>Puts you one up on my, Mike. I still can't figure out what's being said. As >close as I've come (and pardon me for over-simplifying) but...People are >stealing the software. MS does something to curb that. Other people are pissed >at MS for doing so. If that's right (and that's about the best I can make of >it), I don't get it. I'd be pissed at the morally and ethically bankrupt >people who are doing it (stealing the stoftware) in the first place.

Actually, this is really a small piece of a larger issue: which is,

"Is Microsoft, in many small and sometimes subtle ways creating a environment in which customers, developers and consultants are starting to feel that they less appreciated as business partners? "

Which for me as an MCP, developer and network manager who has, (like many if not most members of the UT) encouraged my customers to buy and license Microsoft products, to the tune of several million dollars, make me ask myself,

"Is it still in my customer's best interest for me to unequivically recommend Microsoft products?"

or

Is it incumbent on me as a responsible CIO/Consultant Developer to say..."hey wait a minute...we might want to make sure that there aren't other alternatives to " where in the past several years I would have in good conscience recommended Microsoft.

It is this last point, which I find disheartening; I mean...I moved from mainframes to Novell to Windows NT over the years. In each case, I (and the rest of the world apparently) got fed up with my major vendor partner who, after a good run, managed to tip the balance between their own enlightened self-interest and my bottom line, away from my interest. At that point, as a responsible CIO/whatever I look to see if there are alternatives. If there *are* (and I'm not arguing that one at the moment) then I take the responsible course and jump. I did this. Many of us did this. We may do it again.

What is unfortunate is that this is not inevitable. It wasn't before and doesn't have to be this time.

Hey you know I'm sure that before this is over I'll have bought a couple hundred thousand $ of XP type thingies and made the special phone call, or sent my registration over the Internet to Redmond. But, I dunno if you do any network management...let me tell you...this is going to be a pain in the ass. (It already has been with Office XP). So we look to see if there are alternatives.

--- Larry

-- Larry Keyes
Remember only You can prevent Gray Goo. Never release nanobot assembers without replication limiting code.