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- Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.apps
- Path: sparky!uunet!microsoft!hexnut!jenk
- From: jenk@microsoft.com (Jen Kilmer)
- Subject: missing MS-DOS manual != pirated software
- Message-ID: <1993Jan10.070701.24081@microsoft.com>
- Date: 10 Jan 93 07:07:01 GMT
- Organization: Microsoft Corporation
- References: <9m71H9-!zb@atlantis.psu.edu> <4947@wet.UUCP>
- Lines: 30
-
- In article <4947@wet.UUCP> rick@wet.UUCP (Rick Rutledge) writes:
- >Among the many things documented in your DOS manual (which you wouldn't have
- >if your DOS is pirated, i.e., stolen, of course)....
-
- FYI, Microsoft does not always include a manual when an MS-DOS license
- is purchased. For example, purchasing a "license pack" gives the purchasee
- the legal right to put a copy of MS-DOS on a computer and a coupon to send
- in if you want to arrange purchase of a manual. This is designed for large
- corporate environments.
-
- Also, Microsoft does not require OEM [Original Equipment Manufacturers]
- licensees [for example, Compaq, ZDS, Dell, Gateway] to include manuals
- and/or disks when they sell MS-DOS to their customers. Most of them do,
- but many of them want the option. This is partly because MS-DOS has
- been around 10 years and a lot of buyers *now* either feel that they
- "know enough" they don't need the manual, or they have another book
- on MS-DOS, or their company has 3 other MS-DOS manuals, or whatever.
-
- If you walk into a store and pick up a copy of the MS-DOS 5 Upgrade,
- it'll have a manual. But if you buy a new machine, you may have to
- ask for it [and probably pay for it too].
-
- The following is to the best of my knowledge as a member (or,
- corporate drone/dweeb) in the MS-DOS product group and former
- MS-DOS/Windows support dweeb. But I ain't officially speaking for
- microsoft and if they changed this policy last Tuesday I wasn't
- notified <grin>. And this certainly doesn't say anything about
- other OS manufacturer's policies.
-
- -jen
-