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Thread ID: 17629	2002-04-08 09:58:00	Microsoft Licensing	Guest (0)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
42626	2002-04-08 09:58:00	I have a quick comment to make about the licensing agreement microsoft is bringing in, this so called 'software-as-a-service'. Recently MS 'donated' or supplied at very cheap rates a large amount of software to schools, both in New Zealand and overseas. Notice now, their licensing agreement: you must pay for 2 years of 'service packs' in advance. What does this provide for all these recipients of free software?? All it does is lock them in to something they may not have even wanted... A school may have been quite happy with the software it was running, but along comes a 'free' bundle of microsoft products, and they use them of course. But now, they have to pay to keep upgradeing them constantly or face a _huge_ fee to relicense later on if they don't keep upgrading, basically locking them in to a constant cycle of paying microsoft. However, by doing these things over a very spread out tmetable, i think most people don't get the implications, and tie what MS is doing now to what happened last year.... This is my take on the matter, perhaps there are others too.... Craig.	Guest (0)
42627	2002-04-09 02:37:00	Craig You may well be right. I have not bothered to stay in touch with some of the changes in licensing, but there does appear to be 'a disturbance in the force' as far as it is all concerned. Given that we aren't forced to buy, then we are free to do as we wish. But once you are locked in to a maintenance agreement, there seems to be no escaping the whirlpool. I remember some software companies had 'crippleware' that would cease to work if the new code wasn't entered when maintenance was paid. They lost customers very quickly, one wonders if this could happen again. robo.	Guest (0)
42628	2002-04-09 09:24:00	I gather the EULA for Office XP states that you may only use it on the Windows OS. If this is so you won't be able to use it under Lindows or any other. Sounds to me like they have not learnt much from the DOJ case.	Guest (0)
42629	2002-04-09 10:43:00	Microsoft may well have been dominant in the past, their overly defensive and aggressive reaction to the open source movement looks set to backfire badly. The open lies about Linux, the .NET thing, passport, the shocking security holes, the bloatware, and their product authentication are all good reasons to avoid their products. I bought a new machine recently, refused to have XP, and am using ME in the meantime while I gather the bits I need to install Linux (another drive and a real modem).	Guest (0)
42630	2002-04-09 10:43:00	Microsoft may well have been dominant in the past, their overly defensive and aggressive reaction to the open source movement looks set to backfire badly. The open lies about Linux, the .NET thing, passport, the shocking security holes, the bloatware, and their product authentication are all good reasons to avoid their products. I bought a new machine recently, refused to have XP, and am using ME in the meantime while I gather the bits I need to install Linux (another drive and a real modem).	Guest (0)
42631	2002-04-09 10:47:00	Microsoft may well have been dominant in the past, their overly defensive and aggressive reaction to the open source movement looks set to backfire badly. The open lies about Linux, the .NET thing, passport, the shocking security holes, the bloatware, and their product authentication are all good reasons to avoid their products. I bought a new machine recently, refused to have XP, and am using ME in the meantime while I gather the bits I need to install Linux (another drive and a real modem).	Guest (0)
42632	2002-04-09 10:55:00	Microsoft may well have been dominant in the past, their overly defensive and aggressive reaction to the open source movement looks set to backfire badly. The open lies about Linux, the .NET thing, passport, the shocking security holes, the bloatware, and their product authentication are all good reasons to avoid their products. I bought a new machine recently, refused to have XP, and am using ME in the meantime while I gather the bits I need to install Linux (another drive and a real modem).	Guest (0)
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