Re: XP license to 2nd computer legal?


Wrong my friend. I bought this laptop used. For the hardware alone it
was a good price. But it also included, FREE, at no additional cost to
me, a legal copy of XP to install on it. Note I said FREE.

Unfortunately, though, it's not actually free. The estimates
I've seen for the cost of OEM licenses are $50-80 US.
(Apparently MS won't publicly disclose the cost, so analysts
have to estimate it.) Presumably I could buy a new Compaq
for about $250 if I could buy it without XP.

Awhile back (maybe 2-3 years ago?)
theRegister ran a series of articles about how Microsoft was
threatening independent PC makers, asserting that any shop
allowing people to buy an empty machine was essentially taking
part in piracy....because Windows was undoubtedly going onto
that machine. (MS not only disregards Linux in taking that
position; they also disregard the existence of their own full license
customers.)

****************************************
*Because I do not trust Microsoft*
****************************************

Ohhh, lookie lookie:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/06/08/ms_wga_phones_home/

Now, tell me again why I should trust MS?

I think it's very telling that Microsoft even offers
a defense on that:
http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/06/08/79107_HNnopiracy_1.html

They define spyware as something that only small
companies do. Corporate spyware, such as XP
and an increasing number of corporate products
(Sony, Symantec, etc.), is by definition OK from Microsoft's
point of view.

They've demonstrated time and again that they really don't
think it's your machine in the first place. Case in point, the
WGA license, which in part says that you agree you have no
right to uninstall WGA. (People are asked to click the EULA
agreement when the WGA bug is installed, posing as
an important update.)

http://weblog.infoworld.com/foster/2006/04/28_a393.html#a393




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