Microsoft Vista for IT Security Professionals

Appendix B

Microsoft Vista: The EULA

This appendix was written by Scott Granneman, a monthly columnist for both SecurityFocus and Linux Magazine. He comments on various problematic clauses in Vista’s EULA that he first addressed in his column titled “Surprises Inside Microsoft Vista’s EULA,” which he wrote for SecurityFocus in October 2006. He also addresses the Vista EULA’s restrictions on benchmark testing, virtualization, and Digital Rights Management (DRM).

Introduction

Even though precious few users actually read it, Microsoft’s End User License Agreement (EULA) has actually always been both incredibly important and problematic at the same time. Important because it governs what users may and may not do with the operating system (OS) that so ...