Microsoft shuttering dedicated licensing education, certification site

Microsoft has quietly revealed it's binning a site dedicated to software licensing info and education that it currently promotes as "a complete and up-to-date resource for anyone who needs to learn about Microsoft licensing." Software licensing is notoriously labyrinthine, so resources like the site Microsoft will close – Get …

[Neil Barnes]

what kind of AI pixie dust

"There, there, puny human, you don't need to learn this kind of stuff. That's our domain, now go away and do something more interesting."?

[Version 1.0]

Re: what kind of AI pixie dust

I have bought and used MicroSoft products for years now after moving from CP/M, but these days it's only MicroFloppy, they say their products work but are totally floppy everywhere. I'm using Windows 7 Professional (actually MicroStiff) and every "upgrade" since then has been floppy so I'm using no new MicroFloppy products these days.

[Mentat74]

"uses generative AI to deliver tailored insights and intelligent suggestions"

Or in other words : Always try to point customers toward the most expensive licensing packages available...

[Headley_Grange]

They must have noticed how much money Oracle makes after companies commit to products without understand licensing and they want some of it.

[ecofeco]

Took the words right out of my mouth.

[gryphon]

Most people think the possible 67 million possible rail ticket combinations in the UK are excessive, unwieldy and hard to comprehend.

They've obviously never tried to get their heads round MS and Oracle licensing.

To do X you need license A, but you can also do X as part of license B a bit more cheaply but only on a Thursday while standing on your head drinking a glass of water, if you can only do that on a Friday then that will be license C at 3 times the cost (still a bit cheaper than license A) but only if you can also pledge allegiance to Larry or Satya while drinking the water in a clear and audible fashion.

[Wade Burchette]

Don't forget, that to get license X you will also need to purchase a special license not openly listed, but the requirement will be buried deep in the terms of service. To purchase this special license, you must go to the licensing department. It is in a cellar at Microsoft's HQ behind a locked door marked "Beware of the leopard". Be sure to bring your flashlight. Woebegone to any business that does not purchase this special license.

[Anonymous Coward]

I like that analogy, though with UK rail at least the announcer will tell you if your train is cancelled, with Microsoft you may get a timeout and 2 days later an announcement that a small fraction of customers may have been impacted. I feel Frankie Boyle's bus replacement joke fits in somewhere but lack inspiration.

[Ken Moorhouse]

Re: I like that analogy

"at least the announcer will tell you if your train is cancelled"

Yes but it won't tell you that catching an alternative train may result in a court appearance...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvglzndx81ko

So maybe a better analogy than at first sight.

[Richard Hewitt]

and trains don't stop in Camborne Wednesdays.

[Andy The Hat]

From next year

"bing bong ... The certification you have just missed on platform four was for licensing ... calling at Slough, Dodcot ... bing bong"

[AbominableCodeman]

I like how they use 'unable' as a synonym for 'refuse'. Also 50 modules to learn about licencing! I'm sure the EU commision has some views on vexatiously complex licencing structures, and if they don't, they bloody well should have.

[druck]

Licencing is so yesterday

Who needs licencing when you can pay a continually increasing subscription charge for everything, every month, FOR EVER.