The authorization to use software. Most software is licensed rather than sold, which means purchasers are never the actual owners of the software, although they may be able to use it without any time limit. Software licensing is a curious phenomenon of the software industry that has been the norm for decades and never challenged by the user community. See concurrent use license, per seat license and EULA.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2008 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Forget the damn Linux netbooks. Can Windows replace Windows?
- My esteemed ZDNet colleague Ed Bott, God bless him, wrote a very insightful piece in which he discusses Taiwanese PC mainboard and component manufacturer MSI's challenges of selling Linux-based versions of their netbook, the Wind U90. Apparently, according to MSI, Linux-based versions of their netbook are...
- Blog posts 2008-10-07
- I'm well aware what I pay for Google's services
- My post on Google earlier Tuesday was met with mixed reactions. A few folks agreed that, in fact, Google's suite of services is quite slick, long live GOOG, etc. Others, like fellow ZDNet blogger, Michael Krigsman, disagreed pretty strongly. In his response, http://blogs.zdnet.com/projectfailures/?p=1059, Michael didn't leave much...
- Blog posts 2008-10-07
- Capital, Capital. Wherefore art thou scarce capital?
- My Kingdom for Capital Expenditure Funding The current meltdown on Wall Street is definitely having an impact on the technology sector. This week's recent earnings forecast from SAP rather convincingly showed us that the capital markets will adversely impact technology sales. Capital for...
- Blog posts 2008-10-07
- Restraining order against RealDVD stands
- As I suspected, Judge Marilyn Hall Patel today granted a temporary restraining order against Real's selling its RealDVD software. Real's next hope: a full-blown hearing into a permanent injunction. The judge said she needed more time to fully investigate whether the software in fact violates the Digital...
- Blog posts 2008-10-07
- Microsoft quietly halts sales of third-party activation offering
- Microsoft has halted -- temporarily, according to company officials -- sales of its Software Licensing and Protection SLP Services product. by Mary Jo Foley
- Blog posts 2008-10-07
- Forrester fuels the SAP maintenance price hike debate
- The last few days I've been exchanging email with R 'Ray' Wang, VP and principal analyst at Forrester about the kerfuffle over SAP's unilateral decision to apply a price hike to its maintenance and support fees. Ray specializes in the enterprise market and has special experience of SAP going back...
- Blog posts 2008-10-07
- Scammers introduce ATM skimmers with built-in SMS notification
- The bust of the notorious ATM scammer going under the handle of Cha0 in early September, once again puts ATM skimming in the spotlight. Among the main insecurities scammers face while embedding an ATM skimmer, is the retrieval process of the device that is now containing the credit card details...
- Blog posts 2008-10-07
- TRO hearing today on RealDVD
- Federal Judge Marilyn Patel will hear arguments today on whether Real should be temporarily restrained from selling its RealDVD copying software. The software has been unavailable since Friday, when the Hollywood studios won an emergency halt on sales, a move that Real claims caused them "irreparable harm." ...
- Blog posts 2008-10-07
- Does the Semantic Web matter?
- My business card reads 'Technology Evangelist,' and this is a blog about the Semantic Web. So that should be an unequivocal 'Yes!' then, right? However, it's frequently worthwhile to revisit and question presumptions, beliefs and 'truths,' and the Semantic Web that dominates so much of my working...
- Blog posts 2008-10-07
- From the vault: Lisa demo
- From my forthcoming book, Corporations that Changed the World: Apple Inc. After a tour of the Xerox PARC Palo Alto Research Center laboratories in December 1979 and a demonstration of their Alto computer, Steve Jobs decided that the Graphical User Interface GUI was the future of computing. Apple traded...
- Blog posts 2008-10-07
- How a Mac Mini can beat a quad-core Vista behemoth (or how Apple can't write good software for Windows)
- Here's a tale of how a humble Mac Mini system outperformed my cutting-edge quad-core system. It's also a story of how Apple can't write good software for the Windows platform. by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
- Blog posts 2008-10-07
- Windows Vista Woes or helping my Grandson with homework
- Considering my background, it's not at all hard to understand how I've become the tech support helpdesk for family, friends and the neighborhood as a whole. I've done my best to accept my lot in life with grace and courage. This time, my Grandson, Steven, was trying to complete a...
- Blog posts 2008-10-07
- Consumers might not be ready for Linux netbooks, but we are
- Of course the Windows crowd has picked up on Linux netbook return rates. Fellow blogger Ed Bott writes these days, Linux is a great choice for technically sophisticated users who don't mind being far, far out of the mainstream. But for people who don't have the...
- Blog posts 2008-10-07
- Live Webcast: The 2008 Email Security Benchmarking Report
- Email is a critical tool for business communications, but its use is threatened by the growing volume and sophistication of external attacks. Today's best-in-class organizations are realizing significant benefits compared to other organizations, particularly through the use of Software as a Service SaaS security applications. Join this...
- Webcasts 2008-10-07
- Increasing ROI and Reducing the Risks of Your Application Portfolio
- Application Portfolio Management APM solutions help IT executives evaluate the benefits, costs, and risks associated with each application while maximizing the value realized from ongoing software investments. They provide executives with the information they need to properly direct investments towards projects that align well with the needs and objectives of...
- White papers 2008-10-07
- MozyPro for Mac goes public beta
- Online backup storage provider Mozy on Tuesday will roll out a public beta for MozyPro for the Mac, a new service for businesses using Apple's Mac platform. MozyPro for the Mac resembles Mozy's business lineup for Windows. It allows online backup for the Mac like its MozyHome...
- Blog posts 2008-10-06
- ZDNet blogger: working from home
- More and more people work from home every day. Not only that, more and more people don't work from their offices, or "where they're meant to work". With the Internet, intranet's and extranet's, email and unified communications with VoIP and Blackberry devices, it makes life much easier...
- Blog posts 2008-10-06
- Student Technology Day: Steve Ballmer Q&A
- There was quite a lot to transcribe out, and many questions asked. Some questions put to Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, include: Will we always need programmers? What's Microsoft's input in Facebook and social networking? Does Microsoft have any changes in mind for their...
- Blog posts 2008-10-06
- Startups listen up: you've got a pricing problem
- Just about every new product coming to market is being offered as a service rather than packaged software. But pricing remains something of a mystery. A while back, I started a spreadsheet that plots price points for different saas accounting offerings. At the time I concluded that no-one has figured...
- Blog posts 2008-10-06
- SAP: Business drop was 'sudden and unexpected'; Credit crunch hurt IT financing
- SAP said Monday its business fell off in September as the company warned that its third quarter wouldn't meet its previous targets as a broad swath of customers delayed information technology projects. In contrast to SAP's upbeat outlook in July, the company in a statement said it...
- Blog posts 2008-10-06
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- Printers
- 'Green' Font Cuts Costs and Saves Trees (BNET)
- Three Ways to Save Paper (BNET)
- CNET Reviews printer buying guide (CNET)
- View all printers-tagged content on ZDNet
- Plan B from Brother
- It's the smarter way to work in color Our professional color ink-jet all-in-ones give you more choices, more features, and more value. Make the Smarter Choice. Learn More »
