[Gllug] vnc server / M$ license conflict

[Alain Williams]

On Fri, Apr 26, 2002 at 12:47:46PM +0100, Jim Cheetham wrote:
> My local corporate IT guys have discovered/decided that the use of VNC
> server to grant a non-windows machine access to a windows machine is
> definately banned by microsoft licensing.
> 
> (I'm using x2vnc to drive both my unix and win machines from the unix
> keyboard/mouse)
> 
> This applies to our Win2000 machines. It is similar to the license that
> was discussed a month or so back to do with XP, but they have looked
> into the subject and discovered that it applies to our current systems.
> 
> Fun and joy - I'm not surprised :-( I'll try to get a detailed
> explanation of what parts of which licenses they think apply to this ...

I wonder what would happen if you wrote to M$ and stated that you regarded
that clause as unaccaptable & would disregard it. Ie you are opening ``negotiations''
over a contract rather than accepting what M$ want you to accept.

What would M$ do ? I don't believe that they can (yet) remotely disable
your boxes, so do they take you to court ? If so the test would be ``is
that clause a reasonable restriction ?''.

Interesting: but I much rather it be you in court against M$ than me.

-- 
Alain Williams

#include <std_disclaimer.h>

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