in order to download and install the Service 
>Pack. Based on the emails, after the download is an install step. Talk 
>about security - do you really want MS to know exactly what is on your PC 
>- PC configuration: how much memory; disk space usage, what is installed - 
>legally or pirated, all peripherals - doesn't that equal invasion of 
>privacy ! YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT MS HAS HIDDEN - POSSIBLE SPYWARE - IN 
>THE SERVICE PACK -- ORDER THE CD TO BE A LITTLE SAFER !!!

This really will not make any difference.

People need to fully read and understand the End User License Agreement, 
which is newly modified for this service pack (along with several other 
patches and upgrades) as well as Win. Server 2003.  In it, you read that 
you have to allow that access (and control) to MS in order to install the 
OS and/or SP _at all_.  It is not a question of hidden spyware, at all.  MS 
has simply continued further along on their well-established path toward 
central licensing control for all their products.  A number of their 
applications have "phoned home" on _each_ startup for some time; and, it 
has been a question of time before they chose to enforce licensing through 
this mechanism.

The answer is really very short:  If you want/need to use MS products, you 
must dance to their tune.

And, just in case it is not already patently obvious, other S/W vendors are 
starting to do the same thing with their product lines.

Cheers.

Horace