M981110 Mandatory Registration! </head> <body background='../images/bkg24.gif' bgcolor=#FFF6FF><hr size=5 noshade> <h2><img src='../images/win06.gif' align=left hspace=20> Mandatory Registration!</h2> <font size=+1>Microsoft indicates a tightening of registration enforcement that would make it difficult to use office copies of their software at home (as is common practice, but violates the license ever since Microsoft banned "concurrent licensing").</font> <br clear=left><br> <table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=10> <tr valign=top> <td bgcolor=#D9E5F9><center> <strong> <a href='../index.html#top'><img src="../images/b03home.gif" alt="Home" border=0></a><br>Home<p> <a href='../news/nznews.html'><img src="../images/b03news.gif" alt="News" border=0></a><br>News<p> <a href='../topics/topics.html'><img src="../images/b03top.gif" alt="Topic" border=0></a><br>Topics<p> <a href='../aaxsrv.html'><img src='../images/b03aax.gif' alt="AAx" border=0></a><br>AAx<p> </strong> </td><td> Office 2000 (the upcoming version of Microsoft Office) will be the first Microsoft application to include mandatory registration. In other words, if the copy you just installed is not immediately registered by serial number with Microsoft it will soon disable itself. Microsoft feels the rising cost of Office will increase the temptation to make "unauthorized" copies. <p>Since large Windows products like Office <u>must</u> be formally installed (because they make undocumented changes in the registry and elsewhere) it is no longer practical to simply copy them to the hard disk on another machine, so mandatory registration is, effectively, copy protection. <p>"Home use" (installing an office license also on a home computer) has been in violation of Microsoft's license terms for some time, but most people still consider this "fair use". Now it will be impractical. <p>Due to licensing changes, price increases and other factors, Gartner Group has warned its corporate customers to plan on a 50% increase in the cost of Microsoft software over the next 3 years. Some companies are already paying several times as much for MS Office as they previously did due to Microsoft withdrawing concurrent licensing. Previously if you had 20 users of Word, but only 5 were ever using it at the same time, you needed 5 licenses. Now you have to have 20 licenses. <p><strong>Automation Access Recommendation:</strong> Unless you <u>must</u> use Microsoft Office because you exchange a lot of actual Office files with other companies or agencies, seriously consider switching to Star Office. Star office is very similar to MS Office (reducing training), costs less, has more liberal licensing and upgrade policies, imports and exports MS Office files, and runs on Windows95/98/NT, OS/2, Linux, Unix, Apple Macintosh and Java based NCs with full file compatibility. Contact <a href='../aaxsrv.html#cont'> Automation Access</a> for details and pricing. </table> <p>©:<cite>Andrew Grygus</cite> - Automation Access - www.aaxnet.com - aax@aaxnet.com<br><font size=-2> All linked pages are copyright © the original creator.<br> <style>  </style> <a href="http://www.vel.net" target="_blank" class="toplink">Velocity Networks:</a> <a href="http://www.vel.net/network-consulting-service.cfm" target="_blank" class="toplink">Network Consulting Service</a> - <a href="http://www.clubnet.net" target="_blank" class="toplink">Internet Service Provider</a> - <a href="http://www.vel.net/coldfusion-web-development.cfm" target="_blank" class="toplink">Web Page Design and Hosting</a> <br> All trademarks and trade names are recognized as property of their owners </font><hr size=5 noshade></body></html>