Vista? Think twice..then don’t think Again
I received my final issue of Maximum PC a few days ago - lucky thing too because the first Ed Word article threw me for a loop.
Did you know that in the Vista End User License Agreement (EULA, the thing most of you click I Accept too without reading) makes it illegal for you to install and activate your legal copy of Windows Vista more than twice?
The language reads, and I quote;
“The first user of the software may reassign the license to another device one time”
This blows my mind. I actually CONSIDERED upgraded to Vista, but as an avid “reformatter” and new hardware junkie I can’t justify spending $200-400 dollars on something I can utilize only twice. Whats worse is most people who reach the point of needing a fresh installation just go out and buy a new computer, which is a total waste. As a result, my having a problem with this won’t scratch the surface of policy changing profits for Microsoft.
Thanks to will@maxpc for the heads up article - maybe write ups like that and blogs like this will encourage Microsoft to rethink this. C’mon Gates, you got some things right and some things wrong with XP. Lets not forget the things you got right!
**EDIT**
Well - after I made the effort of blogging this, I found another article stating Microsoft had “capitulated” (nice) on the issue and changed the language in the EULA to read; You may uninstall the software and install it on another device for your use. You may not do so to share this license between devices.
Thats more like it. I’ll leave this entry as belated support for the cause ;).
November 19th, 2006 at 9:00 am
The word “assignment” has a special meaning in contracts. You aren’t reinstalling the software on another computer, you are actually “giving” your license away. If you were to upgrade your computer with all new hardware, you wouldn’t be reassigning your license to a new device. You would be reinstalling it, sure, but you would still be the “first owner” and would not be assigning your rights to the software to any other person.
Basically, Microsoft was saying that once you give away your rights to install the software to someone else, you can’t turn around and do it again to a third person. The new language, if they did change it, only cleared up any questionable language (and I agree it is questionable), but if you re-read it, it says essentially the same thing.