Posted on 10/12/2006 6:14:06 PM PDT by zeugma
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.
Yeah well if they can shut that down better it will be worth the upgrade, that seems to be about the only actual "problem" they have. Things like application availability, hardware compatibility, and purchase oportunity are already at the max.
Will we ever see a virtualized OSX? Jobs should consider selling an Apple "browser appliance" or similar that runs on Windows and provides secure www surfing, it would be a great marketing idea.
A perpetual-motion machine would be a simpler feat.
Huh? It's not hard at all, I run already PC-BSD in a virtualized shell on Windows with VMware and with an obscure browser there's almost no chance I'm going to run into something that's looking to attack clients of that sort. I'm limited some in what I can do, but I can do most things, and and Apple version of BSD instead would be even better.
Oh and you can run Windows itself through a filter proxy like Anonymizer and basically no malware can get through that at all unless the user accepts a prompt, which can be turned off as well. That actually works better than the virtualized BSD, but it costs about $50 year.
you can run OSX no your PC if your not afraid of Steve Jobs sueing you..
do a search for "osx86project"
Well thank goodness Apple will let me run their operating system on my PC. No, wait, their User Agreement says it must be run on Apple hardware. Darn.
I'm not going to run illegal stuff, I did go to that site back when it was first announced and there's no downloads or anything that looked very easy anyway. I like to use my computer, not constantly fix it, I get paid to do that at work. Jobs could sell a bundle of OSX and VMware player or even a "live" cd and get his product in one heck of a lot of homes that are concerned about all the malware out there pointed at MS.
you could buy OS X and hack it yourself and put it on your PC, but jobs makes it illegal to run on a PC because he is afraid of competition and is trying to protect his "hardware company" :\
He's obviously afraid of something, but I respect his rights to keep his product bottled up, if that is what he wishes. I think he must be somewhat of a control freak, and cares more about keeping his own little world perfect, than trying to take on and conquer an imperfect world.
its all about $, and he is afraid of losing it.
bump for later ...
Here is what I am concerned about. And maybe there is no cause for concern, I'm not sure.
I am concerned when the MS License which is here:
http://download.microsoft.com/documents/useterms/Windows%20Vista_Home%20Premium_English_66716c9b-88ec-4a8b-bf56-31a72651b7a3.pdf
When it talks about "DEVICE". The word device occurs 67 times in that license.
Here are some of the interesting ones:
1) "b. License Model. The software is licensed on a per copy per device basis."
2) "2. INSTALLATION AND USE RIGHTS. Before you use the software under a license, you must assign that license to one device (physical hardware system). That device is the “licensed device.” A hardware partition or blade is considered to be a separate device."
3) "a. Licensed Device. You may install one copy of the software on the licensed device. You may use the software on up to two processors on that device at one time. Except as provided in the Storage and Network Use (Ultimate edition) sections below, you may not use the software on any other device."
Two Processors, hmmmm, interesting....
A better analogy would be if I on seperate occasions replace my Processor and Motherboard. (Does that now constitute a new Device?)
And then Two months later, I buy a DX10 Vid card, and new Sound card. (Does that now constitute a new device which requires a new License purchase?) And does that new purchase require a Full Version or Upgrade License fee?
Or what if you keep your Motherboard, say a 939 Socket Board, and then you buy a New faster Processor Chip for the same board. Is that now a New Device or constitute your second use?
Or what if I upgrade to Vista, then two months later buy a new 350gb Hard Drive, and want to get rid of my old 80gb Hard Drive altogether. Would that constitute a New device?
I feel they need to clarify this definition as it is somehwat convoluted.
In all honesty, I've reactivated my WinXP I think 4 times, twice by Telephone, and in all cases while inconvenient, it wasn't that big of a deal.
My Concern is what the definition and ramifications of upgrades are within my system, and well, what are the triggers as it relates to their version of the word "DEVICE", right?
So what are the triggers?
Hard Drive
Motherboard and Processor
Processor on same MB
Vid Card
Sound Card
DVD Drive
Things to ponder specific to this license agreement.
Regards,
Joe
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