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)