Forced upgrade?

[Rob Oldfield]

Anyone heard anything about this?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/07/microsoft_office_access_infringement/

 

[Brendan Reynolds]

Here's a quote from the end of that article ...

<quote>
Speak to a lawyer if unable to comply.
Copyright © 2006, OUT-LAW.com
OUT-LAW.COM is part of international law firm Pinsent Masons.
</quote>

Not exactly a totally disinterested and unbiased viewpoint, then!

(Doesn't necessarily mean they're wrong, of course.)

 

[Albert D.Kallal]

Well, the "fix" mentioned in that article has been out for a long time.

We all know that the register is a really crappy sensationalist leftist
liberal rag.

Virtually anytime they can print something that puts a US company in bad
light..they do so. They hate the US, and they certainly hate Microsoft. In
fact, I think they hate anything that is not form Europe. Anyway...it is a
rotten rag of a magazine.

About the update?

Microsoft is constantly releasing updates and services packs to office.
Those companies have to deal with these types of updates all the time.

We had sp2 out for office for quite some time (it was MANY months ago that I
installed it). We now we even have sp3. So, the above is somewhat old news.
(but...of course a sensation to the register!).

The code involved in the dispute is about linking to a excel spreadsheet.
So, as a normal rule, not too many people do this, and thus the suggested
workaround is to simply import the spreadsheet into ms-access....do
whatever..and export it.

As to how someone can own the rights to "link" to a Excel spreadsheet is
beyond me...but I guess that is a issue for the silly courts of the day.

So, as it stands right now, if you install the office sp updates..then
ms-access will not be able to "link" to a Excel spreadsheet...you will have
to import it...

As for the talk about a "corporate install image" having to be
re-done...well, for any sp (service pack) update..the company will have to
re-make their image anyway. This is a common occurrence....(only in "the
registers" small feeble world is this a big deal....).

 

[Dirk Goldgar]

So, as it stands right now, if you install the office sp updates..then
ms-access will not be able to "link" to a Excel spreadsheet...you
will have to import it...

As far as I know, the update doesn't prevent you from linking to an
Excel spreadsheet; it just prevents you from linking to a spreadsheet
and having the linked table be updatable. Unless I'm mistaken, you can
still link to Excel spreadsheets as read-only tables.

 

[Fred Boer]

Please Albert, don't hold back.. Tell us how do you *really* feel about The
Register? <g,d&r>

Cheers!
Fred

 

[Albert D.Kallal]

As far as I know, the update doesn't prevent you from linking to an
Excel spreadsheet; it just prevents you from linking to a spreadsheet
and having the linked table be updatable.

Great...thanks for that clear up. This makes the situation even more
confusing. You mean MS can't write some code to allow updates to a spread
sheet?

So, the patient issue here seems even more weird!!!

I have little doubt that MS could come up with some alternate code that
don't infringe on the existing. Since MS has not, then it seems the patent
was granted for updating spreadsheets via a link!!

 

[Albert D.Kallal]

Please Albert, don't hold back.. Tell us how do you *really* feel about
The Register? <g,d&r>

LOL!

Golly...reading my post, you can see that I am not a fan of that rag. I
never seen any article that EVER puts MS in a good light (of course, MS is
no saint here..but that magazine really is pathetic).

However, this is a public forum..and I am supposed to be gentleman. So, for
the upcoming new year, I will be that laid back artists type dude that I
normally am...

I going for a nice cup of tea on that note!!

I still think the lawsuit was lame, and now we can't update a linked spread
sheet as a result?

 

[Guest]

I want to sue the SOB that sued Microsoft. His silly patent doesn't work as
advertised. I have XP Pro SP1, AC 2003 SP1, tried to update a linked
spreadsheet and it spazed the spreadsheet so badly I had to pull a backup to
replace it.

 

[Albert D.Kallal]

I want to sue the SOB that sued Microsoft. His silly patent doesn't work
as
advertised. I have XP Pro SP1, AC 2003 SP1, tried to update a linked
spreadsheet and it spazed the spreadsheet so badly I had to pull a backup
to
replace it.

Like I say, I have ZERO problems if MS used his code (he received 9
million...likely more then that code is worth the paper it is on). However,
it seems that we are now NOT going to be allowed to update linked
sheets..and that I do have a issue.

I think it is all fine and dandy for me to react. I have little, or no issue
about the person being compensated. Fine and well.

However, not being able to update the data is another issue..and I can't see
how anyone can have those rights.....

 

[George Nicholson]

Interesting.

Anyone who has automatic updates for Office activated has already been the
recipient of this change via a October 18 2005 update.
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/904018)

From the article I gather that MS is simply saying that applying SP3 et al
is no longer optional with new installations.

However, since 904018 was a post Office XP SP3 update, I'm not quite sure
how making SP3 mandatory with future installations gets this particular
update diseminated, unless it's been rolled into SP3...

HTH,

 

[John Nurick]

Since MS has not, then it seems the patent
was granted for updating spreadsheets via a link!!

As far as I can make out that was indeed the case.

BTW, don't blame The Register. I've seen this story on several other
sites - and it appeared from those that Microsoft is only contacting
large corporate users on this issue.

 

[Tom Ellison]

Dear Albert:

So, Albert, may I offer you a discounted subscription to "The Register"?

Or would you rather just have another bowl of soup (remember?).

Tom Ellison

 

[Albert D.Kallal]

BTW, don't blame The Register. I've seen this story on several other
sites - and it appeared from those that Microsoft is only contacting
large corporate users on this issue.

Oh...not blaming the Register at all.. However, they seem to that it is the
end of the world that companies will have to update their "image" files for
deployment. Companies have to update this stuff all the time when new sp
packs come out.

So, no, not a big deal...and certainly not the gloom and end of the world
problem as to how the register plays it out.

These types of updates are common fair to companies all the time....

I have zero problems with the news being reported, however I do have a
problem with how the Register *always* puts things in a light to make it
sound worse then it is.....

 

[Albert D.Kallal]

Dear Albert:

So, Albert, may I offer you a discounted subscription to "The Register"?

Or would you rather just have another bowl of soup (remember?).

Tom Ellison

Yes....I do!!!

And, by the way...really nice to see you up around in the newsgroups.

All the best to you for the coming new year....

Do take care of yourself.....

 

[Tom Ellison]

Dear Albert:

Thank you for your kind words, friend.

To the uninitiated, Albert had a bowl of soup with my wife and me and
several others over two years ago in Seattle, just before an MVP Summit.
You do remember, Albert?

It was a real pleasure for me to host that! That was the night I first met
you. Steve, Arvin, and Sandra were over, too! (I haven't forgotten anyone,
have I. Just the 6 of us I believe.) What a great honor to have you visit.
Of course, we thought it was Bill at first! I mean, it was truly a shock!

Did any of the MVPs use the Moore last summit? For downtown Seattle, it
seemed a bargain, and was more than adequate for my comfort.

Tom Ellison

 

[Albert D.Kallal]

Did any of the MVPs use the Moore last summit? For downtown Seattle, it

seemed a bargain, and was more than adequate for my comfort.

very charming "old" place. I did not make it to the last summit...so, don't
really know....

 

[Douglas J. Steele]

very charming "old" place. I did not make it to the last summit...so,
don't really know....

Unlike the 2004 summit, last year's summit wasn't actually in Seattle, but
rather on campus in Redmond, so most of the Access MVPs stayed in Bellevue,
to cut down on how long the bus rides would be.