This is one of the many reasons why I dumped Windows and moved onto to Linux about ten years ago. I don’t have that much money and back then I constantly budgeted what I had to pay for … I wasn’t going to spend hundreds on Windows, then hundreds more on subscriptions for things I could get for free in the Open Source Software realm where viruses and security were almost nonexistant. As soon as I dumped Windows, I no longer had to pay for the OS, the office suite, the image editor or the security software. I’ve saved so much money over the years.
This was over ten years ago … 15/20 years ago it was a real pain to try to get a copy of Windows and a key … it was relatively easy to do if you lived in a big city (I used to deal with a computer guy in Hamilton, Ontario and he had memorized three Windows keys that he just kept reusing) … the problem was in maintaining systems, updating them and in the changes, it kept messing with your setup and eventually triggering the system that it was an illegal key. Then you had to either disconnect from the internet, find a way around it or find a new key. I don’t live near a big city and we didn’t have easy access to the internet or forums or groups back then so it was frustrating to keep finding the latest ways to get a cracked copy, institution copy, company copy or hack to keep your system running. I don’t work for a big company, don’t have access to a school or institution so it was always difficult.
I used to get so frustrated with it all that eventually it was just easier to buy a copy rather than do anything else. Saying all that, I think I only ever bought four Windows OS over the years anyway. And before I learned about Linux and Open Source software, I was the same as most unaware people and just bought the software titles I thought I needed … plus the security software! … I remember I maintained a copy of Norton Antivirus for years before I realized it was literally turning my system into molasses.
What a load of shit. Pirating windows was super easy and very common back then. And if you didn’t had internet access there was no way for windows to revoke your key which actually never happened with the usual pirated copies. You are a liar.
So you didn’t know what you were doing but installed Linux because that was easier than managing a pirated windows copy 20 years ago. lol
I ran game servers under Linux 25 years ago. Linux back then was not easier than managing a pirated windows copy. I would say someone without internet access and problems with pirated windows could’ve never managed Linux 20 years ago.
20 years ago it was so easy to pirate windows that the worst thing they would do to you is put a small translucent text in the bottom corner of the screen and say the version was pirated. They would also refuse to ship their bloatware through patches — but would still supply the security updates (the only ones that mattered). Then the geniuses decided to remove desktop background (turning it black). That’s about the time I realized I didn’t want a background anyways because it just made my screen too bright.
If anything Microsoft encouraged and made it easier to pirate with every release of windows XP, which was the last version I seriously used.
Ah, that explains it. Convenience (and good service) is a strong piracy preventer.
By the time I was old enough to install operating systems activating them became trivial, nowadays MAS makes it even easier. Also it’s probably cultural, piracy used to be so much bigger here. Still fairly big tbh, hell, my ISP’s homepage has a couple of articles explaining how torrents work lol
Even nowadays if you don’t play any games (most people actually), I get the same set of features with a $100 computer and Linux than a $1000 gaming beast on Windows 11 sold in specialized stores. People are fucked with that and they don’t know it.
I usually just went into a lab at a school/college and took the key off the side of one of their desktops. Most schools would buy the machines and they would ship with windows licenses, then they would install their own Enterprise images with a sepetate license key. So if your license key wore off the bottom of a laptop, I’d steal one from there. If it was a Pro license, they worked to install up to Wim 10. I moved to Linux for most everything, but it’s always nice to keep a key laying around in case I ever need it
My laptop came with Windows (I could buy with Linux, but the price was the same), and can still run FOSS applications on it. I use GIMP, Inkscape, QGIS, and more.
In 40 years of using a PC I’ve never paid for security software.
I do still have Adobe products for when I need them though, because when it comes down to it they really do have the best image editing software by a very significant margin.
