So I decided to peruse a popular piece of software’s License agreement; Windows 8. I figured that it would be interesting to see what the agreements are that we blindly accept so that we can continue on with our lives.
I chose the Windows 8 EULA that is distributed with a computer. I’ve never actually read one of these things all the way through but I managed to find a few interesting things.
“Automatic Internet Activation”
This little clause in the “How does Internet activation work?” section stipulated that once your PC verifies an internet connection, your OS will immediately connect to Microsoft servers to verify that your installation is legit (Skynet anyone??). This is to make sure that the Windows OS you have installed is the proper one licensed for that specific PC, and btw, “you may not bypass or circumvent activation“.
“How does Microsoft use your information?”
Not only does it connect to the servers and verify, but it also sends system info as well about where you are and if there are any issues with your version of Windows. This clause also stated that Microsoft will share this info with vendors (but mostly error reports) so that other developers can be up-to-date with issues regarding the OS.
“We know where you are..”
Another interesting tidbit I found was in section “3.CHOICE OF LAW”. Laws are different across the varying countries on this great big earth of ours, and now I understand why they ask us to choose which region we are in when we are installing our software. Microsoft knows which country your version of Windows belongs to and once its through the activation process, they verify and allow you to continue installation/registration. I never considered that location would be a great issue. It seems that if you are installing in a certain area, Microsoft tailors its updates and installation according to where you are, and if you are trying to install the software in the wrong location, Microsoft withholds the right to adhere you from updates or even complete installation.
Now to “Open” things up (see what I did there 😉 )
I decided to look into an Open source license from Apache since I’ve used so many of their services especially Maven and Tomcat.
What I really liked was that they make it clear who is who and what is what.
‘”You” (or “Your”) shall mean an individual or Legal Entity exercising permissions granted by this License.’
‘”Source” form shall mean the preferred form for making modifications, including but not limited to software source code, documentation source, and configuration files.’
As much as I like being told who I am ( actually I don’t), I actually enjoyed reading this License; and not just because it was so short. The license clearly states that we can do whatever we want to with the software and what our responsibilities are. They even absolve themselves from any issues if you decide to start making a product and selling it.
So in conclusion what have I really noticed about Licensing? well its pretty clear. Licensing protects software and those who manufacture/sell it. These licenses lay down the rules of use of the software for which it was originally made; so things shouldn’t come as a shock to you if you try doing something you weren’t supposed to do; like give a friend in Australia your Canadian registration key, Or try and go after Apache if you can’t configure your tomcat server to work for your own homebrew enterprise application. As developers in training Scope means alot to us, and licenses help to establish what the proper use of software really is.
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