How frequently do you read EULAs?

  • Thread starter Thread starter brian_erdelyi
  • Start date Start date
Ghostrider said:
Hardly relevant since one has to acknowledge reading the
EULA, whether or not one has actually done so, by checking
the box in order to proceed with the software installation.
This is significantly more different and legally binding
than just merely ignoring warning labels and signs.
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I wonder if Dubai is one of the countries M$ products are not allowed to go to.
 
I am creating a guideline to assist vendors in notifying consumers
about software that impacts control over the user's experience,
privacy and system security.

The site is http://www.clearware.org

The idea is similar to care labels on clothing, nutrition facts on food
and warning labels on hazardous chemicals.
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I think it needs subcategories for some of them. For example, consider
displaying advertising. I can think of at least three different kinds,
that should probably not all be treated the same:

1. Advertises another version of the same product. E.g., the way the
free Quicktime advertises Quicktime Pro, or the way a free antivirus
scanner might advertise the for-pay version.

2. Advertises related software. For example, a program that is part of
a suite or collection might advertise the rest of the suite or
collection.

3. Advertises third-party products.

The collecting information labels probably could use subcategorizing
based on how the information will be used. For example, an antivirus
company collecting information on installed applications in order to
figure out how to provide a custom cure for a pesky infection is quite
different from an advertising company collection information on
installed applications in order to figure out what mailing lists to sell
your email address to.
 
Never. EULAs are the biggest scam going. They are miles long, written
in impenetrable legalese, guaranteed to prevent users from reading
more than a paragraph or so. Then they put the "I agree" check box up,
that you have to click in order to proceed with your install. Of
course everybody checks the box, of course nobody reads the EULA.
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While you are indeed correct about what EULAs are, They are also legally binding on all those unsuspecting users who mindlessly click "I Agree" without even looking at what they are agreeing to.

I at least give them a cursory once over, looking for anything that sticks out as different from the usual boilerplate. Users owe it to themselves to at least do that much. If you don't, you have no idea what you are permitting that installer or the program it installs to do to your computer.
 
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