Ken,

I really don't know what you're talking about. Who is talking about piracy? What I said in my message was that I wondered if it wasn't "a good idea to have Visual FoxPro 8.0 beta available for download". I meant no piracy with that (and even suggested)!

MS could provide that service or, as you said (message 694622: "It takes resources (time and people) to handle beta sites, and we have decided..."), if you can't or don't want to carry the burden of keeping a download site, maybe someone else, well credenced in our community, could do it (in the case I suggested asking Michel: "Think that if Michel was contacted to put the Visual FoxPro 8.0 beta..."), if MS agreed, no need to say that. Note that I said "...if Michel was contacted...", wich implies "by MS", not by me or anyone else.

Download software for testing purposes (or to know about it) is not an illegal practice and many software companies provide it (or ask others to do it in their behalf). So, I see nothing illegal and no piracy at all, in what I said or intended.

I find it a complete discrimination MS providing beta copies just to those that can afford to attend DevCon (you wrote: "The only way to obtain the VFP 8.0 beta is to be already on the beta list or get a copy by attending DevCon"). Why? Our community is shrinking (my opinion), nobody cares about VFP but our community (my opinion), VFP is not marketed out of our community (everybody knows)... so why not to support their members by giving them some goods that are common to other products?

If there is a policy to give beta copies to people other than those in the beta list (the DevCon attendees), why not to make what MS already does with, say, .NET (I received 2 or 3 CD copies of it in my home sent by MS Brazil)?

If the problem is cost, make it downloadable, if you can't handle that, ask someone else to do it. If you just don't want to do it, say it, no escuses needed, but say it clearly.

I think you must be an intelligent person and you could, surelly, understand what I meant with my message, albeit my poor english or my ignorance. Only if you think that I am a bad intentioned person or that I live in a country where piracy is spread all around (and I got contaminated) you should respond me the way you did.

You offended me by implying that I was meaning or suggesting something illegal or at least immoral, with your remarks ("It will be illegal to copy the VFP 8.0 beta...", "...making it downloadable, etc. is in complete violation...", "...and is 100% piracy. Piracy is a serious problem...", "... and you should consider anyone who is distributing or obtaining VFP illegally..."). I put the bolds, for you to feel how I read those words.

You may not like the way I think or the ideas I have, but this doesn't give you the right to disrespect me.

Fernando


>>>Made me wonder if it is not a good idea to have Visual FoxPro 8.0 beta available for download (please see message 694581). As more people tests it, it would require less time to fix it, and reduce the chance (and need) in having a service pack soon after is released. <<

>We have a fixed amount of support technicians working on the VFP 8.0 beta, so adding more beta sites than what we have planned would do nothing to help with this, it only adds more work, time, cost, effort to the VFP team. The only way to obtain the VFP 8.0 beta is to be already on the beta list or get a copy by attending DevCon. It will be illegal to copy the VFP 8.0 beta the same way it is illegal to copy VFP 7.0 or most software products. Copying the VFP 8.0 beta, making it downloadable, etc. is in complete violation of licensing agreement and is 100% piracy. Piracy is a serious problem especially for VFP, and you should consider anyone who is distributing or obtaining VFP illegally is not only hurting Microsoft, but also you since it takes away from revenue and resources to the VFP business at Microsoft.

>>> By the way, people that'll attend DevCon won't get a copy of it? Think that if Michel was contacted to put the Visual FoxPro 8.0 beta for download in Universal Thread (it would be downloaded by people of the community), he would consider thinking about this idea. <<

>Somebody could give away their copy of the VFP 8.0 beta from DevCon to someone else if and only if they do not open and install it themselves, and it cannot be copied under any circumstances as I described above.
Ken