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Patrick Chinn
Distributed Network Computing Consultant
pchinn@uoregon.edu
Yet there is indeed a way to save money when purchasing software, and it is legal. The catch? You need to learn the fundamentals of computer software licenses.
The basic rule of software licensing is, "One computer, one license." For each computer on which you plan to run that software, you need to purchase one software license. For example, if you have purchased five new computers and wish to legally use Microsoft Office on each, you will need to purchase five individual licenses for Microsoft Office.
There are occasional exceptions to this rule. Some software licenses allow the product to be used on a laptop with the following restrictions:
The latter is sometimes called the "80/20 rule," which refers to the amount of time (expressed as a percentage) that you spend using each computer. Using software under this rule works well for those who use a desktop computer at work for the majority of the time and use a laptop for occasional work at home or while traveling.
The "one computer, one license" rule often adds a few hundred dollars to the price of a new computer. Fortunately, the UO and its faculty, staff, and students can buy some software at education discounted prices.
Most big name software companies offer special education discounts on their products. This software is functionally the same as the regularly-priced products. The UO Bookstore is an excellent source of educationally-discounted software. Some companies do not offer upgrade pricing on these software packages because the upgrade price is often the same as the education discount price.
When you buy a shrink-wrapped software package at a store, you are purchasing the installation CDs, a software license, and (in some cases) manuals. A software license is legal permission granted by the software's owner, its manufacturer, to you, the customer, to install and use that program on one computer.
It is important to make a distinction between software licenses and packaged software because licenses can be purchased separately from the installation CDs and from the shrink-wrapped package.
Software licenses cost a fraction of the regular price. For those who maintain a large number of computers, buying licenses (rather than shrink-wrapped copies with packaging and materials you may never use) can result in significant savings.
The University of Oregon has a business relationship with the Organization for Educational Technology and Curriculum (OETC) (http://www.oetc.org). OETC is a not-for-profit organization that negotiates price agreements with computer and software manufacturers and then passes along the discounts to its members, including the University of Oregon.
OETC offers an à la carte purchasing system: you can buy packaged software (which they call "shrinkwrap"), installation media, or licenses in any combination you desire. The purchaser agrees to obligation to maintain one license per computer. The advantage of this system is that it allows computer lab managers to purchase one or two copies of the installation CDs for a product and as many licenses as are legally required.
Some companies rely on the honor system to prevent software piracy. Others use one of several ways to enforce software licensing. These methods include serial numbers, product activation, and network serial number verification.
Unique serial numbers are used to help track software piracy and for product activation and network verification. Activation enters your product's serial number into the manufacturer's database via the Internet. With network serial number verification, each product is installed with a unique serial number and the program, when started, checks for duplicate serial numbers on the local network. If another copy of the program with the same serial number is running, the second copy will not run.
Now that you understand the basics, go forth and put this knowledge to use. Save yourself and your department money -- and remember: One computer, one license.