Another under-handed move by MS...

[Greg Harris]

i bet this wasn't supposed to get to the public...
"Microsoft has confirmed that one of its regional units sent PC makers an email offering prizes for reporting customers who ordered "naked" PCs, those that lack Windows or any other operating system."
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i don't know about you guys, but i have 2 "home-brewed" machines, and i did not buy a new OS for either one... except for the $32 i paid for RedHat 7.0. one of them has win98 and 2000 because 2000 is NOT backward compatible with anything i have...

[This message has been edited by Greg Harris (edited May 02, 2001).]

[Greg Harris]

i guess i should clarify myself before i get in trouble... being a future software developer (hopefully) i fully understand the piracy problem.
i did purchase win2000 for a different machine, but win98 came with my laptop... so i just put 98 on this one to be able to use my cdrw drive.
the 2 machines i built at home are just for my own experience and training... one has win2000, 98 and Linux, the other one just has Linux. i have formatted my hdd 4 or 5 times thanks to compatibility issues with 2000 (and also over-heating problems), so i see this as a learning experience. when i get it right, i will buy a new OS so i can register everything properly.
a similar issue is: should i have to pay for another license if i want to have Office 2000 on my 98 partition as well as my 2000 partition??? it is on the same freaking computer, but i have to register it both times! each time i formatted the hdd i was given a different registration id, so i had to call or email every time. i bet they are wondering what i am up to since that piece of software has been registered 5 or 6 times.

[Andy Ceponis]

Just get a key from someone. No more annoying problems with MS to deal with then.

[Matthew Phillips]

I think the whole software liscensing deal is skewed. If someone buys a piece of software, they should be able to use it for personal use. If I have three computers, I should be able to buy one copy of the software and load it on all three. I agree that software piracy is wrong, but I think that the laws should be adjusted.
Matthew Phillips

[Greg Harris]

thank you, matt. that is exactly what i wanted to hear. why should i have to buy seperate licenses for 3 computers that are sitting 5 feet apart? i can see how this would not work in a corporation with 50 or 100+ machines, but i am just 1 person that happens to have 3 computers.
i obtained the initial copy of each piece of software through legitimate means... now i am experimenting by building a couple different machines for my own personal satisfaction (or frustration with Win2000).

[Ray Marsh]

Unfortunately, what should be and what is, are almost never the same.
I agree in principle w/ Matt, however, if the sw license doesn't allow for the 3 pc provision, guaranteed it don't, you are breaking the law.
It's a shame that you don't own what you buy, but that's the way it is. SW Licensing, I agree should be changed.

[Greg Harris]

i agree in principle as well. like i said, i can understand why a corporation would need a license for each server, station... whatever.
however, if i am using my computers for my own personal education, i do not think i should have to pay another $300+. most of the EULA's i have read provide for a "secondary" installation on a "home computer" or "laptop" so i am safe there. a couple of them provide for multiple installations as long as i am only using one computer at a time... technically i am supposed to uninstall the "key" from one so i can use it on the other.
and we wonder how bill gates got so rich so quick