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Abusing copyright strings to trick SW into thinking it's running competitor's PC

(devblogs.microsoft.com)
69 points mastazi | 6 comments | 26 Jun 25 00:18 UTC | HN request time: 0.206s | source | bottom
1. marginalia_nu ◴[29 Jun 25 13:13 UTC] No.44412885[source]▶
Microsoft would have experience with that

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AARD_code

replies(1): >>44413317 #
2. mslansn ◴[29 Jun 25 14:12 UTC] No.44413317[source]▶
Friendly reminder that the AARD code never shipped.
replies(2): >>44413413 #>>44413462 #
3. HankB99 ◴[29 Jun 25 14:24 UTC] No.44413413[source]▶
It shipped in the release version but was disabled according to a note on Wikipedia.

> Microsoft disabled the AARD code for the final release of Windows 3.1, but did not remove it so it could be later reactivated by the change of a single byte.

IIRC it did manage to make it into the PCs of some users - testers and early adopters?

/pedant

4. Lt_Riza_Hawkeye ◴[29 Jun 25 14:30 UTC] No.44413462[source]▶
it absolutely shipped in the beta...
replies(2): >>44413662 #>>44413702 #
5. smileybarry ◴[29 Jun 25 14:56 UTC] No.44413662{3}[source]▶
Betas at the time were physical and tightly controlled, not a download or a toggle. I wouldn’t really call it “shipped”.
6. p_ing ◴[29 Jun 25 15:01 UTC] No.44413702{3}[source]▶
"Shipped" means release to manufacturing (in that era).