so again why would anyone do this above buying it out right to begin with??? you'd still have to pay that price once you're no longer a student and so you've been conned in to paying more because it's a 'discount'.

that's if you're to follow the rules as written.

sorry for ranting but this really bugs me.

Thank you myklazrael. That is how I wanted to hear it. Plain and simple no 10 page details or confusing posibilities.

I see what you are getting at and it makes sense. It's the reason why I asked, sometimes things are not always specific in an understanding way.

Well, it's not like people don't look for ways to save money. It's the norm. I mean if people did not care about prices they would not bother with coupons, sales and discounts. It's a matter of getting it cheaper the legal way. My inquiry was not about getting a student edition to save money, my question was would it be illegal to get one from a person who did not want theirs (brand new, unused) either free or if I give him something for his troubles. How ofte would you pass up a free offer or maybe a very cheap one?

Part of the question does not make sense with the topic, taking advantage in a good or bad way? Is having a family or friend in a computer store that can get you cheaper prices on hardware taking advantage in a good or bad way? I would say good cause it saves you money. Is knowing someone who works in a store who can get discounts and you get them to buy you stuff at discounted prices but you don't consider them friends or do anything for them in return considered taking advantage in a good or bad way? Bad because you are basically abusing the person. See my point?

As for the handi-cap example, I know plenty of handi-cap people who dont like to be treated like they are handi-cap yet they love using handi-cap spaces which I find very hypocritical to be honest. It does, however bother me to see someone not handi-cap taking those spots out of laziness even when I am not handi-cap and do not get punished for it.

If I didn't I wouldn't have asked. May I provide a piece of advise? Next time you wish to contribute your opinion on a persons question, try not to prejudge them before understanding the question properly or getting to know the person a little better. Not everyone uses illegal copies of everything.

I was once one of those poeple who downloaded illegal copies of Stardock software, many here know that including Brad. I admitted what I did and immediately stopped using the software after realizing what the people of Stardock go thru to make this software and those who make the great skins to go with them, before I did not care cause I did not understand. I now own a legit copy of Object Desktop and a copy of ObjectDock Plus.  At this point all my software is either legit paid for or open source so this is not about cheating MS, it's about looking for savings. Thats all. A free copy is a free copy. But don't want to mess with it if it would bring me problems.

People need to stop prejuding others.

myklazrael 

A wise thought.

This just in.  "MBA student goes to jail for using a student copy of Windows Vista after graduating"

#15 covers it quite well enough.

I was long, long past being a student before Bill Gates started messing with Dos ...so never had the 'option' of a Student ver of an OS....but I certainly got a few as 'OEM's when I hadn't purchased the hardware at the same time.  I figured the 'naughty boy' in that case was the vendor, not the purchaser...so slept well...and with a little more money still in my pocket...

With the onset of Windows 7 .... and a need for a new OS with my new machine.... I went for a TechNet subscription as the [by far] cheapest way of loading 7 on the new machine....along with 7 on the older one ....and a new Office on the new one....and an updated Office on the old one.....etc ad nauseum.

$384 AUD gets me 10 licences for Win 7 [any ver], 10 for Vista [ditto], XP....Office.....etc.  The only proviso is that ALL are used on/for my own machines.

If you have more than one computer that you wish to run a new OS and/or Office, etc on....a TechNet Subscription is the way to go....

I bought one this morning. With a simple google search, you can find a coupon that will discount the price to $260.00 USD which is  less than the price of 1 full version copy of Professional.

You actually get 10 copies of Win 7 Ultimate, 10 Professionals, 10 Home Premiums, ect. They are all full, retail versions except the 10 Starter editions which are OEM.

You also get most past Operatings systems and Office suites.

More then enough versions to load all 6 of my machines.

Jafo, thanks for the tip...I had no idea microsoft offered such a deal.

I think those discounts are US-centric......and my 384 AUD would have been about 320 US at the time...

