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3963
85 Posts |
 Posted - 23 Nov 2004 : 13:28:05
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Our Host PC app now has an option to use RAPI to communicate with the device (VGX). Can I distribute ActiveSync with my product as part of the installation? Can't find any info on this, so I'm hoping someone here must have dealt with this already...
Also, what about distribution of the XScale ActiveSync driver? |
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alintz
12 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2004 : 14:50:50
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Chris Tacke told me that he got Microsoft approval to redistribute ActiveSync on CD for ADS development systems by signing a Microsoft form that said he wouldn't change anything in ActiveSync. When I asked the same questions of the same people (but a year or more later), I got a different answer. Quoting Nick White (nwhite@microsoft.com) from a Nov 1, 2004 email to me:
"After pursuing this proposal via discussion with our legal counsel, we'd ask that you approach redistribution of ActiveSync code by directing your customers to our Web site, where they can always find the most current version of the application. You are welcome to include in the product materials you provide your end-users a URL referring to the ActiveSync location on the Web. We believe that this is the best way to serve users of ActiveSync."
If you find someone to give you a different answer, let us know. |
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3963
85 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2004 : 12:55:14
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Thanks for the reply, alintz.
Well, I posted in the msdn newsgroups and I was directed back to "my Microsoft distributor".
So, Chris/Drew, how do I either get copies of the ActiveSync CD for distribution, or a license to package it?
This business about having customers download it is not viable for 2 reasons:
1) Can't assume internet access.
2) It is prudent to ship SW that's been tested to work together.
PocketPCs come with ActiveSync CDs, so there's a way to do it -- How?
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ctacke
877 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2004 : 14:25:57
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I fully agree that a download is prohibitive and simply not nice for many customers, however since it's a Microsoft product getting a distribution license would have to come from them. I'd love to be able to point you in the right direction, you can see that Andy hit the roadblock with MS legal. The best thing at this point that I can recommend is to once again contact Nick White and try again.
My experience with Microsoft has led me to the conclusion that if you can't make a business case for the request, you'll get nowhere, but if you can make a case for it, the request will usually go well. So with that in mind I'd argue that you have cusomters that may not have an internet connection, or are on dial up. Because of that, not including ActiveSync with your product jeopardizes sales of your product to those customers. That in turn jeopardizes sales of Visual Studio to those same customers for development. If you add to that the precedent that you've already noted - that Pocket PCs all ship with the software - and even tell them that you'll burn the CDs so it's zero-cost for MS I think you'd have a strong case. Since you're talking with Nick I'd also drop my name, as I know him personally - not that it will necessarily help, but it can't hurt. |
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3963
85 Posts |
Posted - 16 Dec 2004 : 11:27:16
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New info from Microsoft:
"In order for the customer to be able to order and redistribute 3.7 with
a CE Image, they need to have the appropriate licensing in place. I
don't see {our company} on our list of Direct or Indirect OEMs. My suspician is
that they purchased a toolkit from one of our Distributors (OEMs do NOT
need to be licensed to purchase a toolkit) which would make them an
Indirect OEM. In order to redistribute CE, they will need to sign an
OEM Customer License Agreement, and order the appropriate CE runtimes.
They sign the agreement and place their orders through their
Distributor. It is at that point that the CE licensed OEM is granted
the redistribution rights for CE 3.7.
The OEM can then get CE 3.7 from the Microsoft restricted access
Embedded OEM web site (once they have a signed agreement in place) or
can order the 3.7 ActiveSync CD directly from their Distributor."
I think this means the ball is in Applied Data's court -- does this make any sense? Or does this mean the people we got platform builder from? |
Edited by - 3963 on 16 Dec 2004 11:29:11 |
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ctacke
877 Posts |
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