Just when I was being amazed at how thoughtful Microsoft was for everyone of us Windows XP users, pirates and legitimate users alike.
This (in the Computer Times article) made very, very good sense:
"Having these unsecured users means bigger worm and virus outbreaks - which also impacts the Internet and consequently, our legitimate users as well."
Legitimate users should damn well be pissed at this announcement more than users of pirated copies. Why? Simply because there is no doubt whatsoever that when SP2 comes, cracks and keygens will quickly be released that would allow you to install SP2 anyway, if you have a pirated copy. Informed users of pirated copies won't be stopped from getting SP2. But a good majority of users of pirated copies may simply not care and live with a non-SP2 Windows XP. And what good will it do to protect only the legitimate users when vulnerable systems are legion? (Of course, this is based on the assumption that SP2 does greatly secure a system.)
Sure, illegal users don't deserve updates, I very much agree. But when this encroaches into the security of legitimate users, I think it's very very prudent and smart to give them the updates as well, for all the reasons that Barry Goffe put forward in the Computer Times article. Illegal users don't deserve updates, but legitimate users do very well deserve to have these illegal users' Windows XP setups secured and protected as well, for their (legitimate users) sake.
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