Posted on 10/13/2006 7:22:58 AM PDT by Señor Zorro
Microsoft has released licenses for the Windows Vista operating system that dramatically differ from those for Windows XP in that they limit the number of times that retail editions can be transferred to another device and ban the two least-expensive versions from running in a virtual machine.
The new licenses, which were highlighted by the Vista team on its official blog Tuesday, add new restrictions to how and where Windows can be used.
"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," reads the license for Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate, and Business. In other words, once a retail copy of Vista is installed on a PC, it can be moved to another system only once.
The new policy is narrower than Windows XP's. In the same section, the license for Windows XP Home states: "You may move the Software to a different Workstation Computer. After the transfer, you must completely remove the Software from the former Workstation Computer." There is no limit to the number of times users can make this move. Windows XP Professional's license is identical.
Elsewhere in the license, Microsoft forbids users from installing Vista Home Basic and Vista Home Premium in a virtual machine. "You may not use the software installed on the licensed device within a virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system," the legal language reads. Vista Ultimate and Vista Business, however, can be installed within a VM.
Vista Home Basic, at $199 for a full version and $99 for an upgrade, and Vista Home Premium ($239/$159), are the two most-affordable retail editions of the operating system scheduled to appear on store shelves in January 2007.
Although the Vista team's blog did not point out these changes, it did highlight others. "Two notable changes between Windows Vista license terms and those for Windows XP are: 1) failure of a validation check results in the loss of access to specific features; and 2) an increase in our warranty period from 90 days to 1 year, which brings Windows in line with most other Microsoft products," wrote Vista program manager Nick White.
Specifically, the Vista license calls out the ramifications of a failed validation check of Vista.
"The software will from time to time validate the software, update or require download of the validation feature of the software," it reads. "If after a validation check, the software is found not to be properly licensed, the functionality of the software may be affected."
Vista's new anti-piracy technologies, collectively dubbed "Software Protection Platform," have met with skepticism by analysts and criticism by users. Under the new program, a copy of Vista that's judged to be in violation of its license, or is counterfeit, is disabled after a set period, leaving the user access only to the default Web browser, and then only for an hour at a time.
Though the primary reason is that there isn't a compelling reason to upgrade.
However, MS is creating all this hype--in their eyes, going from XP to Vista is supposed to be akin from going from 3.1x to 95.
But it isn't.
When 95 came out, it turned Windows upside down. There clearly was something very different about it. It looked cleaner than 3.1 and the interface was much more user friendly (it wasn't just simply a shell for DOS). In most cases, one no longer had to start out in DOS to run Windows.
Not to mention thatVista has been stripped from what they originally planned to throw in there--namely WinFS, EFI support, and PowerShell--three things that would have clearly made it a different operating system and not simply an uprated Win2k or XP on steroids.
I still don't quite see what these programs do (when they work right), that the imbedded Win XP utility System Restore doesn't do ...
I don't shop there regularly since it's a bit of a drive, but when I'm there I'm usually playing with the Mac systems or latest XP notebooks, and haven't seen any Linux. I guess it's not on display much since most people interested in that sort of thing would probably just download it instead, but I trust you that it is available just probably not pre-installed.
you microsoft people sure are scared of linux, I can only imagine what will happen in 5-10 years when linux makes up 10-20 percent of the market worldwide and there is tons of new compatible software to go with it
I first heard that about 10 years ago. There used to be a joke about Linus Torvalds, "wve get spellcheck, zen you die". LOL.
If they can finally lock out all the the hackers, there will be people lining up.
Vista has been stripped from what they originally planned
I wish concept cars were for sale too.
Who replaces their MB, unless its DOA? Most upgrade, and that requires re-authorization, which is not too much of a pain with XP, hopefully Vista will be no worse.
I'm no "m-soft pipple", on the contrary, I specifically don't particularly like the company and I very much want to see some serious competition to the 800 lb. mean gorilla in the marketplace. But if there is, I expect it will be very very slow, because M-soft is so deeply institutionalized. For example, my wife takes college courses part-time, and almost always her courses REQUIRE HER to use PowerPoint. And students who MUST have PowerPoint are NOT going to own two computers, one with M-soft to have PowerPoint, and another to have Linux. They'll buy one computer with M-soft. And if you think these various and sundry instituitions are going to change from M-soft to Linux, or any other OS in the next 5-10 years, you are smoking some potent stuff. These institutions move like glaciers.
Agreed, atomdevil admitted even he didn't really trust the source. An upgrade that would include different components especially those requiring non-generic drivers could however be an issue, but the folks upgrading their motherboard are those that built their systems from scratch to begin with, a tiny portion of the market.
Seriously.
Consider this. The Vista visual effects can be had for about $25.
Subtract the eye candy, and what's so grand about Vista?
Nothing. It's just a bloated XP with an NT 6.0 kernel and lots of tasty DRM to foul up anyone's computer at MS's whim.
Those three things are major items that would have set Vista apart and for many people would have made it more reasonable to upgrade. If Vista had those features (and I had the power to run it), I'd probably have given Vista a second look, if not bought a copy.
Having said that then, why should I pay $260 when if I wanted the same effects, I could buy the visual themes for $25 and the pollutants for free?
That's the point. The only way Vista is going to enter the home is on new PCs--and evenso, assuming the owner hasn't decided to put their copy of Win2k or XP on it instead.
People just don't see any significant reason that easily convinces to upgrade.
I wouldn't classify CompUSA and Best Buy as "best stores" either, but I know I've seen Suse and Linspire for sale there.
several million kids are about to get linux based laptops, if even a very small percentage are smart or motivated there is going to be alot of inexpensive compatible software to choose from
This thread makes me think about transitioning my work to Linux from Windows.
I'd like to ask the list what are the best development environments (IDEs) on Linux for C++ GUI desktop apps. My point of reference is Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. Also, a related question. Is there a possibility that dot-net will become widespread on Linux?
Thanks in advance,
-TG
Where are these several million laptops coming from? Are they guv-mint freebies given out thru the schools or what?
I just told you, If they can finally lock out all the the hackers, there will be people lining up.
Guess you missed it. But that is the only real problem facing windows, and if they can lock that down, everything else is already in their favor.
Yeah, some guy up in Taxxachuschetts is giving them to everyone but American kids, from what I can tell. I think the first ones are going to Libya. Seriously.
it is part of a project to get computers into third world countries they are selling their govs laptops loaded with linux for ~100 dollars then the kids get them in school, several countries have already signed on, for better or worse several million kids first exposure to personal computing is going to be with linux os
There are free and good compilers available. Get Borland Turbo C 2.01
Are these the ultra-simple "hand-crank to charge the battery" laptops that I read about some months back?
Dude, you're seriously deluded.
If MS locks out the hackers (which I don't think they can, to be brutally honest), people aren't going to be lining up to buy Vista.
Rather, I think they're going to resort to at least one of four other alternatives.
a.) Find a way to hack the image and then post it as warez
b.) Continue using XP or other earlier versions of Windows
c.) Tell MS off and use Linux, BSD, Mac OS X, etc.
d.) Crack an earlier alpha, beta, or gamma (RC) build of Vista and use that
Not to mention that Vista has so many holes, MS will be backpedaling to release fixes like it did with the XP Goldmaster.
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