software licensing

[Charles Martin]

> From: William L Carr <Jkirk3279 at beanstalk.net>
> Forgive me if it's been said already, but what about the argument that
> I paid for the license, therefore it's one license, one user, not one
> license, one computer?
>
Believe me, most sensible people would agree with you. However, that's 
not how the EULAs or the laws are written. You may not like the EULA, 
but you AGREED to it when you registered the software, so you ARE bound 
by it.

> If you ever read this 6 point type EULA garbage, it probably says that
> you can't install it on two computers even if you own both a laptop and
> a Desktop.    So what about portable Hard Drives?   I carried Pagemaker
> on a ZIP cartridge to a client's office, and demonstrated how to set up
> a newsletter.   I figured I was giving a free audition for Adobe !
> And when I was done, I took the ZIP home.   So, what would the EULA say
> about this?
>
The EULA would say you have violated the agreement and broken the law 
by using the software on a different computer than the one it was 
licensed for.

Please keep in mind that I'm NOT arguing with you, I agree with you 
completely. I'm just answering your question.

> I think Adobe's just being greedy.   Which is sad, since they're the
> last bastion of defense we have against M$oft.   Decent software, and
> it's not from Apple.   What a concept.

I think it's more a reaction to rampant abuse from PC users than 
anything else. If the EULA explicitly allowed the user to install in on 
(let's say) "up to two computers for personal use" (not everyone has a 
laptop for their second machine), then every PC employee in the world 
would see that as directly allowing them to pirate the work-computer 
software for their home computer. Obviously, software makers don't want 
to do that.

Apparently, the big commercial firms haven't yet figured out a way to 
do what the smaller shareware and commercial software firms figured out 
long ago ... "home licenses," "individual licenses" that sort of thing 
... and still protect their (admittedly somewhat different) interests.

_Chas_

If this country had a national motto, it would be "DOH!"