Re: [SLUG] Microsoft backtracks

From: Frank Roberts - SOTL (sotl155360@earthlink.net)
Date: Sat Jul 07 2001 - 07:47:37 EDT


> I gotta say that M$ and Red Hat and Caldera are, believe it or not, on the
> right track with their software licensing, though I'm sure I'm distinctly
> in the minority on this. AT&T gets to charge you a monthly fee for service.
> So does the electric company. I realize that M$ and so forth are selling
> software

MS does not sell software. It rents software. All those shrink wrapped
packages you thought you were buying; you were not buying; you were paying a
onetime rental fee to rent. This distinction is important in understanding
what is happening. With a rental agreement MS has the right (or the right to
license that right to someone else) to change the software on your computer
at their discretion with or without your permission. If you owned the
software MS could not change the software without your permission.
 
> <Snip>

> M$ is right when they say they should be allowed to make improvements to
> the OS.
Boy you really need to read last weeks WSJ article on Kodak.

A similar question to what you are alluding to was ask in the US West with
the people's right of access verses the railroads. The railroad owned the
right of way. Did that mean that the railroad had the right to keep the
people from crossing to the other side. The eventual solution was grade
crossings but there were some pitched battles as the rail road attempted to
collect fees for crossing.

<Snip>



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