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Incorrect News of the Day: Saving money on Microsoft software with TechNet Plus

@ 2010/05/19

If you have several PCs that you want to purchase copies of Microsoft Windows 7 or Microsoft Office, you can save lots of money by taking advantage of a little known program called Microsoft TechNet Plus. The service, which is aimed at IT professionals, is subscription-based and allows subscribers access to current Microsoft software and unreleased software and their respective software licenses.

Microsoft TechNet Plus costs $349 per year and $249 for renewals each year and with that you get unlimited access to downloadable ISO image files of almost every piece of software that Microsoft makes, including Windows 7, Vista, XP, Office (including 2010), and much more. It's absolutely loaded with everything you can imagine and you get access to it for only $349.

Comment from Massman @ 2010/05/19

If you want to test a graphics card, you're going to test it using games. If you want to test a car, you're going to test it on the open and public road. If you want to test software build for daily usage, you are going to test it ... during daily usage.

I don't understand how MS expects evaluation feedback on software that's build for usage A and also explicitly state it's now allowed to be used for usage A. It's like they're saying 'please evaluate our product, but don't use it the way it's designed to be used'.

Comment from jmke @ 2010/05/19

found out that the article was a copy from Paul's site: http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/totw/technet.asp

he states it's ok for HOME use as long as you install it on YOUR machines only and use it for EVALUATION only. It's a very GREY area: http://www.sevenforums.com/general-d...computers.html

the biggest objection to this approach would seem: "why would Microsoft sell any product at all when you could get around it for $350 a year? " ... if Microsoft defines "evaluation" in a matter different from the way you are "using their software" you be in the deep trouble.

--

more reading: http://genxfinance.com/2009/04/28/co...ng-costs-down/

nowhere a clear "yes it's all OK" answer.

Comment from jmke @ 2010/05/19

That's one misinformed individual, you may not use TechNet software to install on your machines for daily usage. The only thing allowed with TechNet software is TESTING PURPOSES.

So if you install on your rigs at home for you, your sister, your mom, your laptop, etc etc... you might as well us pirated versions, as the end result is the same.

A legal use for TechNet is to set up test lab with servers&clients and see how the software works, how to configure it, try out deployments, tests service packs, etc etc. You may not use for "production", which "at home" means installing on a machine you're using for none-testing purposes.

in short: avoid.

Quote:

TechNet Plus is a subscription program designed to help IT Professionals prepare for critical issues and plan for future deployments by providing them with fast and convenient access to the latest software for evaluation without time or feature limits; beta releases; Professional Support incidents; and other technical information and tools to get their jobs done faster.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/s.../ms788692.aspx

and explained even better by this MS staff:

Quote:

First, licenses from Technet and MSDN are for non-production and non-personal machine usage - MSDN licenses are for code and dev testing of your code on Microsoft's products, and Technet subscriptions are for evaluation of software in a non-Production, non-Personal environment (there's also a Volume License Administrator version, but that's more an add-on to a volume license agreement than a true Technet subscription).

Meaning, if you're planning on buying a subscription to get the software for personal use on your machines, you've violated the EULA that you will have to agree to for either to get the software. Second, you can run MSDN or Technet software on YOUR machines only, and ONLY FOR EVALUATION PURPOSES, not for everyday use, and NOT on any machines that are not going to be actively used by you (aka your friends' machines), that is also in violation of the technet or MSDN EULA that you'll have to agree to when you sign up for and purchase the service - again, I omit the Volume License Administrator Technet subscription, as it's not relevant to your situation (you'd already have to have a volume license software agreement with MS, which would have already obviated your need for a technet subscription to answer your questions).

Software from an MSDN or Technet subscription have both the software EULA to consider, but also the limitations on top of the software EULA that are put forth in the subscription EULA (which, again, will forbid personal, non-test/non-development usage, and forbid usage of the software and license keys from the sub on any machines, physical or virtual, that are not explicitly under YOUR control and used by YOU directly. You really, REALLY need to understand what "Evaluate" and "only" mean, and what the statement "only the licensed subscriber may use the included products" mean to truly understand the EULA. If what you think is possible with a Technet plus subscription was actually possible, why would Microsoft sell any product at all when you could get around it for $350 a year?

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/1357...st__p__868307?

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