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Date:      Fri, 29 Jun 2001 01:12:52 -0700
From:      "Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm@toybox.placo.com>
To:        "Duke Normandin" <01031149@3web.net>, "Freebsd Questions" <freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
Subject:   RE: [Fwd: [Fwd: Office XP & Windows XP activation woes]]
Message-ID:  <001001c10073$4af20aa0$1401a8c0@tedm.placo.com>
In-Reply-To: <20010628145350.B127333@mandy.rockingd.calgary.ab.ca>

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They will get the bugs with the activation worked out, but what
this is really all about is planned sunsetting of the software.

Today you can run your copy of Office 98 indefinitely - but can you
imagine what they would say if you tried reactivating a 7 year
old copy of Windows XP because you moved to new hardware?  Something
like "Sorry we don't provide activation codes for that version any
more it's too old"

I'm actually welcoming this because as your pointing out it will
merely accellerate the move away from Microsoft software.  The only
bad part is that it will provide an opening for other Windows software
ISV's to come out with competitive versions of Windows software, and
instead of one big problem we will have one big problem and a bunch
of smaller ones.

In some ways I am sympathetic to Microsoft's predicament.  One of the big
reasons they are a monopoly is because the lack of product serialization
has meant that the majority of smaller companies simply illegally load
multiple copies of their software, instead of buying copies.  As a result
this enforces the monopoly position because "everyone" uses the
applications -
yet Microsoft has not been compensated because these freeloaders have no
intention of paying for the software.  It's bad enough to be declared a
monopoly because you are one, but at least you got the money - it's worse
when you get declared a monopoly and the users that put you into the
position
never paid you. :-)

Ted Mittelstaedt                      tedm@toybox.placo.com
Author of:          The FreeBSD Corporate Networker's Guide
Book website:         http://www.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com


>-----Original Message-----
>From: owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG
>[mailto:owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG]On Behalf Of Duke Normandin
>Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2001 1:54 PM
>To: Freebsd Questions
>Subject: [Fwd: [Fwd: Office XP & Windows XP activation woes]]
>
>
>I just thought that we all could do a bit of gloating AND count our
>blessings in belonging to the (Free)BSD community, after reading the
>attached which was forwarded to me by a Windows software developer - soon
>to be a Unix user/developer. Thank you BSD core developers, hackers,
>gurus, committers, et al!!
>--
>-duke
>Calgary, Alberta, Canada
>
>


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