Re: Software 'licensing' <RANT>

[sheldon@atlcom.net (Sheldon Simms)]

In article <5eritn$7n8@nnrp1.news.primenet.com>, johnlb@primenet.com (John
Bowling) wrote:

> In article <5er7ke$noi@login.freenet.columbus.oh.us>,
> Dave Althoff <dalloff@freenet.columbus.oh.us> wrote:
> >
> <transporting floppy software stuff snipped>
> >Just something that occurred to me last night.  It seems to me that if a
> >single user purchases software for his exclusive use, he ought to be able
> >to use that same software on as many computers as he wants, provided that
> >he only uses one copy at a time.
> 
> Most companies don't agree with that.  In fact, many of them are using a
> hardware key to prevent someone from doing it.

When I am in the situation described, I make multiple installs of the
software. It may be a breach of the strict letter of the license but it
is within the spirit of the license, in my opinion. As long as it is
never the case that two people are using software at the same time the
publisher is not being cheated. This assumes that the software is something
I bought myself for my personal use. To take a CD from work, that was
paid for by your employer for business use and, and install it at home
seems to me to be clearly a violation of both letter and spirit of the
license.

-- 
W. Sheldon Simms III   |   2000 is *still* the 20th century
sheldon@atlcom.net     |