Office X .... what if you have 2 boxes ?

adam11

Ummm, not sure which forum this best bleongs to, but...



the rumour is tha tyou can not install office X on 2 separate computers - even if you own them both. I have a G4 867 and a G4 dual 500 and I share internet access between them thought my airport (my wife/children still cue up to get access). As expected I also use the OS x 'connect to server' feature and 'network' them too.



If I buy a legitimite Office X and try to install them on both machines I am kind of afraid that *

1. I just wont be able to do it,

2. even if I can do it the first time that i connect the two boxes via the airport that somehow the Office X will recognise that the same rego is on separate boxes, and do something terrible to me

3. If I am logged into anything with a passport from either /both G4s (messenger/hotmail etc) somehow this will be picked up.



Am I paranoid.... is anything like th above likely to happen.... if so what can I do. I thinnk it is only fair that I should be able to install legitimite software on 2 computers that I own (they are even in the same room !!).



What do you think

Cheers

adam

adam11

I guess it was too much to hope that my old post count would survive. here's to new beginnings!

corvette

That's microsoft for you.



What I would do: Buy your copy,



And grab another cracked serial number from the web.



That's moral enough, wouldn't you say? <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />

escher

From what I understand, the Office v.X broadcasts a signal on your local network while it is running. If you try to start a second copy on your second computer that is networked with the first that is already running it, you will get a message saying that "you don't have enough licences to start Office." If your computers aren't networked there is no problem.



So, you will be able to install Office v.X on all of your computers, but you will only be able to run it and use it on one computer at a time.



I still think this is a pain in the ass and hope somebody creates a workaround. I have two computers and run one copy of Office on both. It will be very inconvenient to have to quit Office on one machine in order to use it on the other.



I look forward to using Office v.X, because it's a great product. But I'm really sick of MS's overzealous copyright enforcement. I understand going after commercial companies that pirate software. But go after the average home user who paid for one licence and wants to use Office on his desktop and laptop? Give me a freakin' break!



Escher

escher

[quote]Originally posted by corvette:

<strong>Buy your copy, And grab another cracked serial number from the web.</strong><hr></blockquote>



Very interesting thought, corvette. I wonder how far the signal that Office brodcasts goes. I'd certainly have no moral qualms about using a cracked serial number in the way described above.



Escher

escher

One more point:



I haven't researched the law, but I would venture to guess that running Office on two computers but only using it on one at a time qualifies as "fair use." I wonder whether we could sue Microsoft for infringing upon our right to fair use. Maybe I could explore this option as a special project in law school. Guess I'll have to wait until I'm done with the Copyright class in the Spring and have a clue of what I'm talking about.



As a sidenote, ironically, I used to work for the law firm that represents Microsoft in the DOJ and other antitrust cases. I was even involved in discovery for one of the trials. I'm not proud of it, but it was a good professional experience.



Escher

bradbower

I can confirm that it does this. HIGHLY annoying. It happens if you're using ANY Office X app on one computer, and you open ANY one on another.. I generally like to leave my email open so it can just go about it's schedules and tell me when I've got mail, but then I can't open Word or anything on another computer while it's open. So I can't do that anymore. I put Entourage on my mom's computer too and now we can't check our mail at the same time.



I personally disagree with the stupid copyrights about one copy, per household, per person, per computer, at a time thing. They can't seriously expect a parent or something to pay over a thousand dollars for TWO copies of this, just so they and their child can check email or write a letter at the same time! Or a single person, buying a double license? Does that sound wrong to you, or is it just me? LUDICROUS.



I'm definitely finding a warezed serial ASAP.



[ 11-15-2001: Message edited by: bradbower ]</p>

bradbower

Well I decided to do some detective work. I had the idea that it was probably a constantly open, possibly broadcasting port, so what better way to find itt than Network Utility?



Here are my results:



Before Entourage was open:



Port Scanning host: 127.0.0.1



\t Open Port: \t21\t\tftp

\t Open Port: \t22\t\tssh

\t Open Port: \t407

\t Open Port: \t427

\t Open Port: \t548

\t Open Port: \t3000

\t Open Port: \t3031



After Entourage was open:



Port Scanning host: 127.0.0.1



\t Open Port: \t21\t\tftp

\t Open Port: \t22\t\tssh

\t Open Port: \t407

\t Open Port: \t427

\t Open Port: \t548

\t Open Port: \t3000

\t Open Port: \t3031

\t Open Port: \t3858



I had a feeling that I should make sure it doesn't change, so here's after Entourage was open, for the second time, and sure enough:



Port Scanning host: 127.0.0.1



\t Open Port: \t21\t\tftp

\t Open Port: \t22\t\tssh

\t Open Port: \t407

\t Open Port: \t427

\t Open Port: \t548

\t Open Port: \t3000

\t Open Port: \t3031

\t Open Port: \t3618



I quit and reopened it again, and here's what it came up with the third time:



Port Scanning host: 127.0.0.1



\t Open Port: \t21\t\tftp

\t Open Port: \t22\t\tssh

\t Open Port: \t407

\t Open Port: \t427

\t Open Port: \t548

\t Open Port: \t3000

\t Open Port: \t3031

\t Open Port: \t3075



Looks like it won't be as easy as just blocking a port. If anything it would be necessary to block all ports between 3000 and 4000, but I have no idea a) how it would react then or b) what other applications/daemons use those port numbers that would be blocked. I'm thinking that to disable this may require reverse engineering.



