Author: Scott Gasch
Date: 13:29:32 08/06/01
Go up one level in this thread
On August 06, 2001 at 16:08:39, Miguel A. Ballicora wrote: >Sorry Scott, you make this sound like the only people worry about this are >thieves. It is not like that. If I buy software I have the right to reinstall it >one million times and I also have the right to burn my computer, buy a new one, >reinstall the software, burn the motherboard, buy a new Mobo, install a dual, >reinstall the software, test how it works, burn everything, buy one from >gateway, reinstall everything etc. I have the right to this even if is crazy. If >I do not have the right to do it, I SHOULD HAVE it and someone explain to me >when I lost that right. That is true and you still have that right. Now, though, you will have to talk to MS every time you reinstall on a new machine (or one that is drastically different hardware). But you don't have to buy a new OS (as the original post said), you just have to re-activate your existing copy. Which I guess entails talking to someone on the phone. Personally I think this WPA thing is stupid -- it wastes customers' time and the time of the poor people who have to answer the phones. And then you have the grey area of how many times can you reactivate the same copy of windows before the guy on the other end of the phone starts thinking you are ripping off MS. What if he refuses to let you reactivate when really you have done nothing wrong? This is just a dumb idea. At the same time, though, I can see the motivation for it. >Besides, I also have the right to install the same >software in computers that I do not use at the same time. i.e., my computer at >home and the one at my office at work. Don't I have that right? When did I lose >it? Microsoft does not trust that I will use it in good faith? Then why should I >trust them about privacy issues? You do not have this right. If you read the EULA that you agreed to carefully you will find that you never had this right. One copy of the OS per computer. If you don't like it, use some other OS like linux where there are no EULAs. >I am willing to trust them, but they should trust me too. I do not care that >there are pirates out there, it is not my problem. Besides, I do not know why >they are so worried about piracy when most of the OS they sell are already >preinstalled. This is crazy. They are worried about piracy, I think, because its rampant in Asia and they are a company -- greedy by nature. The accountants and executives say to themselves "ah, so windows brings in $N per year but just think how much more it could bring in if everyone who pirated copies had to buy them too!" So they force some engineers into making up a scheme like WPA. I bet some of the guys who wrote the WPA code thought it was a bad idea too... Scott
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