Surprises in the Windows 7 EULA
Over the weekend, I had a chance to spend some quality time with the leaked Windows 7 build that’s zipping around the Internet.
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30.12.2008 Do you understand MS EULA?
Microsoft Windows Microsoft Application Verifier 3.2.0038
Application Verifier is a runtime verification tool for unmanaged code that assists in quickly finding subtle programming errors that can be extremely difficult to identify with normal application testing.
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26.7.2006 Microsoft releases free ebook: Introducing Microsoft Visual Basic 2005
Get a focused, first look at the features and capabilities in Microsoft Visual Basic 2005, Visual Studio 2005, and the .NET Framework 2.0. If you currently work with Visual Basic 6, these authors fully understand the adoption and code migration issues you'll encounter.
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12.4.2006 Microsoft SQL Server Management Pack for Microsoft Operations Manager 2005
The Microsoft SQL Server Management Pack provides both proactive and reactive monitoring of SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2000 in an enterprise environment. Availability and configuration monitoring, performance data collection, and default thresholds are built for enterprise-level monitoring. Both local and remote connectivity checks help ensure database availability.
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5.6.2006 Microsoft Pre-Release Software Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 - September CTP
The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 (formerly known as WinFX), is the new managed code programming model for Windows. It combines the power of the .NET Framework 2.0 with new technologies for building applications that have visually compelling user experiences, seamless communication across technology boundaries, and the ability to support a wide range of business processes.
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24.9.2006 Podcasts: Microsoft IT Showcase: How Microsoft IT Architects and Configures DFS Replication
Edit: Something close to my heart! I sure hope the R2 changes to DFS are as good as they sound in all the marketing documents!
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25.2.2006 Microsoft Showcases Platform Advancements in the 2007 Microsoft Office System
Second annual Microsoft Office System Developers Conference highlights opportunity for custom solutions development utilizing innovations in the 2007 release.
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23.3.2006 Microsoft set to beta Microsoft Security Essentials June 23
Microsoft confirmed today that they plan to release a public beta of Microsoft Security Essentials (formerly codenamed Morro) on June 23.
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18.6.2009 Microsoft is 30 years old today! have a look at the Microsoft Timeline
It's hard to believe that Microsoft is already 30 years old. The company that made Redmond, Washington, a household name was actually founded in 1975 in another city by two young Seattle men, one of whom was a college dropout. From this inauspicious beginning came an equally improbable vision: A personal computer on every desk and in every home. Thirty years later, it seems so obvious. But at the time, when only a handful of people knew what a personal computer was, it was a great leap of faith and daring.
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Microsoft executive: Pirating software? Choose Microsoft!
Microsoft doesn't want you to pirate their software, but if you must choose between illegally installing Windows or a competitor's operating system, Microsoft would prefer that you choose them.
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15.3.2007 Microsoft releases new Ultimate Extras - Microsoft Tinker
Microsoft has silently released 3 updates for Windows Ultimate users today.
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23.9.2008 Microsoft trademark reveals Microsoft Store logo
A fortnight ago, detailed plans of the long anticipated Microsoft Store were revealed in all its theoretical glory when Gizmodo published over 50 slides from a Powerpoint presentation prepared by the project’s consultancy firm.
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5.8.2009 Microsoft Launches Microsoft TalentLab in The Netherlands
Demand for ICT specialists is growing; new portal site advertises job vacancies at Microsoft partners – with guaranteed training.
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25.3.2007 Download Free Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2 Straight from Microsoft
Via the Internet Explorer Application Compatibility VPC Image. That's right! Microsoft is offering access to free downloads of Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2.
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6.3.2008 The Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98 Threat Mitigation Guide
Well, Microsoft still puts effort in old Windows versions...
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31.3.2006 Microsoft Offers a Complex Windows Vista vs. Windows XP Perspective
A new standard of security is an integer aspect of the evolution puzzle represented by the move from Windows XP to Windows Vista.
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3.11.2007 Microsoft Presents the Lost Comparison: Windows Vista vs. Windows XP
With both Windows XP and Windows Vista being available concomitantly on the market, Microsoft is doing nothing more than inviting the consumers to compare the two operating systems.
