… it tolls for thee Vista.
A Slashdot Article brings to light some changes to the user license for Microsoft’s new (soon to be released) OS called Vista. These changes highlight the range of restrictions now being demanded of their user base. Vista now plans to restrict such things as ISO mounting, shared services, computer upgrades, virtualization, and most importantly, mobility of the license. Vista will only allow one transference of the OS license before you need to purchase it a new license. Now on the surface you may think, “Well, I only get a new computer after a few years anyway…”, but unfortunately Vista is much more sensitive than that. It considers upgrading the motherboard, or changing the hard-drive a fundamental change. So if you decide you want a bigger C: drive and go out to buy a new Seagate 400Gb SATA drive, Vista will believe that you are changing to a new computer, and there goes your one and only migration of the license. Now if your motherboard, video card, or even the new hard-drive has a problem and has to be swapped, you need to purchase Vista over again.
Now couple this with the astonishment I felt when I first heard that Vista would release with seven different versions, and things start to look quite bleak. I already knew (from direct experience) of the headaches that arise when having to deal with only (2-3) different versions of the same OS within a environment. (a special type of frustrating nightmare for IT managers that are dealing with company mergers).
I believe the combination of these issues will only emphasize the growing customer dissatisfaction that will eventually lead to the hastening of Microsoft’s death knell. Now, I’m not foolish, and I realize that Microsoft is deeply entrenched in both the desktop and business markets, and as such, it will not go quickly. But I firmly believe that unless fundamental changes happen within its core, it will be cresting the hill that it has climbed for the past 20 years and will only have one direction to go.
Here is a partial summary of changes.
(update) Here is another link to the EULA issues: Surprises Inside Microsoft Vista’s EULA