The Vista license "loophole" that isnt
Software licensing is often hard to understand. But thats no excuse for so-called Windows experts to deliberately publish sensational stories that turn the facts upside-down.
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5.4.2008 Microsoft Responds To Vista License Concerns
Amid a rising tide of questions surrounding its end-user license for Windows Vista, Microsoft is attempting to quell concerns that a one-time-only transfer provision could put roadblocks in the way of enthusiasts who repeatedly upgrade their PCs.
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30.10.2006 Vista License and Product Key Terminology Part 1
First part of mini serial of articles about Vista Licensing from
Steve Jobs blog.
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4.6.2007 Vista License and Product Key Terminology Part 2
Second part of mini serial of articles about Vista Licensing from
Steve Jobs blog.
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7.6.2007 Vista License and Product Key Terminology Part 3
Next part of mini serial of articles about Vista Licensing from
Steve Jobs blog - Vista Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
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Vista License and Product Key Terminology Part 4
Next article about Vista Licensing from
Steve Jobs blog - this is about Microsoft Product Activation (MPA).
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16.6.2007 Turn a counterfeit copy of WindowsXP into a free Vista license!
Perhaps you have bought a license of WindowsXP Home, Pro or Media Centerd Edition 2005 from your local dealer and afterwards it turned into a counterfeit while trying to validate it through WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) program.
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29.4.2006 Cost of Vista Business License Offset by Savings, Says Microsoft
For a great many large businesses, "the move to the next Windows" has been an ongoing, daily affair for at least well over a decade. And up until recently, the reasons why this migration tends to proceed so slowly have been, to Microsoft, a complete mystery.
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15.6.2007 Microsoft Didn't License GNU
Microsoft has revealed that its patent deal with Linspire doesn't cover the new version of the GNU General Public License (GPL), the company's latest effort to distance itself from the GPLv3.
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22.7.2007 New motherboard, new Microsoft Windows license?
Microsoft recently made a change to the licence agreement saying that a new motherboard is equal to a new computer, hence you need to purchase a new Windows licence.
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19.2.2006 Microsoft says: We're a hardware company, license us
NOT MANY people know this, but Microsoft is a hardware company, the firm said today, as it introduced a hardware licensing scheme.
Robbie Bach, head of the devices division at Microsoft said: "We've been a leading hardware innovator and supplier to the desktop peripherals industry for over 20 years."
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29.3.2006 Microsoft to License Office 'Look and Feel' for Free
With Office 2007 radically reorganizing the way users think and work with applications -- hopefully more for the better than for the worse.
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25.11.2006 Microsoft Is Touching Up Windows Vista's License
Microsoft announced that the Windows Vista end-user license agreement will be modified in order to include terms covering Windows Anytime Upgrade. The new Windows Vista EULA will be
made available tomorrow, and I will provide you with an update on the matter.
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18.3.2007 Windows 7 Volume License and Trial Availability
Last month we made Windows 7 available to customers with Software Assurance and to MSDN and TechNet Subscribers. Today I am happy to announce two more ways for businesses to get Windows 7 for their deployment and evaluation.
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3.9.2009 Microsoft Releases FastCGI for IIS Under Go Live License
FastCGI will ship in the upcoming Windows Server 2008 as a built-in IIS component for the first time.
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10.10.2007 Microsoft: The Windows OEM License Dies with Its Computer
Licenses for Windows come in various flavors from Retail to Volume, but perhaps the most common of all is provided by original equipment manufacturers together with operating systems preloaded on new computers.
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17.6.2008 Microsoft Would Lose Patent Rights Under New Linux License Terms
The final draft of GPLv3 states that companies that distribute open-source software cannot at the same time pursue patent claims against users of that software.
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3.6.2007 Ashampoo WinOptimizer 5 Free Download With License Serial Key
Ashampoo WinOptimizer 5 is a well-known tweaking and optimizing software for Windows operating system that provides clean, optimize and tune functions to ensure maximum PC performance.
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4.8.2009 Get Free NOD32 License with Valid Username and Password for 90-Days
NOD32 is a popular antivirus software that ranks one of the best and most accurate detection and lowest failure rate.
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19.12.2006 Zonealarm Pro Firewall 2010 with Free License Key Giveaway
Lately we have seen many big software companies having good promotion offer and its best way to grab products for free when we cant afford to buy.
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10.10.2009 FREE 1 Year Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 Genuine License Key for EVERYONE
Few days ago Kaspersky 2009 product was released and I was excited as hell to give out free Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 license key to my subscribers.
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11.6.2008 Microsoft issues warning to Volume License customers over Windows Genuine Advantage fail
Phil Liu of Microsoft has reported problems with the Windows Genuine Advantage authentication method for Volume License Key (VLK) customers and a temporary work-around.
