Vista Ultimate free, in exchange for privacy

[Supergrover]

Microsoft's been keeping its record pretty clean of late, but we suppose it couldn't end the year without a parting shot meant to cheese off the ultra-private, Microsoft-eats-children types. The company's latest diabolical plan involves giving away free copies of Windows Vista Ultimate, Office Ultimate '07, Money Plus Premium, Encarta Premium or Streets and Trips -- scary, we know. Through the following link Welcome - Windows Feedback Program you can sign up for this program, which has the following rules:

Participation is currently limited to US residents of 18 years and older.
You are the owner of the computer you use for this program.
The automated feedback program is offered to Windows Vista and Windows XP customers only.
The survey feedback program applies to all versions of Windows.
Microsoft, comScore, and MarketTools employees are not eligible to participate.
What's Free?

Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate (32-bit and 64-bit DVD)
Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007
Microsoft Money Plus Premium
Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008
Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008
All you need to do is fill out a few surveys now and then, and download a little app that lets Microsoft watch your every move for three months. If you can manage to be a good little pod person for that long, you get a free copy of whatever software title you selected in the mail. But really, can you put a price on dignity?


Source: http://www.guru3d.com/news.html#6209

Get It Here: http://wfp.microsoft.com/

[Wankerfx]

Participation is currently limited to US residents of 18 years and older.

[Prof. Dr. Silver]

Yeah...I just send them an angry email about that....and I got an email back within secs saying that they are looking into making it accessible to international customers and that they stopped with the free gifts as of Dec. 11 2007....because of the high interests in this program!

[Mysteryous]

Even though I am a US citizen, I wouldn't give my privacy up for that long to a company I already hate. To me Vista is a slow, worthless, pc-power-sapping piece of junk. If I had $10000USD to spend on the worlds most kick-ass computer, windows xp or vista wouldn't be on the receipt. But thats just me. This is a perfect example that the US government should step in and stop this infringement on our Bill of Rights. But will they? Doubtful. But I can tell you that this program will probably be short lived.

[sswilson]

I suspect the underlying goal of the program is more about getting Vista into the hands of more consumers than it is about knowing what we do on-line.

Microsoft really has a dog on its hands with Vista, and giving it away for free might increase total market penetration which would give coders a reason to consider it a worth cause.

Either way..... I doubt it will be offered to us Canucks anytime soon.... we've too much pirate blood in our veins for the likes of Mr Gates........ :)

[AkG]

Originally Posted by Mysteryous

Even though I am a US citizen, I wouldn't give my privacy up for that long to a company I already hate.

LOL...just two words for ya "VM WARE"...drop it in its own 'lil sandbox for 3 months and presto a nice skewing of uncle gates' data to prove that even when given away nobody would seriously use ME 2.0 for anything besides games.

Of course that just my 2 cents...and I do admit that I am eagerly looking forward to server 2008...streamlined by a certain eXPerienced person (of course I will actually BUY it...just that I will never use the original dvds to install it...just like I did with Server 2003).

[DaleF]

Well, what's wrong with getting something out of Microsoft spying on you? They do it already, so...

[ineedaname]

Man I'd do this for sure. Just pull out some junk old system and load up vista on it for 3 months. US only is a bummer tho...

[Strat6]

This could be mighty entertaining.

Install vista and every morning google "Windoze is the bizzomb" like 30-40 times and just leave it. (Or really any gibberish... or window's haters here's your chance to google Bill gates is a penix a couple hundred times a day!)

Or look up the hardest core stuff that's still technicall legal every single day.

Doing either of those and nothing else every day would provide Microsoft with some interesting results for their research indeed.

Of course you would need a clunker system that you didn't need for 3 months.

But funny none the less! Come on people! There is fun to be had here!

[Supergrover]

Originally Posted by ineedaname

Man I'd do this for sure. Just pull out some junk old system and load up vista on it for 3 months. US only is a bummer tho...

Yup fire it up once a month