the anvil problem

[tpurdy at newsguy.com]

On Thu, 30 May 2002 0:02:05 EDT, Jeffrey Altman <jaltman at columbia.edu>
wrote:

 ... snipt ... 
>Funny during the days after 9/11 I was using donated computers to
>build a missing persons database in downtown manhattan.  We were
>scraping together anything would could get our hands on.  Microsoft's
>NY office donated several copies of Office XP.  The problem was that
>during the crisis there was no method by which the copies could be
>registered.  Therefore, after a small number of executions the
>software came to a dead halt.  Given the time pressures we were forced
>to abandon the work that was done in Office XP.  I grabbed an old copy
>of Office 97 and used that instead since it didn't have the limits.  

Say 3/4ths of the world office use Microsoft software of one variety or
another and they all need regular reloading for proper operation.

Say a large aircraft full of fuel torches the place, some fanatical
bunch of wackos nuke the place, or maybe, some demented engineering
student lobs a home-made EMP device onto the lawn?  

What's the world gonna do when the master licensing borg croaks and
nobody can (re)license their office equipment warez?

Is this disaster recovery a Microsoft issue or a US Government national
security issue?

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