Re: Linux For Windows

[Matthew John Palmer <nospam [at] uow.edu.au>]

On Wed, 29 Mar 2000, Richard wrote:

> > Yer wot?  If the machine is legally licenced to an individual, surely they
> > are allowed to operate it on any premises they choose - even if it is
> > commercial premises owned by another Microsoft licence holder?  If not, how
> > does it work when a technician or someone goes to a customer running Windows
> > with a laptop running windows - are they breaking the licence agreement
> > then?
> 
> Under other legal systems than our own this may be true.  But,
> speaking strictly in legal terms which are relevant to our own island
> we *are not* allowed to take even a laptop onto someone elses premises
> without it being licenced first.  That's if it's got Microsoft

Is this something peculiar to Microsoft's EULA or does it apply to all
{commercial,licenced,whatever} software?

> software on it.  Being the person who gets things together for us I
> have to be on the lookout for this kind of legal stuff.  Yes, I know,
> it is a bit pedantic but if I don't do it then there won't be any
> meetings and I may be liable to a visit from a local Police officer at
> my home address.

If it's the law, it's the law, and we follow the law.  I'm not about to
incite anyone to break it, I was wondering about it.

If that's the case here, then I woder if there's a parallele in Oz?  Can you
give me a reference to the UK law which states this, so I can check if
there's an equivalent back home?  It's a pretty good advocacy thing,
actually - "Don't use Microsoft because you can't take your laptop running
it onto a customer's premises".

Does it apply to houses, as well?  If I took a laptop (or for that matter, I
guess, a desktop box) with Windows on it to a mate's place, who also had
Windows, would I be breaking the law then?  What about into a hall of
residence?  Possibly not, since those are (I think) generally considered to
be multiple independant dwellings, but still...

I guess it could be that the UK interpretation of the EULA is based not only
on "one machine per licence" but also on this "this software is licenced for
use at a single address"...

> > Seems even cruftier than Microsoft's usual dealings...
> 
> They did it not us :-)

'they' being {Microsoft,UK govt, Blackwell's}?

> > I say we get in there and Debianise it... or SuSEify it, if you must...
> > <huge grin>
> 
> exactly :-)

Covert op.  Get 'Mission Impossible' theme runing in the background, dress
all in black with Balaclavas and the lot... <g>


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Matthew Palmer
mjp16@uow.edu.au

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