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Taiwan Forces MS To Cut Prices, Unbundle Software

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the remember-to-make-it-look-like-a-concession dept.

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."

3 of 459 comments (clear)

  1. Not just Taiwan by Joe+the+Lesser · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Seems the citizens were forced to obtain pirated copies due to the high cost

    This is a problem most people under 24 seem to have...

    --
    "I only speak the truth"
    Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
  2. The US doesn't have to by Lysol · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Cuz we can afford it. In a lot of other countries around the world where a worker only brings home $1200 a year (and that's rich for some villagers in China), how can they afford a $100-$300USD app suite? Enter the five finger or low cost piracy. Plain and simple economics, not ethics. And since when is M$ an ethical company anyway?

  3. It's funny because it's true. by raehl · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For most people, security is not important. Top performance is not important. Optimum configuration is not important. Control is not important. Not having to power toggle is not important.

    Being able to put the CD in the CD drive, press a button a couple of times, reboot, and get what you want is VERY IMPORTANT. NOT THINKING is VERY IMPORTANT.

    Users want things that work like coffee machines. You plug it in and it works. If you want a different coffee machine, you get a different coffee machine and plug it in and it works. Windows makes computers a lot more like coffee machines than Linux does. Having to turn your computer on an off to get a new feature is much less of a problem than having to know what to type to get a new feature. Linux wants you to figure stuff out. Microsoft wants your money.

    For most people, giving up money is easier.

    --
    paintball