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5.10.2006 Microsoft Office 2010 Volume License Product Key (VLK) Requires KMS or MAK for Activation
Volume licensing customers for Microsoft Office 2010 suites and applications who install volume editions of Office client software will require activation, even with a volume license key (VLK).
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26.8.2009 How to Install Vista Language Packs MUI on all versions of Vista + video tutorial
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Premium, and Vista Business versions of the Microsoft licensing restrictions can only preserve a language!
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23.9.2008 The Vista Built-in Super Administrator Account Has Survived in Vista SP1
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is designed to evolve the RTM version of the latest Windows client from Microsoft, made available in November 2006 to business customers, and in January 2007 to the general consumers.
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15.2.2008 Vista SP1 Is Out, XP SP3 Old News, the Pink Edition of Vista Is In
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is now nothing more than water under the bridge, now that the service pack was released to manufacturing on February 4, 2008, shipping to general users on March 18.
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27.3.2008 Tell Hasta la Vista to XP - Time to Upgrade to Vista SP1
Like it or not, this is the right time not only to upgrade to Windows Vista Service Pack 1 but also to tell hasta la vista to Windows XP.
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30.6.2008 Instant Change Vista Product ID with Vista ProductID Changer
In past we have reviewed number of application to recover product key like Product Key Finder, WinGuggle, Windows product Key Finder.
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1.11.2009 Vista SP1 RC1 Flies Past Vista RTM and Windows XP SP2
Despite the fact that Microsoft has expressed its official position regarding testing Windows Vista Service Pack 1 ahead of its finalization, there is simply too much of a hunger for the service pack.
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27.12.2007 Vista SP1 Won't Resolve the 4 GB RAM Limitation of 32-bit Windows Vista
32-bit Windows operating systems, and Windows Vista makes no exception whatsoever to this rule, are limited in terms of the amount of system memory that can be addressed to no more than 4 GB.
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4.1.2008Official Way to Use Vista without Activation 120 Days
Official Way to Install and
Use Windows Vista without
Activation for Free for 120
Days
By default,
Windows Vista can be
installed, used and run
without any license, product
key or the need of activation
for 30 days grace period, for
purpose of trial or
evaluation. Although Microsoft
initially stressed that users
should purchase a license with
valid product key before the
trial period expires, or else
Windows Vista will lock into
Reduced Functionality Mode.
However, a "rearm" method
has long since been discovered
to be able to extend, or reset
the remaining time for
activation to another fresh 30
days, for up to 3 times.
Now Microsoft has
confirmed that Windows Vista
can be used and run for 120
days or 4 months ( 3
rearms ), and extending the
activation grace period is not
a violation of the Vista End
User License Agreement (EULA).
All versions of Vista include
Windows Vista Ultimate allow a
30-day free period without
activation, except the
corporate-oriented Vista
Enterprise, which supports
only a three-day trial.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
22.02.2007Microsoft admits Windows Vista challenges
Microsoft South Africa has conceded there have been difficulties for resellers and end-users around the launch of its Vista operating system. It
states there have been problems with its communications to its channel.
Microsoft Windows business group lead Colin Erasmus says
these communications were not properly planned. It has three campaigns in the pipeline for this year to rectify the situation, he notes.
Local distributors, OEMs and resellers have been battling with bulk image blasting, the time and expense of downgrading unhappy customers
back to Windows XP, and second-line support.
Says Tarsus CEO Pierre Spies: Vista doesn't support bulk image blasting; it's
just not here yet. We believe the product was launched too soon.
a lot of catching up to do. Corporates are buying new machines with
Vista on and downgrading to XP, in anticipation of Vista being ready in the next two to three years. They are buying the licence, but do not plan to
use it until the product is ready.
winbeta.org - 24.08.2007
Buy More Vista Licenses, Save 10%
Microsoft has launched the
appropriately named Windows
Vista Additional License
program, which will enable
customers to save a bit of
money if they want to install
Windows Vista on multiple
computers. Before, users had
to purchase a completely new
copy of Vista...
betanews.com - 28.03.2007
Microsoft Relaxes Vista License Terms
Responding to a wave of
criticism following news that
the licensing terms in Windows
Vista allowed the operating
system to be moved to another
computer only once, Microsoft
has changed its position and
relaxed the restriction for
retails copies of Vista...
betanews.com - 03.11.2006
Public Debate Begins on GPLv3
Public debate on the third
revision of the General Public
License began on Monday as the
Free Software Foundation
released the first draft of
the popular open source
license. The new version of
the license focuses on patents
and digital rights management
issues...
betanews.com - 17.01.2006
Cost of Vista Business License Offset by Savings, Says Microsoft
If large businesses use tools
such as Microsoft's Solution
Accelerator Business Desktop
Deployment package (assuming
it's easier to use than it is
to say), the administrative
"best practices" those
tools will help them adopt
could save them somewhat more
per PC than what they spent
for the license, according to
a Gartner study advanced by a
Microsoft product manager who
spoke with BetaNews...
betanews.com - 15.06.2007
More 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 We have
nothing further to say.
