In January 2001, Microsoft reached a settlement agreement resolving a legal dispute with Sun Microsystems concerning the use of the Microsoft(r) Virtual Machine in many of Microsoft's products. As a result, the following products are being phased out and will no longer be available through MSDN(r) Subscriber Downloads or other channels at Microsoft.

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So...Visual Basic, Visual C++, etc.. has been discontinued?

[quote author=Grok link=board=2;threadid=4192;start=0#msg34930 date=1071235150]
· Office XP Developer

· Office 2000 Developer

· Office 2000 SP2

· Visual Studio® 6.0 SP5
[/quote]

Is there anything replacing these? Isn't Office 2000 only the second most recent Office version?

I don't think they really care. This is a way for them to force people to upgrade and spend more money

Third most recent, office XP, office 2003 are the two newest iirc.

[quote author=Denial link=board=2;threadid=4192;start=0#msg34958 date=1071259825]
I don't think they really care. This is a way for them to force people to upgrade and spend more money
[/quote]
Actually, if you were paying attention, you'd know that it's Sun who is forcing Microsoft to discontinue those.

Oh shit. Now's the time to get those products if you haven't already and want them. :P

So what happens if 'people' download them 'illegally' after December 23rd, can 'people' be charged?

[quote author=iago link=board=2;threadid=3812;start=0#msg31253 date=1069721387]
We here at Valhalla Legends Inc. © neither support nor condone piracy.
[/quote]
(Sorry, that seems to be everywhere piracy is mentioned, so I thought I'd save others the trouble.)

[quote author=j0k3r link=board=2;threadid=4192;start=0#msg35006 date=1071273599]
So what happens if 'people' download them 'illegally' after December 23rd, can 'people' be charged?[/quote]

Probably so. They're just discontinuing availability; as far as I know, they haven't given up ownership of those things. Unless the licensing terms are changed to say you can take it for free, it'd still be illegal to download it without paying. That said, I really don't see why you'd *want* to steal something traditionally so buggy as a Microsoft product. ;)

If you already have or are using the products, then obviously they can not take them away from you. However, as their settlement agreement with Sun they must remove all of their software which contained the 'Microsoft Virtual Machine' which was deemed more or less stolen from Sun, there for all the products based off it are now recalled, and -Microsoft- may no longer distribute it. Quite an accomplishment from Sun hehe but it really doesn't affect any of the products they would currently make a profit off of.

[quote author=Kp link=board=2;threadid=4192;start=0#msg35012 date=1071275963]
[quote author=j0k3r link=board=2;threadid=4192;start=0#msg35006 date=1071273599]
So what happens if 'people' download them 'illegally' after December 23rd, can 'people' be charged?[/quote]

Probably so. They're just discontinuing availability; as far as I know, they haven't given up ownership of those things. Unless the licensing terms are changed to say you can take it for free, it'd still be illegal to download it without paying. That said, I really don't see why you'd *want* to steal something traditionally so buggy as a Microsoft product. ;)
[/quote]

Agreed. It's best to wait 5 years for a random group of *nix programmers to create a clone with 1/10 the features. Your customers will wait for your business and hold your money, they understand.

[quote author=Grok link=board=2;threadid=4192;start=0#msg35061 date=1071296548]
[quote author=Kp link=board=2;threadid=4192;start=0#msg35012 date=1071275963]
[quote author=j0k3r link=board=2;threadid=4192;start=0#msg35006 date=1071273599]
So what happens if 'people' download them 'illegally' after December 23rd, can 'people' be charged?[/quote]

Probably so. They're just discontinuing availability; as far as I know, they haven't given up ownership of those things. Unless the licensing terms are changed to say you can take it for free, it'd still be illegal to download it without paying. That said, I really don't see why you'd *want* to steal something traditionally so buggy as a Microsoft product. ;)
[/quote]

Agreed. It's best to wait 5 years for a random group of *nix programmers to create a clone with 1/10 the features. Your customers will wait for your business and hold your money, they understand.
[/quote]

It's hard to argue with that. Mostly because, for the most part, that's totally wrong :P

No! IIS has a bunch of features that let you write mobile code!

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5129793.html

[quote author=Hostile link=board=2;threadid=4192;start=0#msg36441 date=1071900729]
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5129793.html
[/quote]

Haha... can you say SPIN?

Sun forced Microsoft to do this, now blaming Microsoft.

[quote author=Grok link=board=2;threadid=4192;start=0#msg36445 date=1071909302]
[quote author=Hostile link=board=2;threadid=4192;start=0#msg36441 date=1071900729]
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5129793.html
[/quote]Haha... can you say SPIN?

Sun forced Microsoft to do this, now blaming Microsoft.[/quote]

Sure. You expect a business to miss a perfectly good opportunity to turn the buying public against its rival? Besides, with Sun's "reasonable" offers (which I haven't checked in detail), it just makes Microsoft look all the worse for declining it; even if the offer's text turns out not to be reasonable at all, it doesn't matter that much politically since most people won't go look at the agreement to see whether it is outrageous or acceptable without some further urging, probably a reverse salvo from Microsoft. If MS does make a return shot and it backfires, that could be even worse than the general bad PR of the spin Sun's putting on this. :P