Jonathan, after reading your and Ean's message, it makes sense what both of
you are saying. As you say, working for humanware, you must speak to the
legality of the situation, this being a humanware list. But I like what you
said at the bottom of your message as well. I realize what humanware must
say from a legal perspective, and only put in my two cents when people
seemed to get so concerned.
What person does if they lose their sticker is up to them after hjmanware
has made their position clear.
Thanks.
At 8/8/2005, you wrote:
Hi Kathy. The license relates to the Windows CE operating system which is
part of the upgrade to KeySoft 6.1. Because we upgraded the operating
system, we are required to include the sticker. there is no large
certificate of the type you mention for Windows CE. Furthermore, your
suggested price for the license is far from accurate.
I would also point out that one or two customers possibly losing the
license sticker out of the many thousands who now have KeySoft 6.11 is a
pretty good track record. I realise that this fact doesn't stop people from
doing the storm in a teacup thing on an e-mail list like this, but there
you are.
Neither Dean nor I, can advocate the use of illegal software, since
anything we say on this list is said in a HumanWare capacity. The Windows
CE operating system in the BrailleNote if you upgraded to 6.1 is not
technically legal unless you affix the sticker to the machine as required
by Microsoft. Yes we're following orders of course! It's their software and
they set the rules. Now if I as a blind person were to lose the sticker
accidentally before I had a chance to affix it, I would probably form my
own personal view on just how important it was, and how likely it is that
Microsoft are going to come knocking on my door looking for the sticker and
hauling me off to jail if they don't find it on my BrailleNote. I hope you
get my drift. Dean is simply doing what a tech support person should do and
giving you the official line. I've been about as forthcoming as I can be on
this.
Jonathan Mosen
BrailleNote Product Marketing Manager
HumanWare
DDI: +1-925-566-9265
http://www.humanware.com
Kathy Williams
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Sent by: Braillenote List
braillenote-bounc <[email protected]>
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Subject
Re: lost sticker Re: [Braillenote]
08/08/2005 09:36 update
a.m.
Please respond to
Braillenote List
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]
.humanware.com>
Is that anything like just following orders? It certainly didn't answer any
of my questions. What is Microsoft having you do that is creating this
difficulty of your sending a tiny piece of paper to your blind customers
which they need to stick on the back of their units? And what kind of
license is this? As I read the instructions for licensing, there is the
license for the pre-installed software which this must not be because then
it would be up to you folks to paste the sticker on the unit when you do
the installing. Then there is the license for packaged software purchased
separately in which case there is also a certificate of authenticity (about
5 by 7 inch paper) on which the little label is affixed. This makes it hard
to lose. Now clearly you're not doing either of these things. But whatever
licensing system you're involved in with Microsoft it is creating
difficulties for your customers that you folks seem to want to turn into
the sale of another operating system rather than
help solve for your valued customers. How come? Are we talking about a $3
license fee for WINDOWS CE? if this is the case, and Humanware isn't
keeping track of the license connected with the serial number of the unit,
seems kind of small to not just eat the $3 for PR that has been lost in
this issue already. Perhaps this isn't software that qualifies for the $3
license. For PR I'd still try to work it out to just replace the license
code to the customer rather than threatening with action by microsoft and
other qualified third party investigators auditing licenses etc. etc.. Why
would Microsoft even question the source of software on a system that only
works with the software from you folks. Clearly it came from you folks. And
they do have a process for the seller to replace license stickers at no
charge to the customer in some situations. I find it difficult to believe
they wouldn't make this one of them. Microsoft isn't the Gestapo. They're
just folks.
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