Microsoft Angers MSDN & Preview Program Subscribers With Windows XP Beta 2 Access
By: Arie Slob• March 29, 2001 •
Tempers are rising on the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) & Windows XP private newsgroups over access to the latest beta of Windows XP.
Last Monday Bill Gates proudly announced the availability of Windows XP Beta 2, and Microsoft executives proclaimed that the company would give out Windows XP Beta 2 to more than 300,000 people, including the crowd at WinHEC, which received the release on CD-ROM yesterday. But for MSDN (Universal and Professional) subscribers, who pay around $2000 dollars a year for access to the company's latest platforms, and the tens of thousands of people who signed up for the Windows XP Public Preview, which offered the first 20,000 people who signed up a free download of beta 2, the promised beta seems far away.
MSDN
The problems for MSDN subscribers started on the 23rd, when Microsoft MSDN Program Manager James van Eaton posted the following to the MSDN newsgoup:
"Windows XP beta 2 and subsequent releases require a unique Product Key to be activated during installation. Therefore beta 2 will not immediately be available for download, however it will be posted to MSDN Subscriber Downloads as soon as physical shipments have commenced to ensure that a Product Key is available during its installation.
A mechanism for distributing product keys electronically is scheduled to be available in time for the final release of Windows XP."
Around the same time a link to the Public Preview was posted (it seems to have been removed since) on the MSDN Web site, which angered a lot of MSDN subscribers, because it looked to them that Microsoft was allowing the first 20,000 subscribers to download a copy of Windows XP beta 2.
Then, to make matters worse, on Tuesday the 27th, James van Eaton posted this in the same MSDN newsgroup:
"Whistler Beta 2 (English) will be sent to MSDN Professional and Universal subscribers in the May 2001 shipment, which is due to start shipping the first week of May. It will not be posted to MSDN Subscriber Downloads because it requires secure product keys for "product activation", an anti-piracy technology. A mechanism for distributing secure product keys electronically is scheduled to be available in time for the final release."
Now it's possible that he is really talking about Whistler Beta 2, which is (still) the code name of the server product, but it seems reasonable to assume that this also applies to Windows XP beta 2.
Paul Thurrot of WinInfo had some more confusing answers from Microsoft staffers, including a "promise" that MSDN subscribers will get a special CD-ROM shipment of Windows XP Beta 2, which was reportedly sent out on the 27th.... But nobody is sure....
In the meantime the MSDN subscribers are left in the dark. The only 2 official comments posted to their newsgroup are the ones reprinted here, so many are left wondering if it's even worthwhile to keep paying their subscriptions.
Public Preview
At the time that Microsoft opened the Public Preview the page was worded in such a way that it seemed like the first 20,000 subscribers to the program would be offered Windows XP Beta 2 for download (The Public Preview program offers Release Candidate 1 & 2 for download or on CD-ROM). But once customers signed up, there was no download link!
Microsoft sent an e-mail to people who signed up stating that "As an added bonus for joining the preview program early, you will receive Beta 2 in the next several weeks".
Many people posting to the private Windows XP Preview newsgroup complained about the situation, but to date they have been met by total silence from Microsoft. It seems there is little anyone can except wait for the CD-ROM to arrive....
Since the 20,000 mark has long been passed, if you sign up now, you will only be offered the Release Candidates.
Product Activation
Product Activation seems to be the reason why Microsoft doesn't want to make this Beta available for download, but why it has to use Product Activation on a Beta product which expires in 180 days is anyone's guess.
Microsoft last Friday (April 6 ) finally responded to all the criticism it received over this issue, and released the Windows XP Beta 2 to the MSDN site for download (for Universal or Professional subscribers), along with a unique product ID for every subscriber.
This at least let the people who pay around $2000 dollars a year for access to the company's latest platforms have a go at Windows XP before the first 20,000 people who signed up for the Public Preview (at $9.95 or $19.95) get their CD's (rumored to be the 2nd or 3rd week of April).
TechNet Plus subscribers will have to wait till they receive the May shipment, but these have never had downloads from the TechNet Web site (As far as I know), and unlike the MSDN subscribers, I haven't seen any complaints posted in the TechNet newsgoup.