48 best free apps from Microsoft
in [Freeware]
|
From: Craig on 2 Feb 2010 17:55 On 02/02/2010 02:29 PM, KristleBawl wrote: > I'm not talking about the programs bundled into Windows, such as IE. The only thing "bundled" about IE is the money required by Microsoft to run it. Otherwise, IE exists as a standalone application. > I'm not talking about Office apps, either. I hadn't seen anyone talking about Office apps. > There are a few programs that you can get for Windows that are free, > *after* you already paid for Windows. Not free. You must pay the MS Windows user's license to run them. People happily run all sorts of truly free software apps*, written for MS Windows, but in Linux and FreeBSD and others. That is because these *freeware* writers do not make legal requirements that you buy MS Windows. -- -Craig *(e.g. ImgBurn, MP3DirectCut, uTorrent, Password Safe, etc.)
From: Anonymous on 2 Feb 2010 18:02 M.L. wrote: >>>> Linux users can also get a lot of programs to work using Wine. >>> >>> If it's freeware, that's fine. For a GNU/Linux user to download and >>> run Microsoft alleged "freeware", s/he'd need to buy a license for it >>> first. > > Freeware is not required to be available for all OS platforms. Meaningless. Anything that specifically demands a paid, licensed copy of the OS platform that's the only one it IS available for, isn't free regardless of any brightly colored marketing hype stating otherwise. If I give you a set of tires but demand that you buy the car they must be put on from me, at a price which more than covers the fair value of tires and car combined... the effin tires ain't free kiddo. >>> (And even then, MS EULAs generally forbid running their software on >>> anything other than a licensed MS OS, even if you've paid for it.) >> >>We ran across this issue when we were required by a couple of (large) >>customers to run Internet Explorer so as to access their supplier >>databases. There are ways to run IE6 in WINE but, apart from the >>kludge-factor, the MS EULA requires a valid MSOS license & that it be >>run on MSOS. > >>IE, then, is "free to download" and nothing more. IE still costs $ due >>to the licensing. > > EULAs are not legal documents in the USA. More like a preference of the > distributor. Incorrect. The *real* truth of the matter is that EULA's are "selectively" enforceable. IOW, certain EULA's are binding and certain others are not. With the "not" ones typically being in breach of first sale doctrines and/or 17-USC-117, which acknowledg users' rights like resale and backup.
From: KristleBawl on 2 Feb 2010 18:43 Craig expressed an opinion: > On 02/02/2010 02:29 PM, KristleBawl wrote: >> There are a few programs that you can get for Windows that are >> free, *after* you already paid for Windows. > > Not free. You must pay the MS Windows user's license to run them. > People happily run all sorts of truly free software apps*, written > for MS Windows, but in Linux and FreeBSD and others. > > That is because these *freeware* writers do not make legal > requirements that you buy MS Windows. Okay, so let me see if I understand you. If I already bought and paid for genuine Windows OEM on a new computer, then any freeware I install is only freeware if it is *not* also made by Microsoft? Five cool Microsoft applications that are completely free http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/itdojo/?p=1369&tag=rbxccnbtr1 10 free Microsoft programs worth checking out http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/10things/?p=1099&tag=rbxccnbtr1 Microsoft Releases Free Antivirus Software http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/free-microsoft-anti-virus-available-today/ Microsoft Makes Virtual PC Freeware http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft-Makes-Virtual-PC-Freeware/1152726410 -- Virus detected. Ask motherboard for chicken soup? (Y/N) KristleBawl's Taglines by Tagzilla 0.066.2 http://xsidebar.mozdev.org/modifiedmailnews.html#tagzilla Instabird development http://www.instantbird.com/
From: Craig on 2 Feb 2010 18:54 On 02/02/2010 03:24 PM, Bear Bottoms wrote: > To people running Windows the programs are free of any additional > cost no matter what... -but- > It is still freeware for Windows users. "[F]ree of any /additional/ cost" and "freeware" are not one in the same. > If you are not running Windows, why bother with Windows software... You might not have read my earlier post on this but, IE is a requirement for accessing the vendor databases of two of our customers. That is why we bothered. We could download, install & run IE on WINE. We had no need for Windows... except that MS requires that we pay for a Windows user license. Hence, to run IE legally, we had to buy a Windows license. Software is not freeware if you must buy something to use it. -- -Craig
From: Craig on 2 Feb 2010 19:03
On 02/02/2010 03:43 PM, KristleBawl wrote: > Craig expressed an opinion: >> On 02/02/2010 02:29 PM, KristleBawl wrote: >>> There are a few programs that you can get for Windows that are >>> free, *after* you already paid for Windows. >> >> Not free. You must pay the MS Windows user's license to run them. >> People happily run all sorts of truly free software apps*, written >> for MS Windows, but in Linux and FreeBSD and others. >> >> That is because these *freeware* writers do not make legal >> requirements that you buy MS Windows. > > Okay, so let me see if I understand you. If I already bought and paid > for genuine Windows OEM on a new computer, then any freeware I install > is only freeware if it is *not* also made by Microsoft? I gave you a perfect example in IE. It is easy to run IE w/o Windows. Microsoft requires you to pay for a Windows license to use IE. Ergo, IE is not freeware. Firefox, Chrome, Safari are all freeware. They do not require the purchase of something to use them. As far as your counter-examples, their EULAs will tell you whether they are freeware: namely, free of any requirement to buy Windows to run them. -- -Craig |