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...
winbeta.org - 25.06.2007
Vista Licenses Limit OS Transfers, Ban VM Use
"TechWeb has posted an
article regarding Vista's new
license and how it allows you
to only move it to another
device once. How will this
work for people who build
their PCs? I have no intention
of purchasing a new license
every time I swap out
motherboards. 'The first user
of the software may reassign
the license to another device
one time.
If you
reassign the license, that
other device becomes the
"licensed device," reads the
license for Windows Vista Home
Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate,
and Business. In other words,
once a retail copy of Vista is
installed on a PC, it can be
moved to another system only
once. ...
Elsewhere in the license,
Microsoft forbids users from
installing Vista Home Basic
and Vista Home Premium in a
virtual machine. "You may not
use the software installed on
the licensed device within a
virtual (or otherwise
emulated) hardware system,"
the legal language reads.
Vista Ultimate and Vista
Business, however, can be
installed within a VM.'"
Overly Critical Guy points out
more information about changes
to Vista's EULA and the new
usage restrictions. "For
instance, Home Basic users
can't copy ISOs to their hard
drives, can't run in a
virtualized environment, and
can only share files and
printers to a maximum of 5
network devices."
neowin.net - 13.10.2006
New Linux PC costs less than a single Windows Vista license
While Linux focuses on improving stability and efficiency, Windows Vista continues to charge a premium for its good looks and doll-like charm. Mirus
has built a PC with Linux installed that costs less than a single license of Windows Vista.
Specifically this Mirus PC will run
Freespire, a version of Linux developed by Linspire Inc. (formerly Lindows). Larry Kettler, CEO of Linspire says our system builders have been
forging new ground in the low-end Linux PC market for over 5 years now . . . This latest system from Mirus Innovations is the most robust hardware and
software configuration, and offers the best value for under $200 to date, according to the companys press release.
Compare that
$200 investment to the three tiers of Windows Vista available and it becomes clear why Microsoft has so much disposable income.
winbeta.org - 18.01.2008
GPLv3 Draft 3 Appears to Excuse Microsoft-Novell Deal
New language inserted into the
third discussion draft of
version 3 of the General
Public License for free and
open-source software would
prohibit a license holder from
paying another party to
receive a patent license for
works the GPL covers. But a
bracketed clause would make
this language take effect for
licenses issued from
today (March 28)
forward...
betanews.com - 29.03.2007
Microsoft Tightens Vista Transfer Rights Under New License
Microsoft said today it will
limit the number of machines
to which users can transfer
the Windows Vista OS licenses,
to just one system beyond the
original PC.
When
Windows Vista is available,
consumers will be able to
transfer the OS license they
purchase to only one machine
other than the one for which
they originally buy Vista,
says Shanen Boettcher, a
Windows general manager at
Microsoft. He says Microsoft
thinks the change makes sense
because "lifetimes for PCs
are getting longer." Most
likely, a user will not need
to transfer an OS license to
more than one computer during
the time that OS is the latest
one available, Boettcher
says.
"It's a fit
for what most customers do,"
he says. Boettcher adds that
XP did not have a specific
limit for the number of times
the license was transferable,
but that Microsoft wanted to
be "specific" about transfer
rights with Vista.
neowin.net - 17.10.2006
Dell Software Promo Rankles Microsoft Partners
Dell is quietly selling
Microsoft Open License
software at cost as part of a
three-week promotion that runs
until the end of July, CMP
Channel has learned.
In an email viewed by CMP
Channel, Dell approaches
customers directly and extends
the offer to products such as
SQL, Exchange, Office 2007,
Windows Vista, Windows Server
Standard, Small Business
Server, Client Access
Licenses, Project, and
SharePoint.
However,
Microsoft isn't aware of any
Dell promotions that offer
Open License software at cost,
according to a company
spokesperson.
Dell
did not return emails and
phone calls seeking comment.
