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Re: Another point about Mathematica 8.0

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg116536] Re: Another point about Mathematica 8.0
• From: AES <siegman at stanford.edu>
• Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2011 04:37:23 -0500 (EST)
• References: <iiten7$jl5$1@smc.vnet.net> <ij0e3s$992$1@smc.vnet.net> <ij2ujh$7hi$1@smc.vnet.net>

Can anyone (Wolfram employees in particular) point me to any other 
consumer software product that requires purchasers to promise to limit 
the tasks that they will perform using the standard, built-in, 
non-crippled capabilities of the software?  

(Tasks that the software is designed and intended to do; and a promise 
that is legally binding, and can, at least in theory, be legally 
enforced and lead to penalties.)

I'm not talking about limitations as to what machine, or how many 
machines, the software will be used on; or on how many users or how 
copies of the software can be active simultaneously; or limitations the 
product itself imposes on how large generated files sizes can be, or how 
many items can be entered into a database, or the like.  And I'm not 
talking restrictions your employer may put on a machine and associated 
software that the employer has purchased and owns.

I'm talking about a "home edition" of a spreadsheet that a school 
teacher can use to keep track of his/her personal finances and Christmas 
card list, but has to promise not to use it to the keep the books and 
prepare the budgets of a nonprofit for which one is the elected 
treasurer, and not to keep the homework and exam grades for the classes 
in the school where one works.

Or a "home edition" of a word processor that one can use to write 
letters to Aunt Minnie, but has to promise not to use it to write 
reports for the same nonprofit, or business plans for the firm where one 
works.

Or a "home edition" of a desktop publishing program that one can use to 
do your own family newsletter at Christmas, but has to make a legally 
binding promise not to use this software for the nonprofit's newsletter 
or your employer's annual report (or a prospectus and other work 
products for your half-time freelance consulting business).

Anyone know of any retail personal-computer software that requires 
anything like this?  (Direct quotes or relevant URLs, please)