From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII X-Google-Thread: 10ad19,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid10ad19,public X-Google-Thread: 1073c2,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid1073c2,public X-Google-Thread: 101deb,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid101deb,public X-Google-Thread: 10a146,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid10a146,public X-Google-Thread: 107a89,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid107a89,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-06-13 01:50:18 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!sn-xit-02!supernews.com!news.gv.tsc.tdk.com!falcon.america.net!sunqbc.risq.qc.ca!news.imp.ch!uni-erlangen.de!news-nue1.dfn.de!newsfeed.r-kom.de!feeder01.news.de.uu.net!news-1.bank.dresdner.net!not-for-mail From: James Kanze Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.awk,comp.lang.clarion,comp.lang.java.programmer,comp.lang.pl1,comp.lang.vrml Subject: Re: Long names are doom ? Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2001 10:39:22 +0200 Organization: Dresdner Bank AG Message-ID: <3B2726BA.64E002D0@dresdner-bank.com> References: <9f8b7b$h0e$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <9f8r0i$lu3$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <9fgagu$6ae$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <9fjgha$blf$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <35mqhtkdfma2rggv1htcaq6vfn2ihs67a1@4ax.com> <9fli1b$4aa$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <9folnd$1t8$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3B1FE1FE.B49AE27F@noaa.gov> <9fotpi$4k6$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3b24dc21$1@news.tce.com> <3B25D5FB.15C9B240@dresdner-bank.com> <9g5as6$hbq$1@magnum.mmm.com> Reply-To: default@dresdner-bank.com NNTP-Posting-Host: ffzj09tz.bank.dresdner.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [en]C-CCK-MCD drebazen10 (WinNT; I) X-Accept-Language: en,fr,de Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:8643 comp.lang.awk:3022 comp.lang.clarion:21790 comp.lang.java.programmer:75883 comp.lang.pl1:987 comp.lang.vrml:3742 Date: 2001-06-13T10:39:22+02:00 List-Id: Dan Mercer wrote: > In article <3B25D5FB.15C9B240@dresdner-bank.com>, > James Kanze writes: > > Dale King wrote: > >> Unfortunately, a software lawsuit would have little ground to > >> stand on. Imagine if McDonald's required all customers who order > >> hot coffee to sign an agreement before they are given the coffee > >> where they acknowledge that the coffee is hot and can cause burns > >> and that the customer assumes all responsibility for the proper > >> handling of the coffee. If you got burnt from the coffee would > >> you be able to win a suit agains McDonald's? Not likely, since > >> you agreed to accept the responsibility. > > Did you sign such an agreement when you bought your software? > The agreement is part of the installation process. You can't > install the software unless you agree to the license terms. This > constitutes a legal "acceptance". I've never signed anything when installing software. I have clicked a lot of buttons, but that's part of the operations necessary to install the software. I'd be very surprised if any court here would say that just by clicking a particular button, particularly during a sequence of button clicks, constituted accepting a contract. Note that most software also comes with a README file. I read them; I'm a professional, and I'm often doing fairly complicated things. My wife, on the other hand, might start to read it, but would soon realize that she doesn't understand any of the technical jargon anyway. And of course, she would not read anything further during the installation process, supposing as well that it was technical jargon. And would doubtlessly click on accept thinking it was just another button for enter. To make the machine do anything, you just click on buttons until it does it, and the lables on the buttons don't really mean anything. After all, to stop the machine, she first clicks on a button labled start. In sum, a reasonable person cannot be expected to understand, or even to read, the license before clicking on accept. And thus, cannot be held to have entered into a contract. (This ignores the fact that much of the software on one of my machines was actually installed by my son. Who is underage, and cannot enter into a legally binding contract anyway.) -- James Kanze mailto:kanze@gabi-soft.de Conseils en informatique orient�e objet/ Beratung in objektorientierter Datenverarbeitung Ziegelh�ttenweg 17a, 60598 Frankfurt, Germany Tel. +49(069)63198627