21 Nov 2006
Vista's EULA Product Activation Worries

I've mentioned other problems with the Vista EULA before - and they were bad enough to convince me never to purchase that product. But this, well this is beyond outrageous, this is more or less overt extortion. I pity the poor bastards who just click through this obnoxious piece of legal nonsense.

I'm pretty sure it'll be deemed unenforceable the first time it's challenged, but just imagine the damage it could do in the meantime. Hopefully the courts will see clear to impose punitive damages on BillG & Co. the first time their activation servers shut down a hospital - or an aircraft carrier!

SecurityFocus is running an article regarding some concerns about Vista's activation terms. Do you have the right to use properly purchased but not validated software? What happens if Microsoft deactivates your OS that was legally purchased? The article goes into some detail about Vista's validation and concerns." From the article: "The terms of the Vista EULA, like the current EULA related to the 'Windows Genuine Advantage,' allows Microsoft to unilaterally decide that you have breached the terms of the agreement, and they can essentially disable the software, and possibly deny you access to critical files on your computer without benefit of proof, hearing, testimony or judicial intervention. In fact, if Microsoft is wrong, and your software is, in fact, properly licensed, you probably will be forced to buy a license to another copy of the operating system from Microsoft just to be able to get access to your files, and then you can sue Microsoft for the original license fee.

(link) [Slashdot]

17:06 /Technology | 1 comment | permanent link

Bill O'Reilly Hates the IPod

Ya know, this certainly isn't the first time O'Reilly's been caught being, uh, somewhat hypocritical, if not downright dishonest. But it certainly is the silliest. You'd think he could come up with something a bit more substantive to wax eloquent over than the humble iPod. Especially seeing as he pretty much openly promotes them ...

In a rant vilifying iPods and machines in general, the pundit implies America is at risk because the country's kids play video games instead of learning to kill real people. So why does O'Reilly have a premium subscription available as a podcast?

(link) [Wired News: Top Stories]

16:58 /Politics | 0 comments | permanent link