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If software vendors want to really turn the screws on Russian aggression, I have a suggestion: break license checks from Russia. Microsoft Windows, Office, Shar
by siskiyou 5y ago
If software vendors want to really turn the screws on Russian aggression, I have a suggestion: break license checks from Russia. Microsoft Windows, Office, Sharepoint, looking at you in particular. Delicense existing installations.
- gruez 5y ago>Delicense existing installations. "WTF I love online activation DRM now!"
- dtech 5y agoafaik piracy is already rampant. I expect if this is done the government would just officially stop respecting copyright of companies that do this.
- akulbe 5y agoNot only is it rampant, Russia is looking at making it legal, so I'm not sure how much effect breaking the license checks would have.
- rosndo 5y agoGood luck managing updates for your entirely pirated software stack.
- ChuckNorris89 5y agoOut of curiosity, will Windows and Mac users in Russia stop receiving OS updates as part of the sanctions? That would definitely expose them to hacking and malware and hurt them big time. Then again, that could probably push every user in Russia to use a VPN to get their updates.
- detaro 5y agoGiven that some countries still seem to run on XP mostly I'm not sure it hurts that much.
- rosndo 5y agoIf such sanctions are imposed, then yes. Such sanctions have not been imposed yet. If software companies decide to suspend sales to Russia, then they might have to resort to piracy and possibly miss out on OS updates.
- ChuckNorris89 5y ago>Such sanctions have not been imposed yet. Is there a reason why not?
- rosndo 5y agoMost sanctions that could be imposed have not been imposed yet. The indirect effects of current banking sanctions have made it almost impossible to do business with Russia though. I have many Russian customers, but neither my Chinese nor UAE banks will accept any transfers from Russia (not to even mention western banks). My business is not directly affected by sanctions, the banks just don’t have sufficient risk appetite to touch Russian money. Best offer I’ve seen was from a partner which offered to take Russian transfers to a Kyrgyzstani bank account and send me USDT. Perhaps such sanctions would be unnecessary? Perhaps they’re just on the way.
- jotm 5y ago1. It's not that hard. 2. Updates are way overhyped.
- rosndo 5y agoIt’s really that hard if you care about not getting hacked with 1days all the time.
- jotm 5y agoEh, all the time = maybe once a year. Still no Spectre/Meltdown exploits in the wild. Most Windows XP users don't even know about Reddit and shit.
- rosndo 5y agoNeither spectre nor meltdown were very exciting vulnerabllities. Technically interesting, but too hard to usefully exploit in the browser. LPE? Those are a dime in a dozen. Nobody cares about home users, it’s businesses which this hurts.
- jotm 5y agoThat's interesting, because I clearly remember it being "the end of modern processors as we know it". But yeah, media is garbage and people will overhype anything.
- vasachi 5y agoNo, currently there is no public plan to do that.
- gremlinsinc 5y agohttps://gizmodo.com/russia-looks-at-legalizing-software-piracy-to-offset-sa-1848616859 https://gizmodo.com/russia-looks-at-legalizing-software-pira...
- siskiyou 5y agoEven so, delicensing existing installations would still have a significant effect. The blockade doesn't have to work perfectly to cause more economic disruption.
- jl6 5y agoReminder that the goal is hinderance of aggression by the Russian government, not punishment of the Russian people. Having said that, I bet Microsoft knows which licenses are owned by the Russian government specifically.
- brimble 5y ago> Reminder that the goal is hinderance of aggression by the Russian government, not punishment of the Russian people. Hindrance of aggression by the Russian government.... by wrecking their economy. Yes, the Russian people, being the economy, are the target, unavoidably.
- lottin 5y agoThe goal is to cripple the Russian economy, which in turn will hinder their war efforts.
- siskiyou 5y agoThe entire Russian economy needs to be punished as much as possible in as short a time as possible. This unavoidably hurts everyone.
- zo1 5y agoThat sounds great, till the union dissolves and nukes start being divided up amongst a dozen Russian "oligarch" mini states and all the corruption that will ensue. Either that or the nukes and tanks start flying out of Russia in retaliation. I honestly don't see how the west thinks this will go well, unless that's what they want.
- brabel 5y ago> till the union dissolves and nukes start being divided up amongst a dozen Russian "oligarch" mini states and all the corruption that will ensue you've just described almost exactly Russia in the 1990's.
- 5y ago
- spoonjim 5y agoThat is grossly immoral if the software is paid for.
- gremlinsinc 5y agoMove out of an authoritarian dictatorship or demand your leaders stop killing innocent civilians as they try to escape during a ceasefire agreement, and end an illegal invasion that shouldn't even be a thing. Do immoral things, let your leaders do them in your name, and well live with the consequences of a failed country/state.
- rosndo 5y agoI guess you think that all sanctions against Russia are also “grossly immoral”, no? E: My reply to the now deleted child comment by “from” which suggested that the sanctions are pointless because they probably won’t result in regime change. But why do you think the sanctions are about causing regime change? That’d be nice, but nothing anybody is betting on. It’s all about discouraging such actions in the future.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- pmalynin 5y agoIf a country doesn’t want to operate within the confines of international law, does not honor international agreements, does not honor its word and commits war crimes — then the word “immoral” does not apply to any action taken to punish and stop the aggressor. You cannot have it both ways. Either you operate as a Western country, with western contract law, and resolve conflicts in international courts or you go back to 1914. This narrative of “oh my would you think of the innocent Russian people” is tiring. They’re all guilty, just like all of Germany was guilty in 1945.
- patrickaljord 5y ago> If a country doesn’t want to operate within the confines of international law, does not honor international agreements, does not honor its word and commits war crimes — then the word “immoral” does not apply to any action taken to punish and stop the aggressor. You cannot have it both ways. You've just described the USA for the past 100 years here. The level of double standard here is reaching levels I've never expected before.
- madengr 5y ago
- teeray 5y ago> Delicense existing installations. This is tantamount to theft. Yes, I’m sure there’s plenty of weasel words in agreements. But at the end of the day, if you traded X for Y and end up with both X & Y, you have stolen from someone else.
- siskiyou 5y agoSounds good. When Russians suffer as much as people in Ukraine...
- dymk 5y ago> This is tantamount to theft Wanna know what Russia has been doing to the Ukraine?
- iso1210 5y agoIf you stole $50 from a mob boss, would that be OK?
- istjohn 5y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_forfeiture_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_forfeiture_in_the_United...
- Etherlord87 5y agoEver heard of Robin Hood? :D
- dymk 5y agoIs the mob boss Russia, and is the $50 their ability to engage in war? If so, yes
- gambiting 5y agoTo exaggerate massively - if you were running an authentication server for your software and found actual Nazis were using it, I think you'd be justified to boot them from it, even if they paid you.