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20.4.2008 Windows Embedded NavReady 2009 - Latest Windows Platform from Microsoft
The latest Windows operating system is available for download as of June 16, 2008. And no, it's not a new release of Windows 7, nor the first taste of Windows 7 Server.
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16.6.2008 Microsoft Detours 2.1 - Closest Thing to the Windows Source Code Hook deep into Windows
No access to the Windows source code? Well, Microsoft offers the next best thing. Microsoft Detours 2.1 is now available as a free download.
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1.12.2008 Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 2.1.1 Vulnerability Scanner for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) is a free security and vulnerability assessment (VA) scan tool for IT professionals, administrators and security auditors to improve security management process and assess or determine security state in accordance with Microsoft security recommendations and offers specific remediation guidance.
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29.10.2009 Warning! Microsoft Made Its Own Windows Vista vs. Windows XP
Warning! Microsoft authored its very own Windows Vista vs. Windows XP comparison. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and that is why I included a .PNG image of the Redmond company's Vista vs. XP toward the bottom of this article.
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20.8.2007 Microsoft Confirms Windows 7 for 2010 – No Word on Windows 7 M2
Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 7 is right on track for release in 2010. Concomitantly with the leaked details associated with Windows 7 Milestone 1 dropped by the Redmond company to select partners in January 2008, a potential timetable for the availability of the successor of Windows Vista was also made public.
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12.3.2008 Microsoft Non-Windows Midori OS to Kill Vista and Windows 7
There is so much life left into Windows, and Microsoft is gearing up for the moment when it completely runs out of what is now its proprietary operating system.
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30.7.2008 Microsoft opening Windows Café in Paris to promote Windows 7
With the release of Windows 7 coming up very soon, Microsoft is doing its best to help build excitement; from Windows 7 parties to marketing campaigns, the software giant is sure showing the world how to promote a product.
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23.9.2009 Microsoft mulling 128-bit versions of Windows 8, Windows 9
Microsoft is working on 128-bit architecture compatibility with the Windows 8 and Windows 9 kernels. Consequently, the company is also forming relationships with major partners, including Intel, AMD, HP, and IBM.
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7.10.2009 Microsoft’s Windows ‘Fiji’ on track to debut before Windows Seven
With Microsoft constantly switching up codenames, it's tough to keep track of what's on and what's off. But "Fiji" is on.
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19.3.2007 Microsoft Buries Windows XP in Windows Vista
Windows XP might not be officially declared expired, but Microsoft has done its best to completely drown the operating system in Windows Vista references. Want to witness first hand the Redmond company's desperation to push Vista over XP?
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26.7.2007 Non-Windows Microsoft OS Midori – "The Windows Killer"
Windows is one product that is not lacking in Nemesis candidates. From Apple's Mac OS X to the open source Linux, to RIA cloud-based operating systems, potential Microsoft Windows killers are advertised in a variety of scenarios incongruent with reality.
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26.8.2008 Microsoft to deliver Windows Vista SP2 before Windows 7
Microsoft has delivered a beta of Vista Service Pack 2 to select hardware and software partners according to sources close to Microsoft.
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15.10.2008Windows 7 EULA: watch this space
You have to hand it to those lawyers, always trying so hard to protect their mumbo jumbos. The placeholder page for the
Windows 7 End User License Agreement is now live (and has been for
at least 2 weeks).
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06.08.2008Blogger gets $200 check from HP for declining Vista's EULA
Blogger
uncle_benji went over to Best Buy and purchased an HP dv6815nr for $599.99
plus tax. When he saw the Windows Vista EULA and the HP EULA, he decided he wanted to move to Linux. He wasn't happy that there wasn't an option to
decline the EULA, but didn't take his revenge on Microsoft by just grabbing one of the many Linux distro install discs. Nope, first things first:
this user decided to call HP and demand a refund for Microsoft's latest operating system. After all, Microsoft's EULA does say to contact the
manufacturer if the user does not agree with it. This user simply took it a step further and made sure that he was not paying for something he wasn't
going to use.
