[LINK] Softwre Licenses

[Luke Burton]

I've always wondered about the nature of software licenses. How is it that
software companies get away with basically making no guarantees about
their product whatsoever? It's like a car salesperson selling you a 'car',
then when it's delivered it turns out to be a paper bag, or an umbrella,
or something.

I believe it may have something to do with the difficult nature of
development. It *is* actually hard to guarantee that your software meets
all criteria layed out for it, but that's no excuse for consumers to sit
back and accept anything Microsoft puts on your plate.

Anyhow, while greedily devouring the latest Terry Pratchett, I came across
a section that lampoons software licenses, which I thought I'd share.

Two men are buying a 'Dis-organizer Mk II', which is an imp in a box that
remebers everything you say. Its mannerisms are similar to the MS Word
paperclip Nazi (a deliberate similarity, I'm sure). Upon opening the box,
the imp announces the following license agreement:

"This device is provided without warranty of any kind as to reliability,
accuracy, existence or otherwise or fitness for any particular purpose and
Bioalchemic Products specifically does not warrant, guarantee, imply or
make any representations as to its merchantability for any particular
purpose and furthermore shall have no liability for or responsibility to
you or any other person, entity or deity with respect of any loss or
damage whatsoever caused by this device or object or by any attempts to
destroy it by hammering it against a wall or dropping it into a deep well
or any other means whatsoever and moreover asserts that you indicate your
acceptance of this agreement or any other agreement that may be
substituted at any time by coming within five miles of the product or
observing it through large telescopes or by an other means because you are
such an easily cowed moron who would happily accept arrogant and
unilateral conditions on a piece of highly priced garbage that you would
not dream of accepting on a bag of dog biscuits and is used soley at your
own risk."

Oh, and I very much recommend the new Pratchett book ;)

-- 
Luke Burton

| <- You must be smarter than this stick to ride the Internet