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Taiwan Forces MS To Cut Prices, Unbundle Software
bev_tech_rob writes "This article from ZDNet reports how Microsoft has agreed to cut prices on their software after a backlash from the country's effort to crack down on piracy. Seems the citizens were forced to obtain pirated copies due to the high cost and having to buy software they did not need to get the parts they DID need."
Hopefully after they see the positive effect this has on the consumer, they will start to do the same elsewhere.
I am serious.
No really, I'm being serious.
I was once forced by pirates to use Microsoft software. Will that get me any sort of discount?
What do i do ? ... GNU/Linux ) ....Windows XP kills your kids, go with linux
Bash Mircosoft ?
Praise Taiwan ?
Hail Linux ? (oops
Seriously, I miss those days when slashdot's M$ stories were like
So easy to pick a side, now with these ambiguous stories, I don't know which side i am on.
for the last time people, I am "frodo from middle eaRTH", not "middle eaST".
We're still not paying for Windows, though.
;)
DarklordJonnyDigital, officially surfing on Debian
Of course...
"In other news, Microsoft announced it will be raising the price of Office XP approximately 26.7 percent in the US."
I gave myself to Jesus, but now he never calls
Microsoft will also share its Windows source code as part of its Government Security Program, which allows governments to adapt the software and test its ability to fend off hackers.
Russia was the first country to take advantage of the program in January. The source code--blueprints of Microsoft's dominant operating systems--is one of the world's most tightly protected corporate secrets.
Knowing russian social structure, (considering I used to live there...) that source will quicly become public.
KremlinXP anybody?
Free speech is getting expensive...
You're going to into the programming field and your biggest concern is that you aren't going to be ready for some extra plugins in Visual Studio?
Hehehe
Because all operating systems are written by programmers, I assume that any operating system is much smarter than me. Thus, any good operating system should try to outsmart me by restricting my options at every turn. Linux, like all versions of Unix, is lousy at restricting my options because at the command line virtually any operation can be performed with ease. (For example, 'rm -rf /win' could 'delete an entire mounted directory, with no popup window warnings whatsoever.)
I'm proud to say that there is no such danger in XP. Windows pop up when I want to make a change, and then more pop up to ask if I'm sure I want the change. Thankfully, Windows XP looks after my computer's well-being by occasionally switching configuration settings from the way I want them to what the OS programmers think they might probably ought to be. Boy, I'm just impressed with how smart they are. Once I learned to live with whatever the default settings are on any new hardware I install, I can't say the number of hours I have saved.
I use that spare time to reboot my Windows XP machine multiple times a day. Technical support personnel recommend that I do it regularly-- kind of like brushing my teeth. To help remind me of this necessity, windows pop up to tell me to reboot whenever I make a configuration change. By now my machine is minty fresh, I figure.
There is no such useful rebooting in a Linux system. It is as reliable as the sunrise, with uptimes in weeks, months and years. Virtually no configuration change requires a reboot, to boot. Imagine all that plaque in the computer. Gross!
In XP I am prevented from making dangerous fundamental configuration changes unless I use a special "registry editor". I have found it so useful to have this separate editor that I hope in future versions they go all the way and supply a separate editor for each file on the disk-- in that way windows could pop up at every keystroke to warn me that changing any line in the file I am editing could cause the system to not run properly. If this were only the case, people would finally learn that it is best to just stick with the mouse and they would be freed of the need to constantly move their hands back to the keyboard. (If one stops to think about it, the mouse is a much better device to use than the keyboard. Ever hear of someone getting carpal tunnel syndrome from a mouse? No. It's comfortable and ergonomic. Like Morse code devices. That's how long distance communication started, after all.)
Linux, by contrast, requires no special editor to change configuration files. The fact that there is no "registry" in Linux allows the abomination of using any text editor whatsoever to do the configuration. Can you believe that configuration files are usually stored clear text? Talk about dangerous!
I am also happy to report that I have experienced no truth to the rumor that Windows disks become corrupt after improper shutdowns. Indeed, I have been forced to improperly shutdown the machine innumerable times after it locks up, and I have no apparent problems to report regarding the disk. No such claim can be made for Linux. They say something about lack of data points. Excuses are all I ever seem to hear from the Linux crowd.
