Some months ago, Microsoft executive Jim Allchin was asked how the company might deal with this issue as it related to Longhorn.
"His comment was, 'we will do right by our customers,'" DeGroot said. "Nobody knows what that means, and he did not explain it. This (delay) may be our first opportunity to see what Microsoft means by doing right by its customers."
A Microsoft representative said on Friday that the company will handle customer issues on a case-by-case basis. The company noted that Microsoft, like other software makers, does not guarantee upgrades as part of its licensing program. Customers with concerns should contact their Microsoft representative, the company said.
"Every customer has different needs," said Sunny Jensen Charlebois, a product manager in Microsoft's worldwide licensing and pricing department. Charlebois said that although some customers may be upset that they didn't get an upgrade, there is no "one-size-fits-all" way to deal with such issues.
Steven Edwards, vice president and information technology director at architecture and design company Solomon Cordwell Buenz & Associates, is one Microsoft customer who feels shortchanged by his Software Assurance contract.
Edwards purchased Software Assurance for his desktop software and Exchange email server software, but when his company wanted to upgrade to Exchange Enterprise, it was told to purchase a new licence.
Access to upgrades on an existing contract was the main reason that he chose Software Assurance, Edwards said. Despite improvements, he thinks the plan is too rigid in how it can be used.
"They still haven't simplified it enough. It's still not flexible enough so that they don't end up ticking off someone. I'm ticked off. They did me wrong," said Edwards. "There are still really big issues in how licensing works."
Talkback
The biggest trick played on Humans since cigarettes is Windows.