Re: [PLUG] Change in MS licensing

["Arthur S. Alexion" <arthur@alexion.com>]

At 12:11 PM 5/4/2002 -0400, you wrote:
> We were just talking about that odd MS licensing wording, regarding
> keeping Windows with the hardware it came pre-installed on, for the life
> of the hardware.
>
> "Microsoft has backed away from its bizarre claim that it is a legal
> requirement that preinstalled operating systems remain with a machine
> for the life of the machine - but only slightly."
>
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/25152.html

Reading the cited article, I was reminded of a radio show I heard a while 
back about a guy who was "recycling" old computers (I'm talking as old as a 
286) with a product that reminded me of "Geoworks" (I'm not sure of the 
name and spelling, but it's close).  Geoworks was a pre Windows 3.0 
"operating environment" that was sorta graphical and seemed to multi-task.

Like Geoworks, the new product runs on any flavor of DOS 3.3 including 
DOSEMU in Linux.  It's a bare bones office type suite that is supposed to 
run quickly on very primitive resources.  It's called NewDeal.

http://www.newdealinc.com/

Since the MS site was aimed at schools receiving donations, I was thinking 
that the license interpretation was aimed less at state of the art UNIX 
flavors so much as something like this.  While NewDeal needs DOS, it 
doesn't have to be the MS variety, and  MS isn't making any money on DOS 
anymore anyway.

Most of all, MS has learned from Apple that having kids learn on your OS 
makes them more likely to buy your product as they get older.  They don't 
want kids exposed to anything other than Windows in school.

Another aspect of the MS propaganda that interests me is the phrase "If you 
feel it is in the best interest of your school to accept the donated PCs, . 
. ."   I haven't seen the MS site itself, but I'm trying to figure out why 
a cash strapped school would not "feel it is in [their] best interest . . . 
to accept the donated PCs"?  I can see why it is not in MS interest not to 
sell more "new" windows loaded PCs.

A truly nasty company.



_________________________________________________________________
Art Alexion                ""-""        mailto:arthur@alexion.com
                          <(©¿©)>
Arthur S. Alexion LLC       «o»            http://www.alexion.com
                             v


______________________________________________________________________
Philadelphia Linux Users Group       -      http://www.phillylinux.org
Announcements-http://lists.phillylinux.org/mail/listinfo/plug-announce
General Discussion  -  http://lists.phillylinux.org/mail/listinfo/plug