Thoughts from the abyss

Have you ever actually read the EULA (End User License Agreement) that appears when you use and install Windows XP Home Edition? I’ve actually read the entire thing and it’s mostly attorney jargon, meaning it’s so convoluted with lawyer speak that a normal user can’t decipher what the damn thing actually is trying to say. LinuxAdvocate.org help break down the code into plain English for the non-attorney user.

Being a geek, I already know what rights I’m giving up with the software when I install it, because I’ve been working with it for a long time. The normal person at home, however, probably has no clue that “Microsoft may disable certain features on your computer, such as the ability to play your music or movie files.” Or how about this, “Microsoft (and anyone else chosen by Microsoft) may collect information about your computer and may share it with other companies, but this should not include personal information about you.” 

I like the key words, “should not include personal information about you.” This basically means, they shouldn’t but they actually could do so if they wanted. This is just another reason I absolutely refuse to run Microsoft software at home, on my servers, or really anywhere that I don’t have to. Open-source gives you the choice to do whatever you want with the software, and it doesn’t turn around and try to invade your privacy for any reason.
Microsoft is crap. They even admit so in the one section of the license by stating you accept it “AS IS AND WITH ALL FAULTS.” Anyways, before I start a rant, I just thought perhaps someone would find this useful, especially in case you ever clicked the “I agree” button and wonderd what you were agreeing to.