By sheer size alone, Windows XP beats Linux hands down. It is so much bigger, it is _obvious_ that it is better. Why would you want a small OS with the large disks and RAM sizes we have these days? For this reason alone, I heartily recommend Windows as a way to maximize resource utilization. Your CPU and disk will constantly be pegged to the limit, the way god intended. The Linux kernel and drivers accounts for only about 750KB. Why, even the Microsoft Win16 subsystem uses more space than that.
It is no surprise that Windows XP costs $300 on the retail market and Linux doesn't cost anything. People know what they want, and they want Windows XP. Because Linux is free, that means it's basically worthless. The same goes for all the development tools, remotable GUIs, and applications, which all cost money for Windows (i.e., are worth something) and free for Linux (worthless!).
Installing software is very easy in Windows XP. I usually slip in CDs without even reading instructions or warnings, and just double click on whatever window pops up. There is no need to read anything or touch the keyboard. (Did I mention that I hate that thing?) Well, OK, I have learned the hard way the machine locks up if I don't take the time to close all other applications.
Linux, by contrast, requires typing on the keyboard to get anything to install at all. And you always have to know the NAME of program you want to install. For example, in Slackware, you have to type "pkgtool" to install a program. Linux needs to get with the 21st century!
Windows XP follows the DOS convention of putting \r\n at the end of every line of a text file. While this is only a mild concern because of the relative rarity of text files on Windows machines these days-- thank god--it helps to differentiate between the text files and the other files. Sadly, Linux makes no distinction between text and other files.
If I legitimately purchase Windows XP, I can call Microsoft customer support to get help with my problems. After a short hold time of an hour or so, they always help me. Ever since I told them that I was dual booting to Linux, they were able to flag my account and now each time I call even the entry level support personnel I am connected to say that Linux is the source of my problems. Everyone seems to agree that Linux is no good. The more I listen, the more I'm impressed with the knowledge of the support staff there.
By contrast, in Linux, all I have is stockpiles of resources and documentation that I would actually have to read in order to understand. Sure, I could obtain Linux support from a commercial organization, but they would probably just tell me I have to use a text editor to fix up my system.
In the end, I have no need for that old computer donkey Unix. I don't need to run big Unix tasks, after all. I refuse to become one of those a bug-eyed computer users, that's for sure. As soon as I can keep Windows XP from crashing for long enough, I'm going to delete my Linux partition, i.e., the equivalent of moving it to the Recycle Bin, saying that I'm sure, emptying the Recycle Bin, and again saying that I'm sure I want to empty it.
Dude, I'm trying to not read the article here... and then you ambush me with this... How can I be expected to write nonsensical flames from the summary if you are confronting me with the *full text* of the article!? Come on, gimme a break here.
Just because I doubt myself does not mean I find your position compelling.
So now we can soon also get the Red Screen of Death, and Microsoft Ivan?
Basic survival necessities: Food Water Windows Shelter Slashdot
what are they supposed when someone sends them .doc files?
Complain.
Napster-to-go says "Fill and refill your compatible MP3 player", which is a lie. It's not MP3. It's WMA with DRM.
Raise that number. We are in a recession.
Together, we will drive the rats from the tundra.
Well darn.
(Taiwan's Ministry of Information Technology bought all rights to the PenPoint OS and UI back when Go Corp. when bankrupt (see Jerry Kaplan's book _StartUp_) and I'd always wondered if it'd been to use it as bargaining chip to get better prices.)
Another great conspiracy theory down the drain.
William
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
Will be more annoying the US version. If you click on him he will spilt open and out will come out a smalller one. Click on him - same thing.
Vertial Matrojshka clippy.
Slashdot, home of supporters of free software, free music, and free speech.Except for Moderators that disagree with you.
^_^
Yeah, but when Word has formatting errors on its own files, those are the official formatting errors. With Open Office, the formatting errors come from some third party.
I'm sure most people want to experience errors the way they were meant to be, not some lame wannabe errors.
"Microsoft should simply build and distribute, for free, special versions of its software infected with destructive viruses. Then, people who use pirated software will be in for a rude but humorous surprise when a deadly version of Windows XP deletes all the data from the engineering workstation, medical database in an intensive care unit of a hospital, etc. Imagine a Chinese nuclear missile blowing up suddenly because of data that has been altered by a virus-infected version of Windows XP. "
You just described the US version of Windows XP.
1f u c4n r34d th1s u r34lly n33d t0 g37 l41d