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22.07.2008Surprises in the Windows 7 license agreement
Over the weekend, many Windows 7 lovers have been busy looking into the wild and Ed Bott, ZDNet blogger, was not an exception. Bott has found some
interesting information in the Windows 7 license agreement(EULA). Bott reports that the EULA ends with an revision ID -
EULAID:Win7_B.1_PRO_NRL_en-US which confirms that this leaked build is indeed beta 1. But no one from Microsoft is ready to confirm whether this build
is indeed the beta 1 which is going to be released at CES.
Read full story.....
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30.12.2008More clues: Why Microsoft backtracked on its Vista virtualization plans
Last week, Microsoft nixed at
the last minute planned
changes to its Windows Vista
end-user license agreement
(EULA) that would have
broadened virtualization
rights. Since then,
speculation has been mounting
as to why Microsoft did this.
Fear of Mac OS X and
Linux on the desktop? A desire
to thwart Parallels and
VMWare? DRM concerns?
Queries to Microsoft
regarding why company
officials nixed the planned
easing of Vistas virtualiztion
license were met with śWe have
nothing further to say.ť
Period.
I realized
over the weekend that none of
us press/bloggers who was
briefed by Microsoft on the
planned changes had run the
text of the EULA wording
Microsoft officials provided
to us. Maybe one of you out
there will see some clues the
rest of us missed as to why
Microsoft decided to continue
to ban users from running
legally Vista Home Basic or
Vista Home Premium in
virtualized environments...
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25.06.2007Microsoft SQL Server 2005 JDBC Driver 1.2
In its continued commitment to interoperability, Microsoft has released a new Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) driver with SQL Server 2005. The SQL
Server 2005 JDBC Driver 1.2 download is available to all SQL Server users at no additional charge, and provides access to SQL Server 2000 and SQL
Server 2005 from any Java application, application server, or Java-enabled applet. This is a Type 4 JDBC driver that provides database connectivity
through the standard JDBC application program interfaces (APIs) available in J2EE (Java2 Enterprise Edition).
This release of the
JDBC Driver is JDBC 3.0 compliant and runs on the Java Development Kit (JDK) version 1.4 and higher. It has been tested against all major application
servers including BEA WebLogic, IBM WebSphere, JBoss, and Sun.
Note: In order to download the SQL Server 2005 JDBC Driver 1.2,
you must agree to the End-User License Agreement (EULA). Start by clicking the Download button at the top of this page and the EULA will appear. Read
the EULA and click the Accept link to download the package. Please print a copy of the EULA for your records.
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11.10.2007Microsoft XNA Framework Redistributable 2.0
The XNA Framework Redistributable provides the necessary runtime components to execute a game on Windows that was developed using Microsoft XNA Game
Studio 2.0. This release contains improved functionality along with new features. Installation of this runtime is not necessary on systems that
already have Microsoft XNA Game Studio 2.0 installed.
The End User License Agreement (EULA) for Microsoft XNA Game Studio 2.0
covers the terms under which developers may use the Redistributable. For full details, please review the Microsoft XNA Game Studio 2.0 EULA.
The runtime components in the XNA Framework Redistributable require .NET Framework 2.0 and the latest version of the DirectX 9 runtime.
These additional requirements are available at the links below.
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13.12.2007Google Updates Chrome EULA
As we
mentioned earlier,
Google's Chrome browser, though much hailed for its speed, does have its fair share of rust stains, including a EULA which originally gave Google
complete control over all content submitted through the browser. In this case, slightly worrying would be an understatement.
Fortunately,
the search engine has been quick to rectify this issue, attributing the whole issue to accidental copy and paste. Under Section 11 of Google's
Universal Terms of Service, Google retains a license to transmit or display content through its services, as per US copyright law. However, the
section in Chrome was not updated. Mike Yang, Senior Product Counsel at Google,
writes: "
license is limited to
providing the service. In Gmail, for example, the terms specifically disclaim our ownership right to Gmail content. So for Google Chrome, only the
first sentence of Section 11 should have applied. We're sorry we overlooked this, but we've fixed it now... "
The updated EULA now reads: " You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold
in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. " And, yes, these terms are retroactive.
