To clarify: I have noticed a great deal of FUD originating from the Linux community over Microsoft offering a 'bounty' for resellers turning over the names of corporate buyers purchasing boxen sans an operating system. The fact is, Microsoft, with full legal rights, is pursuing copyright violators. It seems many businesses are purchasing machines sans an OS and surplusing their old machines. On the new machines, the businesses are installing the old copies of the OS. The site license these businesses purchased is not transferable and for them to install the old OS on the new machines is in violation of the terms of their site license. Unethical that one cannot wipe and old system and transfer one's software to the new machine? Perhaps. But it's not legal to do that, and Microsoft is in the business of making money, not being everyone's pal. If businesses don't like the policy, they ought to have better examined the terms of their site license. I'm treading a fine line on being off topic here, so any replies might be best done to my email versus the list. > The original e-mail came from Toronto LUG. Buying a "naked" computer might > soon be against the law. Sort of scarry thing. Unfortunatelly too many people > are addicted to Windows, that's enough to make this work. Just thought I share > it with good people of Mandrake list. Regards, Nathan
