I just learned that Microsoft requires a separate Windows license for every Virtual machine created to run under Microsoft Virtual PC 2004.
With Virtual PC, you can run a separate instance of Windows on a machine already running Windows. It’s good to test things with a clean configuration or look at software you might think is dangerous.
Under Windows, you create a Virtual machine that runs in a separate Window. The problem is that you have to spend hundreds of dollars for each of those Windows. And even if you just create the VM and don’t run it, you have to have a Windows license. So my “clean install” VM requires a full retail license of Windows, and my “latest patch level” requires one, and my “lightning struck my old Windows 98 machine and Windows XP won’t run this software” machine requires one (since I can’t transfer my old OEM Windows 98 license).
When I read the explanations from Microsoft, my gut reaction was to say “[expletive deleted] Microsoft. It’s time to move to Linux”.
My question is why Microsoft would adopt a policy that makes any reasonable person angry? Do they own stock in Red Hat?