Thanks for the
tip, CaptainSlow!
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 05.09.2008
Psystar to Challenge Mac OS X EULA?
InformationWeek spoke to an employee
of Psystar, the company responsible for the previously reported $399 Mac Clone. The employee
known as "Robert" claims that they will challenge Apple's Mac OS X End User License Agreement (EULA) which specifically prohibits the installation
of Mac OS X on non Apple-branded machines.
winbeta.org - 15.04.2008
Vista Licensing Once Again Draws Scrutiny
Windows Genuine Advantage is a
term that grates on the nerves
of many, some of who are
legitimate legal Windows
license holders. Why? Because
more than just a few companies
and individuals have had their
legitimate Windows licenses
falsely fail activation or be
declined when validating for
things like Windows update or
bonus downloads such as
Windows Defender.
SecurityFocus columnist Mark
D. Rasch takes a look at
Windows Vista licensing and
its product activation
component and compares it to
walking on thin ice.
"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. Even
then, you wont be able to get
any damages from Microsoft,
and may not even be able to
get the cost of the first
license back."
neowin.net - 22.11.2006
The Real Deal: Licensing Changes to Windows Vista
Thanks to slimy for the
submitting this news story to
us.
Paul Thurott
has published an article
clarifying the rumours
circulating around the
Internet about the differences
in the EULA of Windows Vista
to Windows XP.
The
article shows that Microsoft
has clarified some
misunderstandings from XP's
EULA, and has actually
loosened up its rules on what
causes reactivations during
upgrading. The article also
addresses the issue of
installing Vista on virtual
machines, and the differences
between the rights of
customers who purchase Windows
with a new PC and those that
buy it at retail.
neowin.net - 14.10.2006
Weighing In on the Visual Studio Express EULA Debacle
There is a cold chill in the
air today. For those of you
that don't pay attention in
the developer world, there is
a
http://weblogs.asp.net/nunitad
din/archive/2007/05/30/microso
ft-vs-testdriven-net-express.a
spx>war brewing between
http://weblogs.asp.net/nunitad
din/archive/2007/05/31/microso
ft-vs-testdriven-net-31-may-20
07.aspx>Microsoft and a
one-person ISV. At the center
of the dispute is a
ridiculously ambiguous portion
of the Visual Studio Express
EULA, which also happens to be
at the center of the
Microsoft/ISV relationship.
Here's a little
backstory:
http://www.testdriven.net/>Tes
tDriven.NET is an add-in for
Visual Studio that enables
code testing with a particular
set of open source tools. It
hooks into Visual Studio to
provide the glue by which the
various open source components
can work together. It's a
pretty great tool, especially
if you can't afford
Microsoft's expensive Visual
Studio package that includes
unit testing (which is a more
expensive SKU then their
lowest paid version).
So what is the EULA
section in question? Straight
from Microsoft, below is the
section in question (emphasis
mine):
9. SCOPE OF
LICENSE. The software is
licensed, not sold. This
agreement only gives you some
rights to use the software.
Microsoft reserves all other
rights. Unless applicable law
gives you more rights despite
this limitation, you may use
the software only as expressly
permitted in this agreement.
In doing so, you must comply
with any technical limitations
in the software that only
allow you to use it in certain
ways. For more information,
see
www.microsoft.com/licensi
ng/userights. You may not
˘ work around any technical
limitations in the software;
winbeta.org - 02.06.2007
EULA Paradox: Apple says you cannot use Safari on Windows
In using Apple Software Update to slip his Safari browser onto millions of Windows PCs, Steve Jobs didn't just undermine "the security of the
whole Web". He's made a mockery of end user licensing agreements."
As spotted by our Italian friends at setteB.IT, Apple's Safari
license says that users are permitted to install the browser on no more than "a single Apple-labeled computer at a time." This means that if you
install Safari for Windows on a Windows PC, you're violating the license.
