This'll be a real disappointment if it comes to pass, although Microsoft likely had little choice. Burst had pretty damning evidence that not only had Microsoft infringed on Burst's intellectual property, but also alleged some pretty explosive evidence that Microsoft had systematically and intentionally destroyed email records to hide those earlier violations. This has been a crusade of the columnist known pseudonymously as Robert X. Cringely in columns here and here testify.
8:18:05 PM comment []
The Twelve Principles read like a great start on a new relationship between commercial software vendors (and electronic consumer products) and their customers. Here's some of the preamble:
When you buy an off-the-shelf product for yourself or your business, you expect the law to provide you with some basic rights. For example, your car will work as advertised. Or you will be allowed to legally sell the television set when you upgrade to a new one and you wouldn't expect something as simple as lending a book to a friend to create any problems for you.
It might surprise you to learn, then, that the rights you are accustomed to when you buy traditional goods and services may not apply when you purchase digital products.
Vendors ought to study these ideas.
5:09:35 PM comment []
It seems that Apress is offering some of their older titles for free download. I snagged a copy of their "Programmers Introduction to PHP 4, " a 4 megabyte, 478 page PDF. It looks like the full version of the book. The download site also offers the source code. The book includes a plug for the newer edition of PHP5 and MySQL, released in June of 2004. This is a smart move on Apress' part. Hope it pans out for them financially.
8:54:50 AM comment []
