Slashdot Mirror
Vista Licenses Limit OS Transfers, Ban VM Use
NiK0laI writes "TechWeb has posted an article regarding Vista's new license and how it allows you to only move it to another device once. How will this work for people who build their PCs? I have no intention of purchasing a new license every time I swap out motherboards. '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. ... 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.'"
Overly Critical Guy points out more information about changes to Vista's EULA and the new usage restrictions. "For instance, Home Basic users can't copy ISOs to their hard drives, can't run in a virtualized environment, and can only share files and printers to a maximum of 5 network devices."
Unfortunately Apple is making it harder for you. Intel Macs are PCs.
</off-topic>
I didn't fabricate it. I quoted the item from Robert McLaws, who cites page 11, that says you can't copy the software to a storage device. This means you can't copy Vista ISOs.
"Sufferin' succotash."
thank god for gop. Monopoly? Bah, no such thing in the corporate whore house known as the GOP. Granted the democrats aren't much better, but at least they wear a condom when they screw the public.
Of course.
I think it's time we stopped looking at the direct inconveniences of Vista. We should be looking at the underlying effects of some of these restrictions on the Home OEM Vista:
1). Automatically copy protects music copied from your own CDs
2). Two hardware upgrades and you have to buy a new version of Vista
3). Businesses forced to pay more for features XP already has
How much longer will people willingly take it in the ass? As long as they're not *too* bothered by all this.
All MS has to do is irritate us to about 95% of what it would take for us to switch to something else. Thanks to laziness, most people will put up with it. Isn't it time we start looking at the environmental implications of the continued existence of MS? Consider:
1). If you can only back up your compressed music FROM YORU OWN CDs two times, what will you do after that? You'll probably rip it again. And again and so on as long as you need. Which means you're wasting and paying for electricity that you shouldn't need several times over. Perhaps in the end it only costs each user $5 of electricity to re-rip their entire CD collection. But considering all the MS users, that's a lot of wasted electricity, and a lot of extra pollution.
2). Two Hardware upgrades: Most people will say "fuck that" and go buy a new computer. What will they do with the old one? Toss it away into their dumpster. The computer will end up in some dump seeping nasty chemicals into the ground. They'll buy a new computer (more environementally harmful chemicals used to make the plastic, RAM, and especially CPU) and be happy for another two upgrades, after which they'll go buy another computer etc etc.
3). If businesses pay more, that'll be less money they can pay their workers, which means there's less income distribution. More and more $$$ goes to MS [needlessly] and sits in the hands a few elite managers.
The point I'm trying to make in all this is that MS is a lot worse for us than we think. The more money we end up spending on MS or on MS related issues, the more and more our GDP goes to MS. This means our pollution/GDP ratio goes up. Will MS be fined for this? Probably not. But you could make a very real case that they should be.
I love non-technical limitations built into software.
"Why can't I connect this printer?"
"Vista is stupid."
"Why can't I install the operating system?"
"Vista is stupid."
Open source all the way. Where the software always works as well as possible (which nowadays is excellent).
Tharkban (It is a signature after all)
Apparently you're not aware that editors often shorten user submissions and remove words and phrases. Wanna bitch? Bitch at the editor who cut down my submission, which was longer and included more information.
"Sufferin' succotash."