According to Jonathan Kramer, a tech-minded attorney with
the Kramer Telecom Law Firm, you aren't in any legal danger if you install Safari for Windows on a Windows PC. Apple can't enforce a contract
clause that doesn't make sense. "We call this an impossibility issue," Kramer told us. "You can't enforce a term that's impossible."
neowin.net - 27.03.2008
Microsoft EULA lands it with $175m Indian tax headache
"The Product is licensed, not sold."
Those six words just cost Microsoft's Indian operation $87.5m (350 crore) in tax payments
and the same again in interest.
Basing its ruling on the terms of Microsoft's own EULA (end-user license agreement), an Indian
court has ordered the company to pay tax on royalty income generated in the country, Tax India Online (TIOL)
reports.
winbeta.org - 01.04.2008
Windows 7 build 7057 shows up in the wild
With few weeks left for Windows 7 RC to be released, some Neowin users have found Windows 7 build 7057 in the wild. The build string reads -
7057.0.x86fre.winmain.090305-2000 which means that this was compiled on March 5 The EULA reads this for now Yes, this makes it clear that
Microsoft is already cooking its Windows 7 RC builds (not final build though) The most immediate change users would notice is the new welcome and
shutdown screen
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 12.03.2009
Mac OS X Virtualization! Is It Trick or Treat?
When we talk about virtualization on the Apple Mac platform, we are usually talking about virtualizing Microsoft Windows or Linux operating systems as
guest operating systems on either VMware Fusion or Parallels' Desktop for Mac products. But in this case, we are actually talking about virtualizing
the Mac OS itself.
Is this a Halloween trick? Or treat? I suppose it depends on the way you look at it. The good news, however,
is that there is definitely change in the air.
If you remember the long, drawn out discussions in the past, the idea of
virtualizing Mac OS X was clear. Apple stated that the license only allowed you to install and use one copy of the Mac OS X Server software on a
single Apple-labeled computer at a time. So it was a one license, one machine EULA. Which pretty much ruled it out as a guest operating system even
though both VMware and Parallels said it was "possible" to virtualize the OS.
Now, it looks as though a subtle change has been
made to Apple's End User License Agreement (EULA) in the new Leopard Server operating system. It reads...
winbeta.org - 01.11.2007
Microsoft bails on virtualization licensing changes for Vista
Microsoft almost tweaked its
licensing terms for Windows
Vista yet again this time in
order to ease virtualization
restrictions that irked a
number of customers and
partners. But in the eleventh
hour, company officials
decided against the move,
resulting in Microsoft
cancelling its planned
announcement.
Microsoft officials were
preparing to announce
officially on June 20 that
Microsoft had a change of
heart and would allow users to
run all versions of Windows
Vista in a virtualized
environment. Microsoft
prebriefed a number of news
and blogging outlets,
including me, about the
planned change under
non-disclosure.
Currently, Microsofts
end-user license agreement
(EULA) specifies that users
can run only the Business and
Ultimate versions of Vista in
virtual machines from
Microsoft and other vendors...
winbeta.org - 20.06.2007
Mac cloner plans to take on Apple's Mac OS EULA
Miami-based Psystar is now offering a Mac clone for $399, and is vowing to fight for its right to produce the device should Cupertino's lawyers come
a-knocking...
betanews.com - 16.04.2008
Psystar plans to use antitrust defense against Apple
Attorneys for the makers of Mac OS X-compatible computers told reporters Tuesday they plan to argue that Apple's EULA violates provisions of the
Sherman and Clayton antitrust laws...
betanews.com - 27.08.2008
The Google Chrome EULA debacle: Whose content is it, anyway?
Yesterday, Google made some quick changes to the terms of service for its new Chrome Web browser beta, to alleviate users' fears of misuse of their
data. But how many other similar EULAs cast suspicion on the services they cover?..
betanews.com - 04.09.2008
Mozilla in hot water over use of EULA in Canonical Ubuntu Linux
The definition of just how free is "free" is once again the subject of debate, triggered this week by the inclusion of a typical-looking end
user license agreement from Mozilla Corp. amid the setup for recent builds of Ubuntu Linux...
betanews.com - 17.09.2008
