Interesting Article on WGA

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alias
  • Start date Start date
Alias said:
http://www.gripe2ed.com/scoop/story/2006/4/28/0851/56993
Click to expand...
I was neither presented with, nor did I accept, any EULA.

It just downloaded and installed.
Click to expand...

Yes.. The article pointed that out. Read more carefully. =)

In about the fourth paragraph down..

"... Late yesterday afternoon a Microsoft spokesperson was able to confirm
for me that the EULA I've posted is indeed the license agreement for the WGA
Notification software during the pilot program. "The WGA Notifications is
still in limited pilot mode in the U.S., so only a subset of customers who
have Automatic Update will receive the EULA," the Microsoft spokesperson
said ..."
 
Ok,
So, it was available to me also; and part of the subset that has
automatic updates-and NO EULA was ever presented
Jeff
 
Shenan said:
Yes.. The article pointed that out. Read more carefully. =)
Click to expand...

<sigh> First it's my technical knowledge, then it's my ability to read.

What next? :)

Did you happen to notice the date on that article, btw?
In about the fourth paragraph down..

"... Late yesterday afternoon a Microsoft spokesperson was able to
confirm for me that the EULA I've posted is indeed the license
agreement for the WGA Notification software during the pilot program.
"The WGA Notifications is still in limited pilot mode in the U.S., so
only a subset of customers who have Automatic Update will receive the
EULA," the Microsoft spokesperson said ..."
Click to expand...

This is really rather clever, eh? If you have Automatic Update, you
"agree" to the EULA by default, even though you're not given the option
to read it before installation.

Where I come from, that pesky "full disclosure" thing still applies.

But we still do not know what EULA, if any, applies to the May 30, 2006
version of the software in question, because the article is dated April
28, 2006, and the EULA in the wiki was "confirmed by Microsoft on April
27, 2006." Microsoft has a very large legal department, and there's no
telling what they managed to do in the month between.

--
Rhonda Lea Kirk

Insisting on perfect safety is for people
without the balls to live in the real world.
Mary Shafer Iliff
 
Alias said:
http://www.gripe2ed.com/scoop/story/2006/4/28/0851/56993
Click to expand...
I was neither presented with, nor did I accept, any EULA.

It just downloaded and installed.
Click to expand...

Shenan said:
Yes.. The article pointed that out. Read more carefully. =)

In about the fourth paragraph down..

"... Late yesterday afternoon a Microsoft spokesperson was able to
confirm for me that the EULA I've posted is indeed the license
agreement for the WGA Notification software during the pilot
program. "The WGA Notifications is still in limited pilot mode in
the U.S., so only a subset of customers who have Automatic Update
will receive the EULA," the Microsoft spokesperson said ..."
Click to expand...
<sigh> First it's my technical knowledge, then it's my ability to
read.
What next? :)

Did you happen to notice the date on that article, btw?

This is really rather clever, eh? If you have Automatic Update, you
"agree" to the EULA by default, even though you're not given the
option to read it before installation.

Where I come from, that pesky "full disclosure" thing still applies.

But we still do not know what EULA, if any, applies to the May 30,
2006 version of the software in question, because the article is
dated April 28, 2006, and the EULA in the wiki was "confirmed by
Microsoft on April 27, 2006." Microsoft has a very large legal
department, and there's no telling what they managed to do in the
month between.
Click to expand...

I do not believe I ever questioned your technical knowledge. *grin*
Just pointing out something you might have missed in reading. ;)

Yeah - I noticed the article was fairly antiquated in technological terms.
No telling what the EULA says now!
 
Shenan said:
I do not believe I ever questioned your technical knowledge. *grin*
Click to expand...

No. You're right, that wasn't you. :)
Just pointing out something you might have missed in reading. ;)
Click to expand...

Well, as a matter of fact, what's surprising is that I read the article
(or the EULA) at all, even though I tend to read nearly everything I
come across. I'm sick of the entire subject, and yet I remain outraged
at being treated this way.

And I keep thinking of all the people I know who *are* totally ignorant
of computers and what will happen to them when WGA does something wonky
on their system.
Yeah - I noticed the article was fairly antiquated in technological
terms. No telling what the EULA says now!
Click to expand...

<deadpan> AYBABU.

rl
--
Rhonda Lea Kirk

Insisting on perfect safety is for people
without the balls to live in the real world.
Mary Shafer Iliff
 
<snipped>
Yeah - I noticed the article was fairly antiquated in technological
terms. No telling what the EULA says now!
Click to expand...
<deadpan> AYBABU.
Click to expand...

AYBABTU right? heh

(All Your Bases Are Belong To Us)

Short, sweet, to the point and almost as confusing to most people "not in on
the joke." *grin*
 
Hi Rhonda,

If you accepted the EULA for the original WGA notification a few weeks ago,
the new version does not present the EULA.

That sucks IMHO,but is actually covered under the web updates clause in the
EULA.


--
Larry Samuels Associate Expert
MS-MVP (2001-2005)
Unofficial FAQ for Windows Server 2003 at
http://pelos.us/SERVER.htm
Expert Zone-
 
Larry said:
Hi Rhonda,

If you accepted the EULA for the original WGA notification a few
weeks ago, the new version does not present the EULA.

That sucks IMHO,but is actually covered under the web updates clause
in the EULA.
Click to expand...

Hi Larry :)

Since running this computer for the first time, I have not knowingly
accepted a Microsoft EULA related to the operating system.

Oddly enough, to use Microsoft Alerts (which I wanted to do when I
posted to the WGA forum), one must accept a EULA. I did not like the
EULA, so I declined.

Later, I decided that it was more of a pita to go digging through the
posts than to accept the EULA, so I again went through the process of
signing up for alerts. Only this time, no EULA was presented to me.

I don't really know what to conclude from this experience, and it may
only have been a glitch, but I do know this: if I am not given the
opportunity to read and consent to an agreement, there is no agreement.

That has nothing to do with Microsoft and everything to do with contract
law. I understand the theory of "we'll keep doing it this way as long as
we can get away with it," but as many have learned to their detriment,
it is a very dicey way to do business.

rl
--
Rhonda Lea Kirk

Insisting on perfect safety is for people
without the balls to live in the real world.
Mary Shafer Iliff
 
Shenan said:
<snipped>



AYBABTU right? heh

(All Your Bases Are Belong To Us)

Short, sweet, to the point and almost as confusing to most people
"not in on the joke." *grin*
Click to expand...

When I start dropping letters (or worse yet, dyslexing), it means I'm
delirious, and you should just ignore me until I've had a nap. :)

I will take the cudgel again in the morning...that is, if I can stand to
read another thread about WGA. <laughing>

G'night and sweet dreams.

rl
--
Rhonda Lea Kirk

Insisting on perfect safety is for people
without the balls to live in the real world.
Mary Shafer Iliff
 
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