Dean
December 2nd, 2003, 18:32
Pirated Longhorn goes on sale
Sean Yoong
03Dec03
SOFTWARE pirates in Malaysia are selling copies of an early version of the next generation Microsoft Windows operating system, the company said.
Microsoft believes the program, code-named Longhorn — which won't officially be ready until 2005 at the earliest — will be a breakthrough technology that silences criticism of security holes and other quirks in the current desktop operating system, Windows XP.
However, compact discs with an early Longhorn version are being illegally sold for less than $2.60 per copy in shopping malls in the southern city of Johor Bahru, which neighbors Singapore, said Jonathan Selvasegaram, a lawyer for Microsoft Malaysia.
"Our concern lies with customers who may be misguided into thinking that they are purchasing a complete product, which is only targeted to be released in a couple of years' time," Mr Selvasegaram said in a statement.
Pirated software is common in Malaysia despite government attempts to crack down on suspected offenders by raiding their offices and enforcing strict copyright laws that provide for prison terms up to five years and fines of $2,632 ($948) for each infringement.
Mr Selvasegaram said the pirated version of Longhorn could have come from leaked code on the internet or a recent conference in Los Angeles, where elements of Longhorn were shown to more than 7,000 developers.
"We believe there is an intricate network that is at work" to pirate the company's products, Mr Selvasegaram said. But he added that Microsoft believes the Malaysian government remains committed to the fight against piracy.
Microsoft could not immediately confirm how many pirated copies of Longhorn have been sold in Malaysia, or whether this was the first country where the software was being illegally sold.
Longhorn is being built on ideas such as unified file storage, improved graphics capabilities, better security and the ability to let different computer systems communicate and trade information automatically, regardless of programming language, network or device.
Microsoft says only the beta version of Longhorn will be available in the second half of 2004, and some analysts predict the final product may not be finished until 2006 or even 2007.
According to the Business Software Alliance, a US -based industry group, 68 per cent of new software used in Malaysia last year was illegal — higher than the global average software piracy rate of 39 per cent, but lower than that of some Asian countries, such as China. He didn't elaborate.
A spokesman for the alliance declined to comment on the Longhorn piracy case, saying it was a matter for Microsoft.
This report appears on news.com.au. (http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8051855%255E15306,00.html)
Sean Yoong
03Dec03
SOFTWARE pirates in Malaysia are selling copies of an early version of the next generation Microsoft Windows operating system, the company said.
Microsoft believes the program, code-named Longhorn — which won't officially be ready until 2005 at the earliest — will be a breakthrough technology that silences criticism of security holes and other quirks in the current desktop operating system, Windows XP.
However, compact discs with an early Longhorn version are being illegally sold for less than $2.60 per copy in shopping malls in the southern city of Johor Bahru, which neighbors Singapore, said Jonathan Selvasegaram, a lawyer for Microsoft Malaysia.
"Our concern lies with customers who may be misguided into thinking that they are purchasing a complete product, which is only targeted to be released in a couple of years' time," Mr Selvasegaram said in a statement.
Pirated software is common in Malaysia despite government attempts to crack down on suspected offenders by raiding their offices and enforcing strict copyright laws that provide for prison terms up to five years and fines of $2,632 ($948) for each infringement.
Mr Selvasegaram said the pirated version of Longhorn could have come from leaked code on the internet or a recent conference in Los Angeles, where elements of Longhorn were shown to more than 7,000 developers.
"We believe there is an intricate network that is at work" to pirate the company's products, Mr Selvasegaram said. But he added that Microsoft believes the Malaysian government remains committed to the fight against piracy.
Microsoft could not immediately confirm how many pirated copies of Longhorn have been sold in Malaysia, or whether this was the first country where the software was being illegally sold.
Longhorn is being built on ideas such as unified file storage, improved graphics capabilities, better security and the ability to let different computer systems communicate and trade information automatically, regardless of programming language, network or device.
Microsoft says only the beta version of Longhorn will be available in the second half of 2004, and some analysts predict the final product may not be finished until 2006 or even 2007.
According to the Business Software Alliance, a US -based industry group, 68 per cent of new software used in Malaysia last year was illegal — higher than the global average software piracy rate of 39 per cent, but lower than that of some Asian countries, such as China. He didn't elaborate.
A spokesman for the alliance declined to comment on the Longhorn piracy case, saying it was a matter for Microsoft.
This report appears on news.com.au. (http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8051855%255E15306,00.html)