Mary Jo Foley

Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program has had its share of critics. But this week, a number of open-source advocates joined the ranks of those questioning Microsoft's methods for thwarting software piracy.

On Wednesday, a developer of Wine — an open-source implementation of the Windows application-programming interface that allows Windows applications to run on Unix and Linux — said he discovered that Microsoft's Windows validation tool checks for Wine and generates an error when it is found.

Wine developer Ivan Leo Puoti's e-mail was linked on the Slashdot.org site and immediately generated a flood of comments. While some posters said they believed Microsoft was within its rights blocking users who were running older versions of Windows, others said they believed Microsoft was unfairly targeting users running legitimate Microsoft software on top of non-Microsoft operating systems.

WGA, which Microsoft began beta-testing in September, is set to become mandatory later this year for all users looking to download Windows-related patches, fixes and other software add-ons from Microsoft. The program is designed to check whether consumer and small-business customers are running legitimately licensed copies of Windows XP.

Microsoft has been testing the WGA program on the Microsoft Download Center. The company has been requesting that users validate their copies of XP before obtaining certain downloads. Currently, if users decide against validating, they still are allowed to obtain the requested downloads. But this "optional" grace period will end later this year. Microsoft is considering extending the Genuine Advantage program to other software categories, including Office, server software and games, although there is no timetable yet for when the company will do so.

Wine does not require Microsoft Windows, as noted on the Wine informational Web site, "as it is a completely free alternative implementation of the Windows API consisting of 100% non-Microsoft code."

Nonetheless, in the case of Wine, "Microsoft isn't simply checking for a valid or invalid Windows version," said Alex Ionescu, a developer with the ReactOS Project.

(ReactOS is an operating system which is compatible with Windows applications and is based on the Windows NT/XP kernel. The ReactOS developers use Wine libraries for some application support.)

"I have reversed their check code, and also used a debugger to see what they are checking live (on my Windows machine), and there is a special piece of code, a special function, which is dedicated to detecting Wine by using a registry path check. If this registy path exists, a message will tell the user that he is running an "unsupported operating system," Ionescu explained.

WGA isn't merely blocking Wine users from obtaining Office-related applications from Microsoft's download site. "It's used by all the genuine downloads, including some really basic developer tools," Ionescu said.

What's Microsoft Response to the Wine-Blocking Charges? Go to Page 2

("Are Wine Users Just Whining About WGA?" Page 2)

When asked whether Microsoft is singling out Wine users with WGA, David Lazar, Microsoft's director for Genuine Windows, offered this explanation:

"WGA differentiates the value of genuine versions of Windows XP and Windows 2000 from other operating systems, including virtualized versions of Windows, by giving them access to updates and premium content. As such, only genuine copies of Windows XP and Windows 2000 are eligible for content that requires validation through WGA.

"It is important to note, however, that security updates are not part of WGA. They are available to all Windows users – with or without WGA validation -- via the Download Center where they can be accessed interactively or automatically though the Automatic Updates feature," Lazar added.

.Forrester senior analyst Michael Goulde largely agreed.

"Windows Genuine Advantage is more targeted at piracy and illegitimate users of Windows. I don't think it so much is aimed at Wine users. They can still be legitimately registered users of the applications and I believe still get any fixes for the apps. WGA only affects ability to get Windows updates. (The) Wine community has to maintain Wine."

Ionescu acknowledged there is a work-around. He said the WGA validation tool skips the Wine-check if the operating system returns "5.1" (Windows XP's version number). So making Wine return "5.1" will enable Wine users to get Microsoft downloads.

"There is a remote possibility that MS is assuming that Wine will somehow only support the application if it's running in WinXP mode," Ionescu said. "This is false however, as sticking Wine in WinXP mode will break compatibility with 99% of applications, since Wine was designed to work in Win98 or Win2k mode.

Ionescu said he believes that "it's very unlikely that Microsoft isn't aware of this."

"The fact of the matter is that for 100% of Wine installations, this (WGA) tool will fail, and that is illegal," he said.

"They (Microsoft) block Wine, which is designed as an inter-compatibility application," Ionescu said. "This is specifically illegal according to the Sherman Act, which they must abide since they were officially named as a 'Legal Monopoly' (by the U.S. court that ruled on the U.S. Department of Justice vs. Microsoft antitrust case). The Act specifically says that Microsoft cannot block interoperatibility."