From: STeve Andre' (andres_at_msu.edu)
Date: Fri May 03 2002 - 17:13:43 EDT
Agreed that you can use it forever, but can MS stop the
store from selling it? Thats what I don't know--where are
the boundaries for gray marketing? If anyone knows of
good sites that talk about this, I'd appreciate hearing
about them.
--STeve Andre'
On Friday 03 May 2002 05:18 pm, Bruce Markowitz wrote:
> That's all nonsense.
> If you bought a MS licensed product, you can use it until the end of time.
> If there was a time limit on the license, no one could ever buy it.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "STeve Andre'" <andres_at_msu.edu>
> To: "thinkpad" <thinkpad_at_cs.utk.edu>
> Sent: Friday, May 03, 2002 5:04 PM
> Subject: Re: Microsoft to get cranky?
>
>
> All I can say is that while *perhaps* legal, this is insane
> activity from MS. Making it harder and harder to stay
> legal means that many more people will simply abandon
> MS in favor of open source solutions.
>
> Yes, do get involved with the UNIX world, be it Linux or
> one of the BSD flavors. The freedom and power one has
> under those op systems makes Windows pale in comparison.
>
> ThinkPads work marvelously with Linux/BSD. You won't
> regret it!
>
> --STeve Andre'
>
> On Friday 03 May 2002 03:43 pm, you wrote:
> > A month ago I visited a clone shop in Vancouver. I had never
> > been there before. This is the kind of place where you buy
> > stuff at rock-bottom prices, cash only, no credit cards.
> > Service? Well, no.
> >
> > Anyway, there was a prominently posted letter from Microsoft
> > saying that you could buy licenses for software, including
> > OSes, until, let's say, 1 July 2002, no questions asked, but
> > that after that date you'd be out of luck. There was a
> > (perhaps only implied) threat that they'd be coming down hard
> > after that date.
> >
> > I wonder how this could impact Thinkpad users?
> >
> > Example 1: You buy a used Thinkpad which was issued by IBM
> > with a certain release of Windows. The machine comes with the
> > OS installed, and copies of the original install CDs. No logo,
> > no license. Maybe one of those "Designed for Microsoft
> > Windows" stickers on the keyboard This is my situation with my
> > 600E, Win98. Is my Win98 legal?
> >
> > Is Microsoft going to come to the door with axes?
> > Are they going to find out by spying on your computer via the
> > Internet?
> >
> > Example 2: Just like example 1, except that IBM issued some of
> > that model with Windows, some without.
> >
> > Example 3: 701C. IBM made these computers with Windows 3.1
> > (and some with OS/2 Warp as well). You buy one that has come
> > back from lease where the first thing they did was install a
> > (presumably legal) copy of Win95. It still has the Win95 on
> > it. Is that legal?
> >
> > When I use the word "legal", I'm thinking more about what
> > differences there might be AFTER this cutoff date from what
> > happens now. And I'm thinking about the home user, mostly.
> >
> > Maybe it's time to dust off DR-DOS and OS/2 Warp. And learn
> > how to use *nix.
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