[Mono-list] lies and microbenmarks

[Fergus Henderson]

On 12-Mar-2003, Sebastian Bergmann <lists@sebastian-bergmann.de> wrote:
>   Benchmarking the Microsoft .Net implementation and comparing it to
>   other implementations, like Mono, is forbidden?

Yes.  Or at least Microsoft attempts to forbid it.
Whether or not this is actually legally enforcable is doubtful.

Microsoft should be strongly condemned for their unconscionable attempt to
restrict free speech.

> Do you have a link for this?

When you install the Microsoft .NET Framework SDK Version 1.0,
there is a click-wrap license that includes the following condition:

 | 4.8	Benchmark Testing.  You may not disclose the results of any
 | benchmark test of the .NET Framework component of the Product to any
 | third party without Microsoft's prior written approval.

I have attempted to obtain such permission, describing my experimental
setup to Microsoft.  But Microsoft are not willing to grant such approval
until they have seen the actual results.  This destroys the scientific
validity of any published .NET benchmark test results.

Furthermore, Microsoft have told me that version 1.1 will have a similar
condition.

-- 
Fergus Henderson <fjh@cs.mu.oz.au>  |  "I have always known that the pursuit
The University of Melbourne         |  of excellence is a lethal habit"
WWW: <http://www.cs.mu.oz.au/~fjh>  |     -- the last words of T. S. Garp.