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Windows XP EULA Compared to GPL

Posted by michael on from the one-giveth-and-the-other-taketh-away dept.

cranos writes "The Sydney Morning Herald is running an article comparing the XP EULA to the GPL. Basically it's just reinforcing what we already knew but it could be a nice little piece to show your PHB next time."

3 of 420 comments (clear)

  1. Forbidden Uses by Shadow2097 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Ok, its one thing to have a EULA that tries to prevent piracy and the like. To be quite honest, I have no problems with MS or any other company using a EULA to try and enforce that.

    But why would a EULA make a user agree to not use a particular product as a webserver or fileserver?? Before I turned to Linux, I had an old computer running Windows 98 acting as a fileserver. If I wanted to do that with XP Pro I'd be in violation of the EULA?

    Technicaly, that means that anyone who enables file and printer sharing is violating the EULA! If MS is so against it, why do they build it into their products?!

    -Shadow

  2. MS trying to make us violate their EULA? by unborracho · · Score: 5, Interesting
    • cannot be used as a webserver or fileserver
    I'll be the first to admit that I skipped over the EULA when I installed Windows XP, so I was very surprised when i read this. From what I can recall, this has been implemented in Windows since Windows 95.

    Yet network and internet filesharing is still built into Windows XP...
    --
    "You had this look that of an angel, it was such a bad disguise" --Dishwalla
  3. how a monopoly values it's users by sapgau · · Score: 5, Interesting
    From the article:
    Some features about software covered by the EULA:
    • copying was prohibited
    • could be used only on one computer with a maximum of 2 processors
    • cannot be used as a webserver or fileserver
    • required registration after 30 days
    • could stop working if hardware changes were made
    • updates could change the EULA if the company so wished
    • could be transferred to another user only once
    • the new user must agree to the license terms (no specification how this could be achieved)
    • imposes limitations on reverse engineering
    • gives Microsoft rights to collect information about the system and the its use
    • gives Microsoft the right to supply this information to other organisations
    • gives Microsoft the right to make changes to the computer without having to ask.
    • warranty for the first 90 days
    • fixes, updates or patches carry no warranty