From: Alex F. Bokov (alexboko@umich.edu)
Date: Thu Jul 05 2001 - 16:15:46 MDT
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Courtesy of Slashdot
(http://slashdot.org/articles/01/07/05/1526255.shtml)
Get this, Business Software Alliance seems to have
too much time on their hands again. Consequently,
random people are getting threatening letters urging
them to get license audits for their software before
"something bad" (tm) happens. How random are these
people, you ask? Well, how about an editor at the
Open Source Developer's Network, for example? You
know, the kind of guy who involuntarily recieves
bundled WinNT CDs and uses them as beer coasters?
http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=01/07/03/1811211
The discussion attached to this article reveals a
clause in the Microsoft licensing agreement that
I don't think too many people would agree to if they
actually read it:
http://www.newsforge.com/comments.pl?sid=01/07/03/1811211&cid=11
(the posting I'm referring to is third from the bottom)
This has caused me to come up with a completely new
business case for not touching closed software with
a 10 meter pole, Microsoft's in particular:
"The less proprietary code your business uses, the
less pretext there is for lawsuits, threats,
compliance audits, and (most commonly) expensive
legal harrassment even in the absense of a strong
case against you. Closed software is an open ended
legal liability"
Meanwhile, in other news, the SOURCE CODE to Windows XP
RC1 has been leaked.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/20194.html
Get your favorite p2p client, search engine, or
haX0R!!! website and look for the following file
name: wxp_pro_rc1.iso
I haven't found anything so far, but who knows? You
might get lucky. Even as we speak, I'm sure that
thousands of Linux hackers are dissecting the beast,
learning the arcane secrets of how NOT to design an
operating system.
- --
Waco Waco Revolution
Why are the above words in my signature? Check out:
http://www.echelon.wiretapped.net
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