Official position of Microsoft for QB ?

[Zack]

Hehe, they'd sue me..."Microsoft sues 12 year old boy for use of obsolete software." They get more bad publicity than the RIAA for suing the music downloaders. :roll:

[Moneo]

A couple of years ago I wanted a licensed version of a software that I use a lot (Wordstar Professional 5.0). So, I scouted the Internet, found some guy selling it with manuals and original diskettes for $20, and I bought it. End of problem.

Wouldn't it be better to buy a licensed version of QB than wondering if MS is going to sue you some day? The other problem is that if you ever install QB at work, you will be violating the company's policy about not having unlicensed software on their PC's. This could cost you your job.
*****

[adosorken]

A fully licensed version of QB used to run about $150, and was only available through one single vendor online. I'm not sure it's even available "legally" anymore. Regardless of which, if a person installs unlicensed software on their work computer and gets fired for it, tough...that's their problem, not the problem of the webmaster who hosts the file. If a legitimate distributer of QuickBASIC exists nowadays, THEY can file charges against a site giving QB away for free (because that vendor has special rights of distribution as put forth by the FTC), but Microsoft themselves will not, for the above mentioned reasons and more.

In other words...find out if anyone still sells it legally. If no one sells it, then it's an issue with whoever owns your server, or your network connection if you own your own local server. Some providers are strict about copyrighted material, abandonware or not. If all the lights are green, you can more than likely host it safely. If even one of those aspects isn't kosher, don't even try, because you WILL get busted eventually. (anyone remember Pete's QB Site? case in point!)

[toonski84]

The copyright will last a long, long time. But as far as you are concerned, Jark, MS DOESNT CARE. Seriously. If they could drop that copyright and completely detach themselves from that god-forsaken compiler, they would, and if it was possible, they didnt do it because *THEY DONT CARE ANYWAYS*. You *will* not be receiving any letters, and you will not have any accounts deleted. Swat teams will not come bursting into your house and assaulting you. Nobody cares about that stupid copyright, *especially* Microsoft.

...

(did I come on a little strong?)

PS. There are people who sell it "legally". But these are just used box copies, and no one buys them.

[KiZ]

(anyone remember Pete's QB Site? case in point!)

No! Please fill me in! Did he get busted for hosting abandonware?

[Agamemnus]

Is windows 3.1 free?

[na_th_an]

Nop. But it should

I love that GUI. Kill me, but I love it

[Jark]

That's what I will post on the future Copyright Information page of the Mandelbrot Dazibao (html tags included)

<p align="center"><strong>Important notice about Quick-Basic</strong></p>
<p align="center">Though Microsoft has abandoned the maintenance of Quick-Basic, Quick-Basic 4.5 is still copyrighted by Microsoft Corporation, since the 29th of November,1988.</p>
You may download it from this website for your personal use, knowing no official position regarding this copyright is available.</p>
<p align="center">The zipfile available here will be of course removed in case any vendor proves its rights on this compiler.</p>
<p>Quic-en-groigne</p>

As for the "Quic-en-groigne" line: I was born in St-Malo, in the french britanny. This city self-declared a republic in 1590, much before the french revolution. This sentence, one of the city's motto's, in ancient french, is still alive, and means something like a finger point straight to the sky, if you see what I mean... I thought the pun with Quick-Basic would be funny !

[Moneo]

Toonski,

What do you mean by "used box copies"?

You're right about a Swat team not coming to your house, but what's your answer regarding getting fired for installing a piece of software on a company PC for which you have no license?

This is becoming the big issue now. Some companies don't even care if you do have a licence for the software --- if it's not on their approved list or the company does not have a license for it, then you can't install it, period. This gets pretty sticky for guys that have company laptops and take them home. When the're in the office and connect to the network, a sneaky software does an inventory of their disk and reports any unlicensed software installed.
Big Brother is watching!!
*****

[Dav]

A fully licensed version of QB used to run about $150, and was only available through one single vendor online. I'm not sure it's even available "legally" anymore. Regardless of which, if a person installs unlicensed software on their work computer and gets fired for it, tough...that's their problem, not the problem of the webmaster who hosts the file. If a legitimate distributer of QuickBASIC exists nowadays, THEY can file charges against a site giving QB away for free (because that vendor has special rights of distribution as put forth by the FTC), but Microsoft themselves will not, for the above mentioned reasons and more.

In other words...find out if anyone still sells it legally. If no one sells it, then it's an issue with whoever owns your server, or your network connection if you own your own local server. Some providers are strict about copyrighted material, abandonware or not. If all the lights are green, you can more than likely host it safely. If even one of those aspects isn't kosher, don't even try, because you WILL get busted eventually. (anyone remember Pete's QB Site? case in point!)

Wow...$150...I had forgotten it originaly cost that much. Amazing. I got mine for almost nothing in a local computer store clearance sale, and again for $5 at a computer show, along with QB3.

The only place I've seen it for sale on-line now is at that old tools site:
http://www.emsps.com/oldtools/msbas.htm

Heh...the price they want for a clean copy is :barf:

Once in a blue moon it comes up on ebay.

BTW, my QB45 manual says QuickBasic 4.5 copyright by microsoft 1991. Maybe that's for the manual though. I was thinking of PDF'ing the manual. Now that I've quit my job I have oooodles of computer time.

Yeah, I remember Pete's site.

- Dav