'AutoPatcher' Service for Windows Ordered Shut Down by Microsoft

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"A service designed to help Windows users download Microsoft's updates and install them in a faster manner was ordered shut down by Microsoft, in a cease and desist letter to the service's proprietors."

"For the past few years the AutoPatcher service had been giving users what was believed to be a simpler and more intuitive front end and a monthly digest for downloading and installing updates. But it was redistributing Windows code - or, at the very least, distributing a new way to get to Windows code - and was an alternative to Microsoft Update, and as such, the company had no remaining patience for letting it stand.

AutoPatcher's Antonis Kaladis posted the disappointing news on his company's front page this morning: "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."

By early evening today, the entire company's Web site appeared to be offline.

The Windows news site Neowin was a co-sponsor of AutoPatcher, and it too received a cease-and-desist notice from Microsoft. As the site's Steven Parker reported this morning, "I have no explanation for why Microsoft allowed it to continue unchecked for four years before making this decision."

Though Neowin was also forced to remove the support forum it had been hosting for AutoPatcher, it received 171 comments by early evening today. Nearly all expressed regret at the decision, though some took Neowin to task for appearing to bend to Microsoft's will too early, and for not making a federal case out of this...quite literally.

But there was also this: "All the kiddies need to stop complaining and start thinking about why Neowin did this. Microsoft lawyers have billions at their disposal. Neowin has ad revenue. Geez, I wonder who would win?""

:source: Source: BetaNews
:view: Homepage: AutoPatcher.com
:view: Neowin.Net: Microsoft Remains Silent on AutoPatcher - August 30, 2007
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Luckily, I have the August Core archived on my ex. HD in case I need a quick fix for a fresh install. It's still too bad since they offered a lot of tweaks and improvements for functionality. WinXP SP3, I suppose, would be a nice replacement (when it's released).

I am confused as to why this would be a federal case.

I have to side with M$ on this one. M$ has put in place a pretty decent way of getting their updates for legit copies of their software.

I do love how people cry over stuff they think they are entitled to do but at the same time, they are dead wrong.

It reminds me of illegal immigrant rights or some shit.

I'm gonna miss their tweaks. And it was one easy source to get all the updates if you're starting from a fresh installation.

I'm legit and I use it. I rather not d/l 75+ updates and have to restart over and over to begin another batch from the 75+ updates. It's annoying.

for me first thing to do after install is to turn off this annoying update thingie... actually they could learn from linux on this, you dont have to restart you pc after the updates there.

So sad :(