[Bush2000]

How it happens is you get the new machine for the engineers, re-install the software on the new machine that was on the old machine, and forget to wipe it off the old machine before giving it to the clerk.

Uhhhh, sorry, but that doesn't wash. Each of those machines comes equipped from the OEM with a paper license. If he can't produce it, he's in violation.

[B Knotts]

Indeed, the time and cost of license compliance on proprietary per-seat-licensed software for an organization of any time is non-trivial.

[Question_Assumptions]

Uhhhh, sorry, but that doesn't wash. Each of those machines comes equipped from the OEM with a paper license. If he can't produce it, he's in violation.

That someone actually paid Microsoft for a license is, of course, irrelevant to you. You are more concerned that a person prove to Microsoft that they aren't ripping them off than having Microsoft prove that the person is ripping them off. Guilty until proven innocent, right?

[justlurking]

Uhhhh, sorry, but that doesn't wash. Each of those machines comes equipped from the OEM with a paper license. If he can't produce it, he's in violation.

You are presuming that the software in question was installed by the OEM. It was probably an application installed afterwards by their own IT or even engineering staff -- like Visual Studio, or other software typically used by engineering staff and not clerical staff.

That's a reasonable assumption, given this quote from the article:

We pass our old computers down. The guys in engineering need a new PC, so they get one and we pass theirs on to somebody doing clerical work.

[Revolting cat!]

Okie, Dokie, you've convinced me - I won't switch to Linux! Would it be all right with you if I switched to

Microsoft Xenix?