disk equals license (soon: horse flogging)

From: Mike Allison <mallison_at_konnections.com>
Date: Mon Feb 16 11:27:27 1998

You know:

I always thought Borland explained it best. Software license is like a
book. Only one person can read it at a time, only one person can own
it at a time. Imagine that the upgrade is part of those original disks,
whether you need the disks or not. Therefore, you can't be sure, by
finding the software, that the invisible license for that software isn't
still functioning somewhere. In other words, you can't know that by
having the disks, you indeed have the license.

While I would never argue (because I do it too) that if you "find" an
original set of disks you're hurting anyone by using them. I'm sure
you'd probably win a court case. But I don't think it's right --
morally, ethically, mathematically -- to try to turn that into an
upgrade. There is a big difference between buying an old version for
$1.00 and buying an upgrade and finding disks in the trash and buying an
upgrade.

All the other options, including calling and asking the company are
viable. The idea is to let the people who truely own the rights to that
upgrade decide.

-Mike

John Foust wrote:
>
> Roger Merchberger <zmerch_at_northernway.net> wrote:
> >You're both right, in a way.
> >John H.: Chuck the disks, give up license. Yup.
> >John F.: The upgrade disks require a license to previous software -- you
> >now essentially have two linked licenses
> >Is the license bound to *all* of the media?
>
Received on Mon Feb 16 1998 - 11:27:27 GMT