Over the past few years I've been reading more about innovation and less about what's happening in the business world - partly because of the impossibility of keeping up with the iJoneses, and partly based on my redefinition of "in touch" - so every once in a while I'll come across a term that I'm unfamiliar with: the subject meme of today's "sad realization" is "downgrade rights." My boss recently purchased for personal use, a laptop with Windows Vista Home Edition installed on it and both of us are extremely dissatisfied with the inferior boot time and profusion of error messages, and so both of us would be happier with Windows XP. I looked at the Toshiba website for Windows XP drivers like a good information worker and in noticing a lack thereof, I looked under Support Bulletins and clicked on Windows Vista downgrade rights (to Windows XP Professional) because I knew I wanted to downgrade, but I didn't know that I had any particular rights concerning what I may do with my or my boss' computer. After reading the very terse and informational document, I learned that downgrade rights are not given to Home version users. I'm still experiencing a feeling of disbelief. My boss can't buy an old version of Windows XP for $89.99 - no, he signed a contract which prohibits the user from uninstalling Windows Vista to install Windows XP over it:
In this context, downgrade means to install and use Windows XP Professional in place of Windows Vista. You may downgrade to either a new copy of Windows XP, or to a copy that has already been installed (and activated) on another computer.
Only Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Ultimate may be downgraded. Windows Vista Home Basic and Windows Vista Home Premium may not be downgraded.
Windows Vista downgrade rights support downgrading to Windows XP Professional only, and not to Windows XP Home, and not to Windows 2000 or other earlier versions of the Windows operating system.
Yes, even a new copy of Windows is prohibited from being installed on computer that has been marketed for home use. I don't understand, but it's true. You may upgrade to Vista Business, of course, for $299.95 and then purchase Windows XP professional for about half that. Now, I'm betting that you could install Windows 2000 on a computer formerly infested by Vista, and nobody would know better, but isn't there a better way?
Linux offers no such restrictions.
I hope Microsoft's lawyers get infested with rabies, herpes and hippies all in the same week.
Yes, downgrade rights for all! Let's have a Linux installation party. Things are starting to clear up next week...
-ShareRiff
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