Blah Micro$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$oft.

groverat

Read the EULA



Photoshop does the same thing in my lab network when I accidentally entered the same serial twice.



(Hey software companies, when someone pays for 30 different copies of the same software at once, at least be nice enough to break up the serial numbers and not plop them down on one big list with no line breaks)

solishu

Man, I would soooo love to see Microsoft (or really any big corp) get sued for fair use violation. That right has been steadily going down the crapper for the last few years, and it really bugs me that no one is doing anything about it.

escher

[quote]Originally posted by bradbower:

<strong>Well I decided to do some detective work. I had the idea that it was probably a constantly open, possibly broadcasting port, so what better way to find itt than Network Utility?

</strong><hr></blockquote>



Microsoft is really being a smartass on this. The ever-changing port sure is sneaky. With always on Internet access via DSL, I worry about unauthorized access to my system. But unauthorized broadcasting from my system by a company that I buy products from irks me significantly more.



The way I see it, the MBU was forced from above to implement a copyright enforcement feature in some way. I guess we're lucky that we didn't get Windows XP's activation "feature". But it still bothers me immensely that we have to deal with this at all.



Escher

groverat

[quote]Originally posted by Solishu:

<strong>Man, I would soooo love to see Microsoft (or really any big corp) get sued for fair use violation. That right has been steadily going down the crapper for the last few years, and it really bugs me that no one is doing anything about it.</strong><hr></blockquote>



My friend bought a copy of DeltaForce LandWarrior and he tried to make a copy of it (He is a moron and he lays his CDs around so they get scratched up. Rather than learn proper handling he just makes copies. ). NovaLogic put a burn-shit in there so I sent them an e-mail outlining fair use policy. Guess what he got in the mail a few days later, three CDs with LandWarrior on them.



I sent them another e-mail since this didn't fix the problem at all and they e-mailed back with a workaround (replacing files at certain times and blah blah blah).



Infuriating.

escher

[quote]Originally posted by bradbower:

<strong>Looks like it won't be as easy as just blocking a port.</strong><hr></blockquote>



Would it be possible to block all ports without cutting off Internet access? I don't run any server apps on my systems and don't need to access them remotely either. But I do like to be connected to the 'Net at all times.



When I scan the ports on my system with the Network Utility, I get



Port Scanning host: 192.168.1.100



and nothing else, even though I am connected to the Internet via AirPort. Of course, I won't be running Office v.X for a few weeks longer since it's not yet available to the public.



Escher



[ 11-15-2001: Message edited by: Escher ]</p>

belle

I'm working on finding an identifier for the port which MS apps are using. It should be easy to write a Perl script to close things down.

solishu

[quote]Originally posted by Belle:

<strong>I'm working on finding an identifier for the port which MS apps are using. It should be easy to write a Perl script to close things down.</strong><hr></blockquote>Sweet

low-fi

Micro$oft are being a right pain in the arse about this. I have two machines, and cannot afford to buy two copies of the suite.



I cannot remember where i read it, probably MacNN forums, in the days before the Cube had been restarted . Anyway, try blocking port 2222 on the host machines.



Regards

AJ



[ 11-15-2001: Message edited by: Mr A J ]</p>

belle

It's quite possible that it will keep cycling through looking for an available port, and on top of that, the app may refuse to open without an available port.

escher

[quote]Originally posted by Belle:

<strong>the app may refuse to open without an available port.</strong><hr></blockquote>



Could the app tell the difference between not being on a network and all ports being blocked? If the app's cycle mechanism is sophisticated enough (and I am sure it is), it will find a port unless all of them are locked down.



Belle: Do you know the answer to my question above, i.e. would it be possible to block all ports without cutting off Internet access?



Escher

jll

[quote]Originally posted by groverat:

<strong>Read the EULA



Photoshop does the same thing in my lab network when I accidentally entered the same serial twice.



(Hey software companies, when someone pays for 30 different copies of the same software at once, at least be nice enough to break up the serial numbers and not plop them down on one big list with no line breaks)</strong><hr></blockquote>



Adobe apps use the same serial on all installations, so if you have a 30 user license you should get a 30 user serial number.

jll

[quote]Originally posted by bradbower:

<strong>I personally disagree with the stupid copyrights about one copy, per household, per person, per computer, at a time thing. They can't seriously expect a parent or something to pay over a thousand dollars for TWO copies of this, just so they and their child can check email or write a letter at the same time!</strong><hr></blockquote>



Student License ??

xool

Does the check happen all the time, or just during Application launching? And if another Office app is already running locally, does it still check the network?



The reason is simple, at least for me. I switch off my AirPort and launch my 2nd copy of office. Then switch it back on. Hopefully, since both copies of Office are running when the net connections are restored, everything would be OK.