The Great LAN Shop RAID
Posted Monday, September 19th, 2005 10:56 pm by Miguel Paraz
Viewed 3546 times | Related entries: Software
After the BSA’s Great Big Warning, the crackdowns have started. LAN shops and Internet cafes are the most affected since their PCs are exposed. Switching to Linux is not too easy since much of their revenue comes from games specific to Windows.
In the mainstream news, INQ7 reports on raids outside Metro Manila. No news about Metro Manila, but the local PC forums such as TipidPC and PinoyPC have been active.
In the previous days, supply of licensed Windows OS copies – including Windows 98 SE – have not caught up with the demand. When I visited some mall stores, people were coming in, looking for boxed copies that were not available.
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12 Responses to “The Great LAN Shop RAID”
[...] Via Pinoy.tech.blog: [...]
I have a good friend who’s quite active in the FOSS community and he tells me how it’s really funny how LAN/Internet shop owners are starting to rush to Linux-related mailing lists and forums looking for help to switch. Hihi.
A friend in Laguna told me that a lot of the net cafe owners (the bigger ones) in their vicity have temporarily closed up shop for a couple of days now.
Same here in Iloilo. Gamers are the ones who are complaining the most. Apparently, they, the NBI, are only targeting big shops with 20 units or more.
Kates: Just big shops? Hmmm. as one person on the PLGU mailing list asked, are they raiding government offices too?
As I mentioned in my blog, Linux and F/OSS are ironically benefitting from the crackdown. BSA’s FUD might — just might — blow up in its face.
Clair: Raid government offices? Not likely… but who knows. I heard in the grapevine not long ago that the NBI issue stern warnings to government offices (definitely not *ours* heh) to avoid the embarassment of raids.
Ganito na lang: magbenta ng ilang PCs, mag Linux at OpenOffice.org sa natira, at gamitin yung pera na nakuha sa pagbenta ng mga PC sa pagbili ng mga gaming consoles. May nanghuhuli ba pag gumamit ka ng piratang games sa, say, PS2? Or XBox kaya?
@Clair:
In that case, that’s good news. Gov’t offices shouldn’t be exempted.
Should I start printing a “Linux Consultant” business card?
@Rain:
May bagong pagka kitaan ka na. Linux troubleshooter ng mga cafe. I’m sure they are in dire need of a good linux tech support.
Kates: Inakupo. Di ko nga mapaandar yung HSF USB external modem sa Mandriva setup ko e; understandable siguro din naman.
Here’s an update:
Law enforcement agencies deny raids on local Internet shops
[...] There have been reports of internet cafes raided by fake NBI agents. After The Great LAN Shop RAID, unscrupulous people are now finding ways to make quick money out of it. These fake agents instead of arresting cafe owners are demanding monies them. [...]
question! pg buy ka home ed ng xp diba OEM eh panu pgneed mo mg reformat or na virusan panu na ? buy ka ba tlga ng panibago na OEM? thats crap!
Nope, all you need is the serial number, unless I am mistaken, I don’t think you need to buy an original disk, as long as you have an original serial. When you register your software online, it’s the serial number that will be checked against already registered serial numbers, and not whether you installed the software with the original CD or not.
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