Microsoft tries evading new GPL grasp

TalkBack 8 of 27:: Next »; « Previous

Thread View
Flat View

" re-read their license?": Ha! Look who's talking. When's the last
time you re-read your Microsoft license?
Or did you ever read it to begin with?
Probably just clicked "I agree" and
hurried on to your Micro-goodies?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/08/02/microsoft_eula_asks_for_root/

"You acknowledge and agree that
Microsoft may automatically check the
version of the OS Product and/or its
components that you are utilizing and
may provide upgrades or fixes to the OS
Product that will be automatically
downloaded to your computer,"

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/06/30/ms_security_patch_eula_gives/

"You agree that in order to protect the
integrity of content and software
protected by digital rights management
('Secure Content'), Microsoft may
provide security related updates to the
OS Components that will be automatically
downloaded onto your computer. These
security related updates may disable
your ability to copy and/or play Secure
Content and use other software on your
computer. If we provide such a security
update, we will use reasonable efforts
to post notices on a web site explaining
the update."

"Reasonable efforts to post notices"
somewhere on the Web. I think it's clear
from the wording that MS has absolutely
no intention of bringing this behavior
to our attention.
Instead, Microsoft has just assumed the
right to attack your computer and
surreptitiously install code of its
choosing. You will not be warned; you
will not be offered an opportunity
examine the download or refuse it. MS
will simply connect remotely and install
what it will, or install it secretly
when you contact them.
This means MS will have administrator
privileges on your personal computer.
What they feed you may be infected with
viruses; it may break your applications,
corrupt data files, destroy weeks or
months or even years of work, but you'll
have no recourse if it does. By
downloading this WMP critical security
patch, which you must do to operate WMP
safely, you'll agree to give Billg deed
and title to your personal property and
to leave Microsoft immune from legal
retaliation if they damage your machine.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/29/microsoft_vista_eula_analysis/

Surprises inside Microsoft Vista's EULA
Benchmark censorship
9. MICROSOFT .NET BENCHMARK TESTING. The
software includes one or more components
of the .NET Framework 3.0 (".NET
Components"). You may conduct internal
benchmark testing of those components.
You may disclose the results of any
benchmark test of those components,
provided that you comply with the
conditions set forth at
http://go.microsoft/fwlink/?LinkID=66406.
Foster brings up good points about the
inevitable problems that this clause
will bring. Microsoft can - and
undoubtedly will - change the terms on
that web page at any time, thus
complicating life for anyone wanting to
disclose test results.

No virtualization for you!
ANAL (I am not a lawyer), but it sure
seems to me that this clause goes way
beyond listening to DRM-protected
Windows Audio files (and why anyone
would even buy that garbage in the first
place is beyond me). Section 6 also
appears to block the opening and reading
of documents "protected" with
Microsoft's "Rights Management
Services," which I covered a couple of
years ago. Basically, this means that if
you want to run a Windows version of
Office inside Parallels or VMWare so you
can create, read, and work on documents
that have DRM'd, you're out of luck.
Want to test Windows and DRM (those two
great tastes that taste great together)?
You gotta buy a new PC!
Note: Another group that's going to
suffer under these outrageous
restrictions on virtualization? Web
developers, who just want to test their
work under IE. Gee, thanks, Microsoft!
Reinstallation blues
Windows Activation, introduced with
Windows XP, insures that you don't
install the same copy of Windows on more
than one machine at a time. That's
fine - annoying, but fine. But clause 15
of the new Vista EULA - "REASSIGN TO
ANOTHER DEVICE" - goes way beyond that.
a. Software Other than Windows Anytime
Upgrade. The first user of the software
may reassign the license to another
device one time. If you reassign the
license, that other device becomes
the "licensed device."
b. Windows Anytime Upgrade Software. The
first user of the software may reassign
the license to another device one time,
but only if the license terms of the
software you upgraded from allows
reassignment.
As I read this, you go to the store and
buy a copy of Vista, which you install
on a PC you had in your office. A year
later, another PC becomes available
that's a bit more up to date, so you
decide to transfer your Vista license to
that machine.
You're now finished with that Vista
license. Done. Game over, man. Whether
you shelled out $199 for Home Basic or
broke the bank with the $399 Ultimate
makes no difference. You've reassigned
the license twice, and that's all that
Microsoft allows.

“Security pros have already given
Microsoft a deserved black eye over the
never-ending string of gaffes and
vulnerabilities streaming out of the
company. It seems now as though another
black eyes and a bloody nose may be
coming, along with a"

"the Vista EULA is horrendous"; Posted by: Ole Man Posted on: 07/09/07 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use