Sunday, October 20, 2002

ZDNet:  Microsoft licensing earns big results I don't like Microsoft's use of activation codes to validate licenses - they inhibit the easy reinstallation of the software.  No, I am not talking about enabling anyone to install (pirate) copies of the software on other, non-licensed machines.  I am talking about the most common case - a home user who, for some reason (e.g. need to replace harddrive), needs to reinstall the OS and applications, and finds out that they can no longer use the original activation code without calling Microsoft.  I have gone through this process twice and have been subject to ridiculous wait times along with the requirement to explain why I am reinstalling the software - how about "Because I want to."?  Isn't that my right has a legally licensed owner of the software? Okay, ranting aside - Microsoft could have been smarter about this.  They could have tied the activation code to a MAC/NIC address, so subsequent installation on the same machine (with same MAC/NIC address) just works.  Or they could have provided functionality for users to deactivate the software, so that subsequent activation works like it's the first time being installed. 9:59:24 AM    comment [] Sam Gentile posts his COM Interop Presentation as a Powerpoint deck Good material - well worth checking out. 9:09:49 AM    comment []

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