Not really sure where the best place is to put this... please move it if it needs to be..

I just downloaded and decided to give the Windows Media Player 9 a try. And, since I'm dealing with Microsoft, I gave the EULA a quick read. Not far down (after all the "you will be here on now known as the USER...etc,etc,etc") There read a part saying that you cannot use this software (being WMP 9) if you do not have a valid licenced copy of Windows. And by installing WMP 9, it gives MS the right to check your computer and OS to see if it is a valid license. Well, I stopped right there. Hit decline and said enough of that.

Has anyone else read this? Whether my OS is licenced or not is illrelevant. What is, is that MS thinks they have a right to make a piece of software that will (what sounds like) kill the OS if it is not licenced.

Any thoughts?

Indy

Indy, while we do not advocate running unlicensed software, IMHO it is fully within the right of whoever writes the software to make sure it's legal, the fact that it's MS is irrelevant, it could be the mom and pop software shop down the block; and while I really dislike (for lack of a better word) apps that "call home" if you don't read the EULA then you might as well be handing over a blank signed check to a stranger ;)

Kudos to you for taking the time to read it, I imagine most of the general population would not :)

/JD

I agree that running unlicenced software is not right.
With things I have seen at other places (and I believe that Media player 7 update did something similar to this as well) I thought it good to make mention that this was there.
Like for instance, the whole Win XP thing a while back about MS making specific licences with your hard ware.
But anyway. The principle of the thing is what I thought was interesting. And was also wondering if anyone else has read this. Was wondering if perhaps I misread it? :)

Indy

There have been severl complaints about MS's EULA for both W2K and Media Player in the last 6 months.
_http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020816S0001

_http://www.wininformant.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=26172

_http://slashdot.org/articles/02/06/29/1254230.shtml?tid=109