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Microsoft Killed AutoPatcher - No More Third Party Windows UpdatesIt's Windows Updates or nothing! |
By Marius Oiaga, Technology News Editor
29th of August 2007, 10:10 GMT
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The AutoPatcher project is dead, courtesy of Microsoft. Antonis Kaladis, AutoPatcher Project Manager broke the news on August 29, revealing that Microsoft killed the initiative designed to supply offline Windows updates. AutoPatcher debuted back in 2003, and functioned with no issues or legal hassles from the Redmond company for four years. Now, Microsoft has changed its tune in relation to the project and issued a response involving a cease and decease letter. Subsequently, although the official AutoPatcher website is still up and running, the download page returns a 404 error. Additionally, Microsoft is also focusing
on alternative online locations distributing AutoPatcher.
"Today we received an e-mail from Microsoft, requesting the immediate take-down of the download page, which of course means that AutoPatcher is probably history. As much as we disagree, we can do very little, and although the download page is merely a collection of mirrors, we took the download page down. We would like to thank you for your support. For the past 4 years, it has been a blast. Unfortunately, it seems like it's the end of AutoPatcher as we know it", Kaladis revealed.
Before it was shut down, AutoPatcher was offering updates for Windows 2000, Windows XP and even Windows Vista. The package had an immense advantage over Microsoft's official Windows Update infrastructure allowing users to get their hands on a large collection of updates via a single download and deploy it offline. "AutoPatcher combines the advantage of both Windows Update (presentation and description of updates and automated installation), and the special administrative updates (portability and installation without the need of an Internet connection)," reads a fragment from the description of the now defunct project.
Microsoft is very sensitive on the issue of the redistribution of its software. The Redmond company aims to be the only online source for updates, and taking AutoPatcher down is an illustrative example of Microsoft's policy concerning independent distributors and its proprietary software. Until the time of this article Microsoft failed to offer an official explanation related to the faith it decided for AutoPatcher.
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| Rating: |
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Fair (2.7/5) |
17 vote(s) so far |
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User opinions: |
| Comment #1 by: copilus on 30 Aug 2007, 05:55 GMT |  reply to this comment | I just can't wait for a time when I'll read on softpedia something like x killed Microsoft. Let's drink to that! Long live open source! |
| Comment #1.1 by: yumarsana on 30 Aug 2007, 16:13 GMT | Linux is growing up everyday. If more home apps use it, we can see linux as standard OS .... someday ... |
| Comment #1.2 by: shadow_man on 24 Nov 2007, 15:06 GMT | I would personally like to see Micro$oft build and develop something as stable and as good looking as LINUX, but EASIER TO USE! Then we would not need no autopatcher-a-likes to keep our data safe. M$ is one of the companies that HAVE NO HONOR! They make their products deliberately buggy and vulnerable, so that their users have to pay for support and other bulls**t (sorry for my words). The day they make a stable and safe OS is the day I and millions of others will buy their product, and stop using free pirate editions (M$ products of their quality should be free). The day the piracy stops is the day monopoly stops! HEED MY WORDS MICROSOFT!!! |
| Comment #2 by: wviviers on 31 Aug 2007, 13:11 GMT | reply to this comment | If Microsoft did not have so many bugs in their software we would not have needed Autopatcher. Microsoft should be grateful for the people who were willing to develop this great application. I guess going for Linux, Open Office and MySQL is really the way for the future. I am already using Firefox to browse the web as the MS equivalents, IE-6 and especially IE-7 really sucks. |
| Comment #3 by: shadow_man on 24 Nov 2007, 15:06 GMT | reply to this comment | I would personally like to see Micro$oft build and develop something as stable and as good looking as LINUX, but EASIER TO USE! Then we would not need no autopatcher-a-likes to keep our data safe. M$ is one of the companies that HAVE NO HONOR! They make their products deliberately buggy and vulnerable, so that their users have to pay for support and other bulls**t (sorry for my words). The day they make a stable and safe OS is the day I and millions of others will buy their product, and stop using free pirate editions (M$ products of their quality should be free). The day the piracy stops is the day monopoly stops! HEED MY WORDS MICROSOFT!!! |
| Comment #5 by: Bashar on 03 Dec 2007, 13:18 GMT | reply to this comment | well, i got upset at first time.
but i think that microsoft has the right to make it's own software.
but if they won't make in the future, they must allow the autopatcher again. |
| Comment #6 by: Ameya on 08 Dec 2007, 04:10 GMT | reply to this comment | Thats the height of stupidity by Microsoft.What problem did they have when users were getting the same updates offline through a single download?If they stopped this, then they should make a similar tool themselves offering such service.
Its a sad day for AutoPatcher fans.... |
| Comment #7 by: gumshoe on 31 Jan 2008, 08:45 GMT | reply to this comment | That's stupid! Downloading updates from the Microsoft Update's website is a pain, especially for dial-up users like me. Yeah, I agree with the others, if they closed autopatcher down, they should at least give an alternative way of getting the updates. |
| Comment #8 by: nexus on 03 Feb 2008, 22:37 GMT | reply to this comment | It's all about control. Micro$oft wants complete control over who can download updates from them. You can barely even get any new update or new utility from Micro$oft's website without having to go through their verification process, Windows Genuine Advantage ActiveX program required to download. I have been using Ubuntu Linux for awhile and it has become one of my favorite Linux distros. It also has tons of free apps. and utilities you can download with a simple add/remove window and all updates over the internet are free. |
| Comment #9 by: Jagger on 19 Apr 2008, 14:59 GMT | reply to this comment | This combined with that fact that Vista suck only helps Linux out that much more. I know of many windows users (Myself included) that are going to Linux or Mac. Microsoft is now like the Roman empire just before its collapse! |
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