Any 1 who runs Windows as an OS for the previous handful of decades will probably be properly knowledgeable of what Windows Genuine Benefit (WGA) is. But Microsoft have decided that the name no longer suits the functionality and will be changing it for Windows seven.
The brand new title we’ll have to get used to is Windows Activation Technology (WAT), which was announced via a Q&A session with Joe Williams,
Office Standard 2007 Key, general manager for Worldwide Genuine Windows at Microsoft. One particular of the questions asked was whether the anti-piracy experience on Windows 7 was similar to Windows Genuine Advantage on Windows XP. He responded by saying:
Fundamentally the goals are the same. The guiding principle is to enable the customer to know when the software they are using is genuine and licensed and help them to do something about it if it’s not. However the technology used in Windows Vista and Windows seven is fundamentally different from that used with Windows XP. It consists of new code and the latest methods for protecting Windows in ways that can only really be achieved with the components that are built in to both Windows Vista and now Windows 7. For that reason the anti-piracy features in Windows 7 — and future versions of updates of the technology for Windows Vista — will probably be referred to more accurately as Windows Activation Technologies. We will continue releasing Window Genuine Benefit updates for Windows XP-based systems.
We can therefore expect to see WAT rolled out with Windows 7,
Office Professional 2007 Key, but also appear for Windows Vista too. Ultimately,
Windows 7 Home Premium, Microsoft want to make it easier to ensure your copy of Windows is genuine and hope that WAT will achieve that goal.
Read more at InfoWorld
Matthew’s Opinion
Windows Genuine Advantage may have helped Microsoft when it comes to deciding whether your machine has a legal copy of Windows running on it,
Windows 7 Home Basic Key, but it wasn’t without its headaches for users and turned into a PR nightmare for that company a couple of times.
You may remember back in 2006 when Microsoft confirmed that some copies of Windows acquired through volume licensing were being flagged as illegal by WGA. The fix for that problem also saw Microsoft review the wording in the message a user saw if their OS was illegal and the addition of help in getting a legal copy.
More recently Microsoft angered Chinese users by updating WGA to take more drastic action when an illegal copy of the OS was identified on a machine. Rather than just telling the user this was the case Microsoft also started wiping any background image being displayed. The Chinese hit back saying Microsoft had no right to take such action and that it put their personal information at risk.
Microsoft won’t want any more bad press for the renamed Windows Activation Technology,
Office 2010 Product Key, but it’s something they need to have in place to try and limit piracy wherever they can.