Windows Licensing for Hobbyists

I'll "sell" every machine to my brother :). Who will then donate them to me. Sorted.

Assuming for a second that you're serious, the details in the OP state "unrelated party" which to me means related in a business or personal capacity, so you couldn't "sell" it to your brother in the same way you couldn't buy it through your employer and get them to "sell" it back to you.
 
so for people who wait to upgrade their whole pc in one go and include a new oem OS in their next purchase, this has little value

which brings it back to just having support from MS

2 OEM copies costs more than one Retail copy.
So if you plan on doing even one motherboard upgrade during the lifetime of the OS then you are better off buying Retail.

Most OEM purchesers do NOT budget for a new OEM license when they upgrade their machines.
They feel they are entitled to the same flexability of license as somebody who has bought retail.
So most start operating as legal as somebody who has pirated their OS as soon as they do their first MB swap and use the old copy of their OS.
 
Meh, no way am I going to shell out over £100 for a shiny DVD. It's just not going to happen.

You are paying £100 for a license to run the OS on your computer - not for a "shiny DVD".
An OS usually has a production life of 3 years (even then it doesn't suddenly stop working just because it has been replaced).

So if you feel that (assuming the OS only works for 3 years) the OS is not worth 9p per day then really you have two options.

1. Consider a free OS, there are lenty of Linux distributions out there to pick from.
2. Assume the world owes you some kind of living and pirate.

Oh and my 9p a day is if from the day you install the OS you can only use it for 3 years.
If you use it longer the day rate falls even further.
 
I'm willing to bet that MS don't share in that view. Given the choice, I have little doubt they'd rather people use OEM versions than not bother buying it at all.

Where as this is probably true - some money is better than no money it is not the point.
If you transfer OEM from one machine to another, borrow a friends copy, use an MSDN copy in the wrong environment, download your OS from the web - in all of these cases you are running an illegal OS.

A lot of people don't seem bothered by this, so they might just as well take the cheapest option and simply pirate.
There is no point buying OEM and then replacing the motherboard and transferring the OS - you are just as illegal as somebody who pirated.
So any self justification just because you once bought an OEM license needs to be forgotten.
 
Where as this is probably true - some money is better than no money it is not the point.
If you transfer OEM from one machine to another, borrow a friends copy, use an MSDN copy in the wrong environment, download your OS from the web - in all of these cases you are running an illegal OS.

A lot of people don't seem bothered by this, so they might just as well take the cheapest option and simply pirate.
There is no point buying OEM and then replacing the motherboard and transferring the OS - you are just as illegal as somebody who pirated.
So any self justification just because you once bought an OEM license needs to be forgotten.

I understand that the legal aspects fully, and I'm not disputing it. But at the end of the day, MS are a business; they don't exist to make laws and ensure everyone does "the right thing", they're there to make money. Every time they sell a product, they make money, so saying that people who don't care about staying legal should just pirate instead is a rather counter-productive.
 
Slightly OT but what is the license for MSDN:AA? I am always changing OS versions on my various machiens or using them inside VM's for various research.
 
so for people who wait to upgrade their whole pc in one go and include a new oem OS in their next purchase, this has little value

which brings it back to just having support from MS

And the point of this thread is that including a new OEM for a mobo upgrade isn't allowed.
 
Slightly OT but what is the license for MSDN:AA? I am always changing OS versions on my various machiens or using them inside VM's for various research.

You're probably fine. You generally have one concurrent licence for testing conditions.
 
I'd sooner pirate it than pay full retail price for buggy Microsoft software, Vista wasn't even worth the OEM price I payed until they brought out SP1 and even now it's still not as fast or bug free as XP.

I'd say the OEM version and it's non-ripoff price has gone a long way to reducing piracy among "Hobbyists".
 
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Given this development I reckon there'd be a legal case for existing OEM users to demand a refund as the software was sold to them under false pretences, i.e. that it would be legal for them to use.

If you've bought something in good faith when all the prevailing information says that you're entitled to use it legally, then the manufacturer suddenly says "oh btw, you weren't supposed to buy that version and your licence is null and void" then I think you'd have a damned good case in asking for a refund.

Of course whether anyone would bother to test this is another matter!

One thing that concerns me is that this affects businesses as well. How many IT companies out there have built a lot of machines for their own use and equipped them with OEM licences, thinking they're legit, and are now discovering that they aren't and are faced with a large bill to rectify the situation? We hear a lot of pontificating from the software companies and the likes of FAST and FACT about companies running "dodgy" copies of software and needing to be fully licensed, yet there are now going to be companies who, despite attempting to ensure they're completely "legal" are now finding they're not.
 
So this effectively means that OEM software is not for use by the vast majority of users here :(

*Awaits MS bashing*
It seems it's not the first time this confusion has arisen.

Burnsy, if you have access to the OEM channel, could you check out the Simplified OEM Licencing page and see if it's still up?

"OEM system builder software packs are intended for PC and server manufacturers or assemblers ONLY. They are not intended for distribution to end users. Unless the end user is actually assembling his/her own PC, in which case, that end user is considered a system builder as well."
 
Burnsy, if you have access to the OEM channel, could you check out the Simplified OEM Licencing page and see if it's still up?

Nope, gives me a 404.

"OEM system builder software packs are intended for PC and server manufacturers or assemblers ONLY. They are not intended for distribution to end users. Unless the end user is actually assembling his/her own PC, in which case, that end user is considered a system builder as well."

I know, hence why I was surprised that they changed their minds. I think the article I quoted in the first post has been around for a bit but I've only recently noticed it on the OEM Licensing homepage.
 
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I was ready to write a long, reasoned argument about this subject but truth be told it basically boils down to the fact that I'm not going to lose any sleep over using my OEM copies.
 
I'd sooner pirate it than pay full retail price for buggy Microsoft software, Vista wasn't even worth the OEM price I payed until they brought out SP1 and even now it's still not as fast or bug free as XP.

I'd say the OEM version and it's non-ripoff price has gone a long way to reducing piracy among "Hobbyists".

If this software is so "buggy" then why are you using it?
What makes you think you're special and shouldn't have to pay for something that you use on a near daily basis?

You don't know what "buggy" software is.
Since Windows 2000 MS OS's have been pretty much bug free on release.
Certainly nothing show stopping and that includes 2000, XP and Vista (despite you being one of these Vista haters - I'm guessing for no good reason).

Basically you don't feel that you should have to pay for an OS.
Fine - use one of the free options.
The price is there, MS have decided on this.
Your only choice now is if you feel its worth the money - then buy it.
If it isn't then look for an alternative.
The option to be a thief shouldn't even cross your mind - especially if the main reason for your theft is due to cost.
There are a lot of things in this world I can't afford - doesn't mean I consider thieving them.
 
I love your MS licensing threads. What would you do if you found the girl of your dreams was using an illegal copy of windows ? Would that be the end of the relationship ? :)
 
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