[OT] Solaris Sparc License (was: Fedora on SUN Ultra sparc10)

[Rodolfo J. Paiz]

At 06:27 5/11/2004, T. Ribbrock wrote:
>On Tue, May 11, 2004 at 08:13:30AM -0400, Luc Bouchard wrote:
>
> > The license is free to use for Development or Educational use on a
> > single CPU machine.  You must register the license as part of the
> > download.
>
>Yeah, but it's a grey area whether the "development machine" has to be
>acquired from Sun or an authorized dealer. Sun's website isn't 100%
>clear on that and IANAL, so I don't intend to deal with this mess.

I see no gray area: "You can use the software for non-commercial usage on 
single processor systems supplied to you by Sun or its authorized 
distributors or based on the x86 architecture." That clearly states (with 
no ambiguity that I can see that you can only use that free license on 
single-processor Sun boxen supplied by Sun or a distributor, or on 
single-processor systems based on x86 architecture regardless of how you 
acquired them.

But that is a red herring, really: the whole point is that this license is 
for "Developers and Educational Users", who are then authorized to use the 
license at no cost under certain circumstances. I am not developing 
software on my Sun boxen, nor do I work in an educational institution. As I 
read that license (and, BTW, as my lawyer read that license), I am not in 
any way or by any stretch of the imagination entitled to a free Solaris 
license.

Unless you develop code on that box, or you work in education, neither are 
you. Not at work, not at home, not to write a birthday card, and not to 
write a tome.

Linux it should be, and on my machines Linux it is.


-- 
Rodolfo J. Paiz
rpaiz at simpaticus.com
http://www.simpaticus.com