POLL: Is your software legal?

[Martoch]

Hi everybody!


Are you running a legal copy of Windows (or equivalent OS)?

Let's make this simple...just use the voitng buttons above. No need to turn this into a legality discussion...my friends and I disagree on this, so I would like you to answer honestly.

NOTE: Voting WILL NOT show your user name, just in case that is scaring you away from voting.

Thanks!
Mike

[Droppyale]

mmmm

[Siliconjunkie]

Thanks to MSDN all my OSs are 100% legal

[Martoch]

Originally posted by Droppyale
mmmm

Yeah, should be interesting...I saw a poster in a computer store that read "2 out of every 3 Windows installs are illegal"...so I asked the manager of the store if he was running a legal version. He admitted to using a copy.

[shahani]

Honestly, I can't answer one way or the other. I do have legal copies but use other direct ways to activate because I don't want to go thru the Microsoft aggravation for 45-60 minutes because I make substantial hardware changes all the time. But my copies are legal with COA.

Other than that, programs like ACDC image viewer or winzip -- well I use the shareware versions and they are unregistered so I put up with the nag screen. But they are not cracked/hacked programs.

Then there is the software I get from work--I legally get it for my laptop because I need to work from home at times but then its also loaded on several test PCs.

100% legal--No.

100% illegal-No.

Somewhere in between.

[shahani]

Mike,

You're not a Microsoft mole, per chance?

Because if you are, you know I'm just pulling them long legs of yours.

[Mike]

This computer has Linux (obviously legal) but I do have a legal version of XP and a cracked version as well.

Ended up getting the legal version because XP was decent enough, and mom wanted some language packages installed where you really did need a legal copy of the program.

Pretty much every OS in my house is legal. Windows 98, 98SE, Win2K, and WinXP. Dad usually gets copies from work when they order a pile of stuff. (Which is really a good thing. )

[Scott Tiger]

Yeah, the version of Windows on my desktop (XP Pro) and on my laptop (98se) are both 100% legal. I will admit that after using Linux almost exclusively for about a year it's really expensive living in the Microsoft world. The OS is a sunk cost but all the other software you end up buying is what kills you. I could really use a copy of Office XP but the price they want for a version with Access XP (which is primarily why I need Office) is staggering.

[Martoch]

Originally posted by shahani
Mike,

You're not a Microsoft mole, per chance?

I'm not required to answer that by Microsoft regulation 46.8 of the gamma quadrant.

Originally posted by Mike
mom wanted some language packages installed where you really did need a legal copy of the program.

*biting my tongue on that one*

[PresterJohn]

Originally posted by Siliconjunkie
Thanks to MSDN all my OSs are 100% legal

hmmm...not necessarily.

the OS cds in the MSDN are meant to be used for evaluation, testing/demo and debugging use. if you have them installed on a server or workstation and are running production software or in a production role, then technically you are violating the EULA packaged with the subscription.