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Rants: Whats hidden in the EULA?
Sat, 02 Dec 2006

Someone is installing the Microsoft 'Works Suite' package, and before doing so is reading the EULA so as to know what not to touch. A sad reality we live in. Some weird stuff in there, so be careful.. (we already know theres weird stuff in the OS EULA's, letting MS uninstall applications from your machine if they don't like them. Doubtful they'd ever do that, but nonetheless, the clause is in there.)

For instance, although MS Works includes an art editing package you're not allowed to make 'obscene' images. Who defines what that is, and what business has some software company in telling you what you can or can not draw? It certainly makes you wonder if they're laying claim to ownership and responsibilities for your work. Can you sue Adobe for permitting you to print copies of dollar bills? Scarier is Microsoft Money, in whose EULA notes that the application makes unannounced connections to the net to in order to send details of transactions and bank account names to Microsoft. Not sure what they're using that information for, but it certainly doesn't sound right.. especially squirreled away in the EULA that few read!

Apparently you're only allowed to make up to 1000 printouts or uploads of maps from Streets, but only 250 times to a PDA. Again - what does it benefit MS to make up arbitrary limits? Suspicious elements like these just serve to annoy anyone who stumbles across them.. as few as that might be. I wonder if kids can install this stuff, seeing as they're not able to 'sign' contracts? Oh, and curiously enough -- you can make one print of the documentation (and are not allowed to duplicate the paper documentation.)

They do have an interesting one; each part (text editor, drawing package, financial package, etc) has to be installed together, and not individually to different machines. You can install the whole lot on one other machine, but only for personal use. Careful though, you're only allowed one print of the documentation, not one at each station :P I'm sure those rules are common, but interesting nonetheless.

It goes on of course, but bleh.

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