This is one of the many reasons why I dumped Windows and moved onto to Linux about ten years ago. I don’t have that much money and back then I constantly budgeted what I had to pay for … I wasn’t going to spend hundreds on Windows, then hundreds more on subscriptions for things I could get for free in the Open Source Software realm where viruses and security were almost nonexistant. As soon as I dumped Windows, I no longer had to pay for the OS, the office suite, the image editor or the security software. I’ve saved so much money over the years.
You never had to pay. It’s not like they’re gonna actually support you as a lowest level consumer, fuck em
This was over ten years ago … 15/20 years ago it was a real pain to try to get a copy of Windows and a key … it was relatively easy to do if you lived in a big city (I used to deal with a computer guy in Hamilton, Ontario and he had memorized three Windows keys that he just kept reusing) … the problem was in maintaining systems, updating them and in the changes, it kept messing with your setup and eventually triggering the system that it was an illegal key. Then you had to either disconnect from the internet, find a way around it or find a new key. I don’t live near a big city and we didn’t have easy access to the internet or forums or groups back then so it was frustrating to keep finding the latest ways to get a cracked copy, institution copy, company copy or hack to keep your system running. I don’t work for a big company, don’t have access to a school or institution so it was always difficult.
I used to get so frustrated with it all that eventually it was just easier to buy a copy rather than do anything else. Saying all that, I think I only ever bought four Windows OS over the years anyway. And before I learned about Linux and Open Source software, I was the same as most unaware people and just bought the software titles I thought I needed … plus the security software! … I remember I maintained a copy of Norton Antivirus for years before I realized it was literally turning my system into molasses.
What a load of shit. Pirating windows was super easy and very common back then. And if you didn’t had internet access there was no way for windows to revoke your key which actually never happened with the usual pirated copies. You are a liar.
I would be a liar if I had known what I was doing
I am not a liar because I didn’t know what I was doing back then
So you didn’t know what you were doing but installed Linux because that was easier than managing a pirated windows copy 20 years ago. lol I ran game servers under Linux 25 years ago. Linux back then was not easier than managing a pirated windows copy. I would say someone without internet access and problems with pirated windows could’ve never managed Linux 20 years ago.
20 years ago it was so easy to pirate windows that the worst thing they would do to you is put a small translucent text in the bottom corner of the screen and say the version was pirated. They would also refuse to ship their bloatware through patches — but would still supply the security updates (the only ones that mattered). Then the geniuses decided to remove desktop background (turning it black). That’s about the time I realized I didn’t want a background anyways because it just made my screen too bright.
If anything Microsoft encouraged and made it easier to pirate with every release of windows XP, which was the last version I seriously used.
Ah, that explains it. Convenience (and good service) is a strong piracy preventer.
By the time I was old enough to install operating systems activating them became trivial, nowadays MAS makes it even easier. Also it’s probably cultural, piracy used to be so much bigger here. Still fairly big tbh, hell, my ISP’s homepage has a couple of articles explaining how torrents work lol
I never had to pay for Windows. I have been using it since Windows for workgroups 3.11 came out in 1993.
Even nowadays if you don’t play any games (most people actually), I get the same set of features with a $100 computer and Linux than a $1000 gaming beast on Windows 11 sold in specialized stores. People are fucked with that and they don’t know it.
I usually just went into a lab at a school/college and took the key off the side of one of their desktops. Most schools would buy the machines and they would ship with windows licenses, then they would install their own Enterprise images with a sepetate license key. So if your license key wore off the bottom of a laptop, I’d steal one from there. If it was a Pro license, they worked to install up to Wim 10. I moved to Linux for most everything, but it’s always nice to keep a key laying around in case I ever need it
I got one off a bank computer in the drive through window.
My laptop came with Windows (I could buy with Linux, but the price was the same), and can still run FOSS applications on it. I use GIMP, Inkscape, QGIS, and more.
In 40 years of using a PC I’ve never paid for security software.
I do still have Adobe products for when I need them though, because when it comes down to it they really do have the best image editing software by a very significant margin.
Probably best you switched to something different, seeing how you had no idea how to use Windows.