A day after Microsoft rolled out a refresh of Net Explorer (IE) 7 that no lengthier needs Windows Genuine Validation (WGA) checks, industry watchers are speculating regarding why the enterprise did so.The IE team, for its component, will say nothing additional than what it posted on October four towards the IE Staff Weblog:“Because Microsoft takes its commitment to help protect the entire Windows ecosystem seriously,
Microsoft Office Pro 2010, we’re updating the IE7 installation experience to make it available as broadly as possible to all Windows users”In other words: Microsoft was worried that “pirates” might not be protected by all the security goodness the company has added to IE, so it decided to remove piracy checks from the IE 7 download process.Not surprisingly, there are other theories as to why Microsoft removed WGA from the browser. Perhaps Microsoft decided that WGA was enough of a deterrent to result in IE seven failing to gain marketshare as fast as the company would like. From Ars Technica:“The move (to release an IE 7 refresh sans WGA) is remarkable because it is the first time that Microsoft has removed WGA checks from a product in order to increase the attractiveness of that product. It;s difficult to see this as any but an attempt to get as many users as possible to install IE7, even those who have pirated Windows.”According to data from the market researchers at Net Applications, IE 6.X currently has 42.75 percent of the worldwide browser market. IE 7 has 34.6 percent. Firefox 2.0 has 13.seven percent. Both IE 7 and Firefox 2 share is growing, Net Applications says (though given Firefox;s smaller user base, Firefox is growing extra quickly).I think Microsoft;s move to decouple WGA from IE7 as aimed less at attracting the “pirated software” crowd — as large as that contingent may be. Instead,
Microsoft Office 2007, I think Microsoft realizes that it is losing browser share to Firefox (and,
Office Professional Plus 2007 Key, a lesser extent,
Office Standard 2010, other competitors) primarily among additional technical users. These kinds of users are much more likely to be among those who are anti-WGA, I;d wager,
Microsoft Office 2007 Product Key, equating repeated authentication checks with DRM.[Poll=14]Other reasons you think Microsoft might have pulled the WGA plug on IE seven? Do you expect the business to cut WGA from other products, too? If so, which ones?(Microsoft Net Explorer seven. Image by kk+. CC 2.0)