Vista Upgrade Controversy
Lance Ulanoff wrote a column for the current issue of PC Magazine discussing the technical loopholes in the Windows Vista upgrade that allow it to be installed fresh. Ulanoff is really talking about the motives behind Microsoft Partner liaison Eric Ligman’s blog posting about the matter. But there is a bigger issue here that’s been bothering me for some time.
When Vista was first released Windows Secrets ran a story (actually a few stories) about how the upgrade disk could be used to do a fresh install of the operating system. Upgrades are supposed to require the user to have a previous version of the product (in this case XP). But the Vista upgrade disk has a loophole that does not require XP to do the install. Windows Secrets went on to suggest buying the upgrade instead of the full version. Apparently both disks are exactly the same except that one says upgrade and the other doesn’t.
It struck me as odd that a legitimate newsletter like Windows Secrets would promote such behavior. Wouldn’t such behavior be unethical? No, Windows Secrets says, the company knowingly left the loophole there instead of closing it so it must be OK.
Flash forward to April 2008 and the release of Vista SP1. Windows Secrets runs a story that says that the loophole is still open in SP1. This article echoes the point that since Microsoft knows the loophole is there and hasn’t done anything about it they must be OK with people using the upgrade disk for a new install. Though he doesn’t directly say it I think this is the article that prompted Ligman’s blog enrty.
I’m still stupefied that a legitimate venue for tech reporting would support this behavior. It undermines the software industry as a whole and not just Microsoft.
When someone develops software they have the right to decide how they will distribute it (open source, shareware etc.). They also have the right to establish licensing on the software. When you buy a piece of software you are not only buying it but you are accepting the conditions of the license. Just because the disk allows you to install it in a way that circumvents the license does not mean you can or should. It is still unethical and probably illegal to install software in this way.
I continue to read Windows Secrets for the technical information it gives. But I have to admit to being a bit jaded about their ethics and motivation.
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