>You don't get to make up your own rules according to who you think is deserving; see points 1, 2, 3, 4

Dear Jos,

License and EULA are business tools, not 'law' or 'divine rules' like I understood was written earlier in this thread.

These debates about Rushmore and database technos are from the 90's, the game has been dealt 20 years ago and no one has heard of a software patent infringement case for years.

Software is open all around the place and no one no longer imagine protect software as a strategic resource nowadays.

Microsoft would have preferred give away its development tools rather than selling them; they never expected to make any money on any of them, but rather on the licenses the developers would bring them on a silver plate (Windows, Office, etc.).

They will certainly not pretend make money on the back of a couple of lonesome VFP developers because they have infringed an EULA that no one has cared about for 20 years.