The added benefit is that as we move into the world of cloud computing SharePoint is going to be there front and centre. So get on board now I say!

Thanks
Robert Crane

Your comments about Canada are very interesting. However, you missed one very important point: on average, Canadian VARs are more successful then US VARs.

The belief is that because of our less densely populated centres and smaller overall population, especially if you look at population compared to land mass … we are forced as a Country to produce more generalists rather then people who learn one aspect of running a business.

Most VAR organizations in both Canada and the US tend to be very small, owner managed businesses, and thus the owner has to be involved in all aspects of running the business. Thus, our generalist approach creates better VARs.

This is true in the Channel Marketing roles within the Vendor community as well. Proof is, look at how many top Channel Marketing people in the US are Canadians.

Don’t know if you are aware, I wrote a book in 1993 called How To Successfully Do Business In Canada which was distributed internationally by all of the Canadian Consulates and most other Consulates throughout the world. Part of what the ChannelLine Advisory Council is doing this year is creating a IT Biz Community which includes all the typical Web 2.0 Community tools … as well as a manual and regular eNewsletter. The focus on the book is How To Successfully Do IT Business In Canada and the US. Our primary partners in this include: The American Chamber of Commerce and many parts of the US and Canadian government. This might be something that you and your blog community many be interested in getting involved in.

Cheers.

Robert M. Cohen
President & Business Editor
Integrated mar.com Corporation
mar.com Channel Services
eNewsletters: eChannelLine, Channel Advisor & ConnectIT
Founders: ChannelLine Advisory Council
office: 905-763-1200 ext. 226
toll free: 800-465-2059
cell: 416-568-2059
fax: 905-886-6216
http://www.integratedmar.com

(Which is what prompted Eric Ligman’s initial post)

Maybe we need to ask him to clarify – but in the end, as we have both agreed, “buying the upgrade version and install it on a blank harddrive with no other qualifying purchase is not legal”. In the end I think that’s all that matters.

What Brian has argued is that buying the upgrade version is all you need to be legal to then install the Vista on a blank harddrive.

As long as you have “some” prior version that is not tied to hardware (like OEM) then yes you are legal to buy the upgrade version and use the trick to install on a bare hard drive.

What Brian has argued for is that you can install the upgrade media on a clean harddrive without any qualifying media.

His arguement is that the install over the install in and of inself is the qualifying purchase.

It is not.

As you say if you know you are legal, you are legal. Be we all know that buying the upgrade version and install it on a blank harddrive with no other qualifying purchase is not legal.