Customers typically
buy licenses for Microsoft
software through a volume
license agreement, which can
be an Open License, Select
Agreement, or Enterprise
Agreement. While partners can
buy Open License agreements
from distributors and sell
them to customers, customers
can only buy Select and
Enterprise Agreements only
directly from Microsoft's
large account resellers
(LARs), one of which is Dell. ..
winbeta.org - 26.07.2007
Near-Final Vista Foundations
Released
Microsoft has made available
prerelease versions of the
Windows Communication
Foundation and Windows
Workflow Foundation, which
comprise two of the core
building blocks within Windows
Vista. The company has also
issued a Go-Live license for
each, signifying the
products' state of readiness...
betanews.com - 19.01.2006
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
OSI email group gets catty over Microsoft's Permissive License request
The OSI
License-Discuss mailing
list has been ablaze for
the past few days since
Microsoft submitted its Permissive
License (MS-PL) to the OSI
for
official open source license
approval. Jon Rosenberg,
source program director for
Microsoft, posted, "Microsoft
believes that this license
provides unique value to the
open source community by
delivering simplicity,
brevity, and permissive terms
combined with intellectual
property protection."
Rosenberg
compared the MS-PL to the new
BSD license and the Apache 2.0
license. "However, the new
BSD license does not contain
an explicit patent grant," he
wrote. "In addition, we
sought to create a license
that is simple, short, and
easy to understand."
Code licensed
under the MS-PL cannot be
redistributed under the terms
of any other license, but it
can be combined with works
released under the terms of
other licenses, as long as
those other licenses permit
it.
winbeta.org - 19.08.2007
Vista Licensing Terms Changed Significantly
Rejoice PC enthusiasts! In a
drastic turn around from it's
earlier Vista licensing model
releases, Microsoft has
announced today that the
licensing terms for Windows
Vista have been significantly
changed to allow for much
easier licensing transfers.
"I'm very pleased
to let you know you this
morning (or afternoon, or
evening, depending on where
you are when you read this)
that the Windows division has
revised the retail license
terms for Windows Vista in a
significant way. Namely, the
terms regarding
license-to-device assignment
of the retail product
(including Home Basic, Home
Premium, Business and
Ultimate) now read as follows:
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.
Our intention behind
the original terms was
genuinely geared toward
combating piracy; however,
it's become clear to us that
those original terms were
perceived as adversely
affecting an important group
of customers: PC and hardware
enthusiasts. You who comprise
the enthusiast market are
vital to us for several
reasons, not least of all
because of the support you've
provided us throughout the
development of Windows Vista.
We respect the time and
expense you go to in
customizing, building and
rebuilding your hardware and
we heard you that the previous
terms were seen as an
impediment to that -- it's
for that reason we've made
this change. I hope that this
change provides the
flexibility you need, and
gives you more reason to be
excited about the upcoming
retail release of our new
operating system."
Update: Microsoft has
now added Vista to it's
online Retail Software License
Terms system. See the link
below.
neowin.net - 03.11.2006
AMD to License Chip
Technologies
In a surprising announcement,
AMD said Friday that it had
plans to allow third parties
to license some of its
processor technologies. The
deal would allow these
companies to produce chips
that would add features to its
own...
betanews.com - 03.06.2006
Microsoft fiddles with Vista Ultimate Assurance licensing
Microsoft is to slash the number of Vista Ultimate licences offered to members of its Software Assurance program.
Software
Assurance (SA), which allows customers to buy Microsoft products in bulk at discount prices, seems to have fallen victim to small-print policy change,
reducing Ultimate licensing to only one for every 100 seats of Vista Enterprise a company pays for.
According to WindowsSecrets.com, a customer with fewer than 600 Vista Enterprise licences can
now only get a maximum of five copies of Ultimate.
winbeta.org - 21.02.2008
PNY Signs License Agreement with SanDisk
SanDisk Corporation and PNY Technologies today announced that PNY has signed a patent cross-license agreement with SanDisk to settle patent cases
filed by SanDisk last year in Federal District Court and the International Trade Commission against PNY flash memory products including USB drives and
CompactFlash cards. The cross-license agreement provides PNY a competitive market advantage by ensuring it can continue to market and sell USB drives
and CompactFlash cards, now as SanDisk licensed products, and assures that PNY’s supply of such flash memory products will not be disrupted by
the patent claims pending against other parties. Under the terms of the cross-license, PNY will pay SanDisk royalties on flash memory products that
were not previously licensed. The specific terms of the cross-license are confidential.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 04.01.2008
Dell to offer Windows XP beyond June 30 cutoff
InfoWorld has confirmed that Dell will sell and support Windows XP to consumers beyond the June 30 Microsoft sales cutoff date that Microsoft reaffirmed today, after earlier comments from CEO Steve Ballmer seemingly indicated it might reconsider that decision.
Dell will take
advantage of a licensing option in Vista Business and Vista Ultimate that lets PC makers provide XP under the Vista license, which Microsoft calls a "downgrade"
license. (Enterprises with site licenses have these same rights with any version of Vista.) In essence, the user is buying a Vista license
that it can apply to XP, and Microsoft can still claim a Vista sale.
winbeta.org - 25.04.2008
