No, I’m not talking about the comments to Eric’s explanation of the MAPS EULA, I’m talking about Windows Genuine (dis)Advantage. From betanews:

Microsoft disclosed Monday that over one in five Windows installations were deemed non-genuine through the company’s Windows Genuine Advantage program, which requires users to validate their operating system before downloading updates from the company.

Since WGA launched in July 2005, over 512 million users have attempted to validate their copy of Windows, Microsoft said. Of those, the non-genuine rate was 22.3 percent. 56,000 reports have been made by customers of counterfeit software, which grants that user a free replacement copy of Windows.

Let me help you with some very complex math there. If over 100 million people try to validate their pirated copy of Windows but only 56,000 actually report that they unknowingly bought it from someone else that translates into roughly 99% of people pirating Windows and being proud of it!

Talk about a new day…. WOW.

And whats the clear, yet sad, message that Microsoft will never be willing to hear? Essentially: “Your software is way overpriced and you’re making me feel like a criminal so I may as well give you a reason..” Will Microsoft recognize that its losing a fifth of its potential customer base to the mistakes Microsoft introduces and controls themselves? Perhaps Vista will answer.

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