xsharp.eu

Hello Wolfgang,

It look's like you are right. There's a petition you can sign against this:

https://www.change.org/p/microsoft-disa ... rk-changes

Here are a lot of details:

https://rcpmag.com/blogs/scott-bekker/2 ... t.aspx?m=1

A few remarks:

1 Included support issues: I have tried that a few times and despite the costs they are supposed to represent most of the times I have not received the reply I was hoping for.

2 Registered software: I've once investigated what the status is of software installed with an Action Pack key. One would expect this to be invalid once the Action Pack is cancelled or not renewed. But try for example:

cscript "C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice16OSPP.VBS" /dstatus

You will most likely see:
LICENSE NAME: Office 16, Office16ProPlusR_Retail edition
LICENSE DESCRIPTION: Office 16, RETAIL channel
LICENSE STATUS: ---LICENSED---

This is a legal license, if checked. This is where the business of sellers of used licenses (allowed in the EU at least) is based upon. They sell lot's of MSDN/Action Pack licences.

So I think that if users don't renew Action Packs and do not de-install software they keep using a legal version.

3 This is how it's explained:

The Microsoft Action Pack remains available for purchase for partners that want access to the latest Microsoft products and technologies for business development scenarios such as developing innovative applications and services, demonstration purposes, and internal training.

So how is Microsoft going to check this? Suppose you don't trust having a valid license (as written in 2) and/or you want updates for newer products and you keep purchasing Action Pack. We are all developers so if you use Office and whatever else you install, who checks if we're writing product documentation in Word or testing Excel automation from your application, or use Word to write a letter to your grandma?

Microsoft's technology & actions to check on valid licensing is crappy at it's best so this may be a big change in words but not in daily practice I would say.

Dick

Karl

The web where it is at for sure.. however the control is not developer / customer and inhouse.
So hard to get clients to upgrade servers it is cost $$$ move to cloud.. unstoppable.
But with these large USA companies mainly and with TRUP USA first they are really pushing the envelope for control.
I see lots of nations to tax , France the other day 3% . I think it is a move in the right direction.
Shrink wrap box software is not coming back.
See the latest Windows 10 (multi) in Office 365.. virtualise desktop to cloud a TS server access from others setupf ro Office 365. It is all moving very fast.

Hi Dick,

There's a petition you can sign against this:
I have signed this one now, but I have my doubts it will change anything.

Included support issues:
I don't need them, so this is no problem for me.

Registered software: I've once investigated what the status is of software installed with an Action Pack key.
this license remains valid, I can confirm that. But the problem may be a license check by an authority...

So how is Microsoft going to check this? Suppose you don't trust having a valid license (as written in 2) and/or you want updates for newer products and you keep purchasing Action Pack
Then I could also buy some of the "strange" keys you can buy for a few bucks on the net. But I prefer to do the correct things, and what can I say when the Authority does some controls?
And you can I request from my customers to pay licenses for my products when I'm not willing to be correct myself?

Wolfgang

Hi Phil.

We build lots of websites and retired our servers and so unhappy with some of the costs to get decent CPU we have been reintroducing our own hardware servers again for bang for buck,

this is why I maintain our own servers and upload only archived data to AWS....So I have to pay about 50 Euros a month for about 2 TB of online data (that is needed very few times).

Wolfgang

That didn't last long - feedback accepted

https://blogs.partner.microsoft.com/mpn ... i6vup0ns00

Hello,

thank you very much!

This is a good notice, so I will renew my Action Pack in the next weeks when it becomes renewable.

Wolfgang

Hello Wolfgang,

Isn't that great - I publish a petition link, you sign it and Gavriella Schuster withdraws her plans 5 minutes later!

But from your answer you gave it looks like you think I am promoting illegal software. That is not what I wrote. I wrote that the Action Pack licenses are valid licenses even when the subscription is cancelled. Part of the "strange keys" are legal resales, allowed by EU legislation. Like you can buy someone's CD or book second hand too. I am sure Microsoft never meant to allow continuous of expired Action Pack licenses but that is because they don't know how to write software. VS Professional stops working if you cancel, this is what I would expect, but Office (not 365) doesn't as it installs the same kind of key you get from buying the one time life license. If someone checks you can run this little command I gave you and you're good - for sure.

With my remark on the proposed new rules of use I meant to say that it's not a good idea to create inconsistent terms of use. It wouldn't surprise me that this plan was crappy in every respect - including these new terms of use, and it's cancelled for more than one reason.

Dick

The total story:

https://webwereld.nl/development/111360 ... wikkelaars

(Dutch only)

Dick