Should I add a "Micro" PDP11/73 to the Herd?

From: John Wilson <wilson_at_dbit.dbit.com>
Date: Thu Jun 22 14:31:25 2000

On Thu, Jun 22, 2000 at 03:00:42PM -0400, John Allain wrote:
> I can't believe that there isn't a legal way to transfer
> purchased software N users to users = N without more
> liscencing fees. It's like saying the seller really didn't
> own it at the time of sale.

Well, technically they didn't. You buy the *right* to use the software,
and since that's not a tangible thing it's a bit hard to pin down how to
transfer it. Most software companies aren't so snotty about taking advantage
of that fact, but DEC went through a phase (in the early 80s) where they
decided that you couldn't transfer software licenses at *all*, so now we're
supposed to be grateful that they relented and agreed you could do it, if
you had $300 and a bunch of documentation that probably never existed and
certainly doesn't any more. I think it was supposed to work like the New
Coke thing, threaten us with something so bad, that we won't complain (at
least not loudly) when they drop back to something which is still not what
the customers want.

Microsoft has been jumping on the same bandwagon lately, unilaterally censoring
eBay auctions for M$ software if there's any possibility, in Microsoft's
opinion, that the seller doesn't own a transferable license for the software.

John Wilson
D Bit
Received on Thu Jun 22 2000 - 14:31:25 BST