[ Thanks to David Goar
for this link. ]
“There’s a toxic new problem piling up in our nation’s
landfills. Computers, filled with lead and mercury, are being
thrown away as fast as technology can pump new ones out. By the
year 2004, 315 million P-C’s will call the dump home. … It would
seem the solution would be a simple one. You can always donate your
old computer to a thrift store and let them re-sell it. Or can
you?”
“It seems Microsoft has a policy against reselling old
computers that still run their programs. They say selling a
computer without it’s original disks or certificate of authenticity
constitutes software pirating.”
“The software giant threatened Idaho Youth Ranch, a local
non-profit charity, with fines up to 20-thousand dollars. … A
spokesman from Microsoft says if there’s a lesson to be learned
here, it’s to keep all the documents that come with your new
computer.”