[Wolves] Microsoft hits 15 dealers with legal action

[Kevanf1]

2009/1/30 Ron Wellsted <ron at wellsted.org.uk>:
> On Fri, Jan 30, 2009 at 11:00:44AM +0000, dick_turpin wrote:
>> Hi All
>>
>> I know some of these guys.
>>
>> http://www.microscope.co.uk/welcome/news/vendor-news/microsoft-hits-15-dealers-with-legal-action/
>>
>> Enjoy
>
> Part of the problem is that Microsoft make their licensing far too
> complex, (OEM, Retail, VLK, Open license, ... etc.) to which they add
> the extra complication of too many variants of a single product (cf
> Windows Vista and Office).
>
> I sometimes wonder if this approach is either to make work for lawyers
> or make it very probable that their users are infringing the terms of
> the license (both the same thing really!).
>
> --
> Ron Wellsted
> ron at wellsted.org.uk http://www.wellsted.org.uk
> N 52.567623, W 2.136111 Linux Counter No. 202120
> Ekiga: 645022
>

I know I've said this in the past but in the light of this it does
stand repeating.

About 10 years ago I attended a training session run by an outside
firm delivering Windows NTadmin training.  This was of course when I
was working at W'ton Uni.  Part of the session was MS licensing.  I
was not personally involved in the license procurement procedure at
W'ton Uni but some of my fellow trainees were.  We were told to ring
Microsoft and enquire about whatever licensing package we needed at
that given time.  We then told to ring them again the next day and ask
exactly the same questions for exactly the same licensing deal.  We
were told to ensure that we got quotes in writing on both days.  This
procedure could be repeated as many times as we wished or had time
for.  The result would inevitably be a number of different priced
quotes all for exactly the saem package hence the need for them to be
given confirmation in writing as a back up.  The result being that the
lowest quote for the job should be accepted.

Why?  Because even Microsoft is unsure of its own licensing procedures
and they can be interpreted in a number of ways with various discounts
based on multiple users.

Makes you wonder why more places don't go down the open source route
really.  Licensing is so much simpler :-)
-- 
==============================================

Kevan Farmer
Linux user #373362
Staffordshire