Hmmm. with 3 functioning rigs here, and another under construction (from spare parts), this Technet might be the best way for me n' the missus to get Win 7 on 'em. 

I still got enough parts to build another 2 machines again, so yeah, I'd be well and truly covered for OS licenses and Office via Technet.  Yup, gonna look into it right now.... though with the Oz dollar improving recently against the greenback, the sub might be a tad under 384 AUD

Um *just checked it out*  price in AUD $ for Technet Plus is $512, and for Individual User $888... that's for a new sub via the Technet subscription page direct.  So Jafo, where did you find it for $384?  Under $400, almost saved and I can scrape... over $500 is another couple of months saving.

Also, it clearly states the license is for evaluation purposes only, primarily for IT's  What's the go there...  elegibility for non-IT/home users?  Could I/we be considered to be 'evaluating'?  I just want to be sure prior to purchase... don't want to get the sub only to have licenses canceled through ineligibility/misuse, etc.

It's $349.00 USD for the Technet Plus direct. You can try one of the coupon codes at this site for a discount...the one for $100.00 off worked for me.

starkers,

I just checked out the pricing the prices with  the coupons usd 349 - $100usd =261.75usd, the aud from australia is $512 - $100 = $435 aud, the -$100 is the $100 off new subscription, but as you can see from the numbers microsoft must be using excel to calulate the prices as they seem to add on the usd 12.75 and the australian $ 23 for no visible reason, but the 25% off is worth more to us aussies as it's bottom line is $384 for the download only sub.

edit and regards the evaluation side, if you write software you are evaluating software compatibility, or longterm network/computer stability, but you might have to keep re-newing the technet subscription each year

harpo

Very nice.  I'm now on technet too.

Sweetness.

I've known about previous Action Pack stuff, but it didn't seem terribly fitting for me at the time.  This will definately work.

Thanks for the link, mate, I'll look into the coupon thing when I'm ready to purchase... that's if I do.  Despite others, non-IT people doing it, I'm still concerned about the licensing.  I'm not in IT and I don't write code/software, so I don't know that I'd be legitimately evaluating anything.

The reason there's a $12.75USD and $23AUD amount is probably taxes... it states on the purchase page that the price does not include applicable taxes... but $384 all up in nothing to sneeze at, considering what's in the package and what we normally pay over the US for software/OSes here.

Since day one in this skinning game we [skinners] have been 'evaluating software'....the stuff we are using is pretty consistently always in Alpha or Beta.....one way or another....

Amazing, I have an old P4 computer that barely runs COD2 and 2 laptops. You got enough parts to build 3 more PCs just sitting around. What the hell am I doing wrong? LOL

Be that as it may... or that may be the case, whichever, it still doesn't answer my license query. Made a few pirate and Medieval icons from photographic images I took, but I'm not exactly a skinner, either, so what could it be (I say) that I'm evaluating?? 

It's like this, ya see!  My luck is so bad that if it were raining hookers I'd get washed down the gutter with a horny hunchback and a jar of vaseline, so yeah, I feel the need to validate/legitimise purchasing an 'evaluation only' license...otherwise I'm the unlucky bastard who doesn't have a plausible explantion when MS catches me by the short n' curlies.

Maybe it's not what you're doing wrong, but me.... Like maybe I got all these spare parts cos I broke a lot of stuff and they're the left over good bits.

Nah, while some of the parts are leftovers from previous upgrades to mine and the missus' PC's, I have become the extended family's repositry for old or unwanted puters, spare parts and cases, etc.  To date I have built my son and daughter a rig each, my nephew one and my sister one, mostly from spare parts, though a couple of times we had to pick a bit of extra RAM, or sometimes a new graphics card was needed. 

Yup, we pretty much recycle everything of use... furniture; electricals; household utensils; it all gets handed down/passed on to help out others in the extended family group.... sure beats buying new all the time, particularly in these hard economic times.