Windows 7 tool gets GPL v2 makeover

Microsoft reposted its Windows 7 download tool online yesterday, after yanking it off the internet last month when it coughed to violating a series of GNU General Public Licence (GPL) terms. In November Microsoft called the violation a mistake, and while the code had been supplied by a third party, it took responsibility for …

[Richard Lloyd]

Cnet never took it down...

It's interesting that one of the most popular sites for Windows downloads, download.com (run by cnet), never took down this tool during the whole GPL2 debacle! I'm really quite surprised MS didn't contact cnet to get it pulled - its original posting (23rd Oct 2009) is still up here:

http://download.cnet.com/Windows-7-USB-DVD-Download-Tool/3000-18513_4-10972600.html

I did actually need this tool during the "embargo" period, so I used the cnet copy and it worked, albeit surprisingly slowly. You should make sure you have a fast (for writes) USB key at least 4GB in size.

[Robert Carnegie]

Is this why

...Windows 7 netbooks are a bit thin on the ground?

I am assuming that speech recognition is included in 7 as it isn't in XP, and I want it.

I am also assuming that a lot of memory and processor are needed to make it work. That's been the case when I tried it before.

[Steven Knox]

diff?

So they couldn't remove the GPL code and had to rerelease it under GPLv2...but they had to make changes before doing so. Anyone got a copy of both versions and some time on your hands? It'd be interesting to know what MS didn't want GPL'ed -- for purely academic reasons, of course.

[Mr G Ninja]

You can do it without this tool anyway

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/howtos/how_to_install_windows_7_beta_a_usb_key

Hardly rocket science..........

[RalphS]

Hmmm

While its nice they have released it, technically they also need to release the source to the original, before all this 'testing and localisation' took place... A look at not meant to be released code would be very interesting...