Legal Issues with OS
 

A friend asked me to build him a computer for his workplace. I've already ordered it, it's nothing special. But he doesn't want to pay for the OS (too expensive). My question is, what type of legal issues would having a non-legit OS (such as Windows XP Professional) on a business-owned computer put you in? It would be on one computer only. The computer would not be used frequently, maybe once or twice a day. What are the chances of being "caught" or something of the sort? Are there people who go out and look for this stuff?

MODS: I'm not saying I'm going to do this. I just want some feedback to tell this person why he should buy the OS instead of getting a non-legit version.

if it is in a legit business, i definitely WOULD AVOID putting any pirated software, especially an OS. If caught, the business, employee, manager, and IT people can all be hosed severely.

Also, don't forget that winxp has to be activated and that can pose a problem unless you go some illegit routes

and umm...i don't think it'll be found quickly, i just...wow, i just read that it is business owned, that makes everything soooo much more dangerous for everyone involved.

but then again, it's only cheating if you get caught, just be sure to tell him the extreme risks.

Perhaps an open-source alternative is an option?

That would depend on what the system is meant to do. If it's general stuff like e-mail and websurfing, a lot of good linux distributions can be used easily by most users. Lots of distributions are free, and others don't need to cost much. So it's worth considering.

all it takes to get caught is one employee with a grudge willing to make a report.

i agree silvy: run some linux distros by your friend.

this guy REALLY can't use Linux :) that's an excellent idea, however.......

the program he needs to use on this computer is available for Windows only....

he barely knows Windows at all, so Linux would probably be even worse :(

that gets me thinking though....

Buy an OEM copy of the OS. It's less than $100 and he'll be legit.

Yeah, I'm thinking maybe an OEM Windows XP Home. It can't be too expensive!

-Lasereth

I'd like XP Pro, but I can't find any OEM versions that don't cost almost as much as the computer itself :( Any suggestions?

It depends on what his company has. Some companies might have a site license, so they might already have all that junk(hopefully those are still around).
Also, the company might have a spare key or whatnot.

edit: whoops, i'm a moron and I guess I misunderstood the origional post, I'll leave my comment here anyway though.

Check out Pricewatch.com Select the software link and the look for Windows XP Pro.

The cheapest I found WinXP Pro for today was 120. Make sure you look for products that come with a CD and not just a COA. COA's (Certificates of Authenticity) are designed for people who already own a legal copy and don't need the media, but do need a new liscense. COA's are cheaper, but do not include any media.

He owns his own business but he can't afford WindowsXP Pro now that it's under $200?

Well some people don't have the money to just throw around for something that shouldn't cost anything more than $50 to begin with.

Instead of buying a full XP Pro, is there a way you could upgrade? maybe
(older os + upgrade) < (new os purchased separately)
?

nope, this one is from scratch. it's clean (nothing on it at all). I don't have any copies of older OSs anyway :(

thanks for the suggestion though!

Calling people an idiot for not being able to afford a piece of software is the only idiocy in this thread.

-Lasereth

Not all companies are rolling the the dough. Also how old is the company? Generally speaking it takes businesses 2 to 3 years for a company to actually start making money so he could be scraping by on what he's got.
I'd personally just use Windows 98 as it's cheaper, but meh.

Definately worth buying a legal os I can get it for about $165.....its well worth the money.....cause getting caught in a business is bad news...but if your gonna pirate keep it to yourself I always say.

yea
personal computer in a home...I wouldn't see as much of a risk...

in a company/business, the risk is far greater

I find this weird... The places that I've looked the upgrade versions to XP Pro and XP Home are more then the standard ones. Anyone know why the hell its like that?

I had a buddy go to CompUSA and grab a sticker off the side of a demo system. Got his code and moved on.

DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS...

BTW Jake.. You don't have any friends at MS do you? XP Pro is $20 plus shipping! I haven't paid full price for an MS product in 3 years! :)

That's a fallacy. Knowing Windows does not make learning Linux easier, usually harder, and vice versa. This is because users accustomed to one assumes certain behaviors. Depending on his specific needs, using Linux could end up being the cheapest route, time & money wise.

You'll never know if you don't try.

It's not a good idea at all to run a pirated OS for business. My two cents is that he should shell out the $100 or so for a legit OS.

I'm not saying he doesn't know Windows at all because he won't try, I'm saying he doesn't know Windows at all because he doesn't use it but 30 minutes per day. And those 30 minutes are consumed running ONE program, nothing else :)

This one program is Windows only as well. I could probably rig it up to work on Linux, but it would be nasty. My friend finds Windows hard enough to use. I've used Linux many times, and it is slightly more advanced than Windows. Windows is more user friendly for a person like my friend. Take my word for it :)