Message-Id: <199910302157.RAA30901@dwebs.net> From: "Mike Webb" To: opendos AT delorie DOT com, opendos-support AT delorie DOT com Date: Sat, 30 Oct 1999 17:32:37 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Subject: Microsoft's "Per-Processor License" Reply-To: opendos-support AT delorie DOT com (First posted on the SURVPC [Survivor PC; older PC's still in productive service] list; thought you guys might be able to help, too!) I have been pondering for some time about a way to benefit from Microsoft's prior mischief; specifically, the "per-processor license". If you don't know what I'm talking about, for some time (I think several years) that Microsoft charged OEM's a fee for EVERY computer that went out the door, whether it had MS-DOS on it or not. This practice is the basis of Caldera's present suit against M$, charging that it undermined the sale of DR-DOS (which Caldera now owns) and was an anticompetitive practice. Probably did a lot of damage to OS/2's market share, too. In 1995, M$ got a legal "slap on the hand" from the DOJ and M$ promised not to do it any more (big whoop) and we heard nothing more about it until Caldera's suit. What I'd like to know is this; during what period of time was this "per-processor license" practice going on, and which OEM's were affected? I try to help out people, providing SURVPC's to people who otherwise wouldn't have a computer. Sometimes I get a computer that has no DOS manual, license statement, disks, etc. Seems to me that if it were from one of those OEM's during that time period, that it would be legal to put the MS-DOS of that period on it since the manufacturer WAS required to pay for it whether it was installed or not (sound familiar?). I don't want so much to start an argument over the legality of the issue as to find out the answer to my mail question; when was the practice pursued and which PC manufacturers were actually under that license? Anybody here know? Thanks.