Monday, October 19, 2015

El Capitan License in Plain English

Robb Shecter:

I thought it’d be a “fun” project to see what the “El Capitan License” actually says. Cool idea, huh? Kind of like spelunking through a cave that everyone says they’ve been through, but maybe no one really has. What will I find wedged in a wall or lurking in the dark around the next turn?

  1. I can’t use the Capitan with illegal copies of anyone’s stuff.
  2. Apple didn’t sell me this software. They still own it, in fact. I’m just borrowing it.
  3. If I install more Apple software, those are on loan as well.
  4. I can use the Capitan in two virtual Machines, and on one computer.
  5. But these VM’s cannot be used for business. The only exception is for software developers […]

Update (2015-10-26): Cory Doctorow:

The Justice Department lawyers argue that because Apple licenses its software -- as opposed to selling it outright -- that it is appropriate for the government to demand that Apple provide assistance in its legal cases.

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