Microsoft pulls Vista from snooping offer

Yesterday, we told you about an offer wherein you could completely sacrifice your privacy for a free software bundle from Microsoft which included Windows Vista Ultimate and Office Ultimate '07, amongst others. Well, apparently the big M has decided to pull the offer of free software -- but still wants to track your digital footsteps and pry into your private dealings. Here's Redmond's official line to those inquiring about the discontinued offer: "Thank you for your interest in the feedback program. Due to high volume, we have reached our 'while supplies last' limit and have closed our free product incentive on 12/11/2007 at 2pm." Needless to say, they'd still love to have a look at your browser history, emails, IM logs, crash reports, and blood type.

[Thanks, Jerry]

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 12th 2007 6:00PM]

What an amazing way for Microsoft to collect personal data, ie: the 30 minute "interview" process I had to go through to get signed up and a link for the application that will record every move I make. Damn I'm glad I lied about most of it, didn't offer a real name and nor install the "Spyware" F**K M$

Faslane

[ethana2 Posted Dec 19th 2007 4:00AM]

I'd like to see what it does when I tell WINE to give it a false string...

[ethana2 Posted Dec 19th 2007 4:02AM]

...probably the same thing forum systems do when I forget to change my useragent back from the googlebot agent... Not worth the trouble of finding out.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 12th 2007 7:26PM]

I signed up yesterday but didn't get my email until today :s

And I signed up today but didn't see any free offer. So now I'm uninstalling their spy program and wont do their surveys.

It was fair to give some feedback and lose privacy for some time to get something you wanted, but giving and not getting from the world's richest man and his company is not worth it.

[jeffmd Posted Dec 12th 2007 6:32PM]

jasper, DUH. Did you read anything? You fill out the surveys, you run the spyware.. you get yourself some free software in 3 months.

[thehumanyawn Posted Feb 29th 2008 11:46PM]

Damn it! I was hoping to get a copy of Office Ult. '07, but I should be grateful that I'm getting two Vistas. But still, I need Office for school and '03 is crap under Vista, even with the updates.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 15th 2007 6:41PM]

SOME MORE FEEDBACK RIPPED FROM ANOTHER SITE

MAYBE SOME LUCK FOR THOSE WHO SIGNED UP BEFORE 2PM, BUT DIDNT FINISH TO LATER

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r19600172-Dead-Free-Vista-Ultimate-or-Office-directly-from-MS~start=140


Begin email from Microsoft

I started the free offer enrollment process before 2 p.m. PT but didn’t get to finish until the offer closed. Do I still receive a free software product?

All customers who entered their name and email address on the first enrollment page before the program closed at 2 p.m. PT on December 11, 2007 are eligible to receive the free offer. We review the timestamps in our system to select eligible customers, and these participants will be sent an email in January to get them up and running with the automated feedback tool, request that they pick their free product and provide us with a shipping address. If you believe you are eligible for the free gift, but have not received an email from us by January 31, 2008, please contact [e-mail].

All customers who entered their name and email address on the first enrollment page before we closed the free product offer program at 2 p.m. PT on December 11, 2007 are eligible to receive their free product.

FOR FULL EMAIL FOLLOW LINK

Thanks to Microsoft for running this Offer even if it got shut down. For all the nay sayers it's true that you never see Apple give away anything!

[ethana2 Posted Dec 19th 2007 3:36AM]

I love how engadget takes me to the last comment page regardless of which other comment I replied to. ...not.

Put that on your codebase improvement hitlist after 'implement post edits'.