The big Vista-related story going around the net today is the news that Microsoft has closed the installation loophole in the "Upgrade" editions of Windows Vista.
Here's the short version: in the past, people could purchase "Upgrade" editions of Windows, and complete a "clean" installation, as long as you provided the CD for the version you're attempting to upgrade. The problem with this is, with the advent of ISOs and millions of bootleg copies of Windows XP floating around the net, this method was increasingly unreliable.
So Microsoft is now requiring that Windows XP is already completely installed on the system before upgrading to Vista. As this MS Knowledge Base article states, "Upgrade keys cannot be used for a clean installation." But every Vista installation is a clean install, even if it's an upgrade. So it's not quite as big a deal as everyone makes it out to be.
Most enthusiasts are up in arms over this change. Well... cry me a river. I've used this loophole in the past. To be honest, I was planning on using it again, until today. But it's not any of our right to abuse a system that was designed to make it easier for people who were upgrading existing installations. It's not like the loophole is totally closed. You can always Ghost a clean installation of XP and run your Vista upgrade after that. Shave at least an hour off of your install time.
But come on... you didn't think the loophole was going to be open forever, did you? You should have seen this one coming.
UPDATE: In related news, a Microsoft rep answered questions on the OEM pricing and support model with ExtremeTech. Highlights include information about the legality of buying OEM copies of Vista through NewEgg.com (it's OK) and Vista's tolerance of hardware changes (it's more tolerant than XP). [via ActiveWin]