Re: Software 'licensing' <RANT>

[dalloff@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Dave Althoff)]

Bruce Maples (themaples@worldnet.att.net) wrote:
: On 24 Feb 1997 19:47:40 GMT, cheer@i.hate.spam (Christopher D. Heer)
: wrote:

: >
: >In many cases, it *is* legal to install it in both places.  Last time I checked 
: >MS's license agreement (which, admittedly, was a couple of years ago), you 
: >could install Word in both places IF:
: >
: >	1> You used it primarily on one or the other; in other words,
: >	   they expected you to keep the usage ratio between work and
: >	   home to around 80/20 (don't ask me why)
: >
: >	2> There was no possibility of it being used at the same time
: >	   in both places
: >
: That was, indeed, MS's policy up until last year (or maybe '95).  They
: have now gone to a one-license-per-machine stance.  In addition, they
: have banned concurrent licensing (where you could buy 500 licenses and
: install on 10,000 machines, as long as only 500 licenses were in use
: at one time).

: Some say MS is moving toward that old mainframe standard -- annual
: licensing.  I hope not.

No, MS is moving towards a variation of the old mainframe
standard...software that effectively self-destructs because the upgrade
becomes available (for a significant fee) and all support for the older
version mysteriously evaporates...

...But that is a different rant...

--Dave Althoff, jr.
-- 
    /-\        _       _           ***  New season begins May 9!  ***
   /XXX\      /X\     /X\_      _     /XX\_      _     _        _____  
  /XXXXX\    /XXX\  _/XXXX\_   /X\   /XXXXX\    /X\   /X\      /XXXXX
_/XXXXXXX\__/XXXXX\/XXXXXXXX\_/XXX\_/XXXXXXX\__/XXX\_/XXX\_/\_/XXXXXX