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More Details on Cut-Rate Windows OS For Asia
glawrie writes "The BBC is carrying a story that Microsoft is to launch a (very) cut down version of Windows XP to combat Linux in Asian countries. According to the story, 'Windows XP Starter Edition' will be limited to low-res graphics, limited networking, and will be hobbled to prevent more than three applications running concurrently. It remains to be seen why anyone in target countries would choose this over Linux, or the widely available pirate copies of 'full' Windows XP." We mentioned this in June.
As "Torrents," the BSA Copyright Weasel sez, "even absurdly hobbled but copywritten, paid-for software is way cooler than that yucky pirate and OSS stuff, kids!"
"...all the labours of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness..." yada yada
New definition of "crippleware". Windows XP - Crippled Edition.
Without crazy colors
If this is what they offer, only god could help them. They better have something else to offer or it will be DOA.
-----
One is born into aristocracy, but mediocrity can only be achieved through hard work.
I thought Microsoft was just going to cut out programs like media player and solitare, not completely cripple the OS and make it practically useless.
is it free?
OK, maybe Firefox.
Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
My eyes thank you, sir.
Lets sell a hobbled, half assed version of an operating system when the person can buy the same thing for less than what they're going to charge for the half assed version.
Hmm. Suddenly I'm not so worried about the Microsoft marketing machine.
Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
What defines an application?? If you start something as a service, does this mean it's not an application? Surely there must be more than three services running at time.
When I tell an object to delete this, am I killing it or telling it to kill me?
Except that you're paying for it...
This idea is sure to succeed because those horrible, evil, open source zealots would never think of this idea.
3 Concurrent programs? I don't even think you can successfully update your system on Windows without running more than 3 programs.
On a side note, laughing my ass off about why anyone would choose this sideshow over better, more robust, and free products. They'll probably lower the price down to $50, which is $50 too much.
Read the only personal Runyon page out there.
If I lived in a country targeted for this release, I would still use a pirated copy of Windows. Why pay money for something nearly useless when I can get something nearly useful for free? This will not stop piracy.
Name it you can buy here for less than $2
Why would they want to offer a cut rate copy to a third world country? Is it only because of the economy that appears to be at lower it's only worth the value in the given market. The question is what is the value of XP in this third world country
Chris Wulliams Help Dessk Agent Easter Seals UCP of NC
before some enterprising Asian hacker merely removes the constraints from the crippled software?
But given the low cost of a pirated copy of Windows I still think this is a strategy doomed to failure!
I don't read your sig, why do you read mine?
'Windows XP Starter Edition' will be limited to low-res graphics, limited networking, and will be hobbled to prevent more than three applications running concurrently.
That will give new users a taste of how bad XP is, before making the choice between Linux (full res, full net, great multitasking) and XP (low res, limited net, 3 apps).
Cool, so you just have to open 3 programs and no worm could be executed?
Aren't there more processes running when windows starts?
Move Sig. For great justice.
Why would you pay for a crippled, low functionality product, regarless of how "cheap" it is? There are full function, feature packed Open Source operating systems available for free. I don't see how lowering the capabilities of their software, regardless of price, will make it MORE attrative. Perhaps the shoe is on the other foot now. Microsoft will know how Netscape felt trying to compete with a "free" competitor in an emerging market.
Remember the old registry hack from the NT 4 days? How much do you want to be that all you need is a kernel32.dll from a real XP install, and a suck=no entry in the HLKM\Screw\You\Microsoft key?
This is dumb on MS' part on so many levels - people will try it, see that it sucks, and go with $Localized-Government-Sponsored-Linux instead.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
This isn't to "combat Linux" nearly as much as it's to combat piracy. Microsoft want's to make some money on the hundreds of millions of people with computers in Asia, and any money is better than no money.
So with justthe anti virus, firewall and yahoo messenger running, I cannot start any other applications.
I also read on heise.de that it will be limited to a screen resolution of 800x600.
Given the fact that most modern websites are designed for 1024x768 and all the recent games require at least 1024x768 I wonder how useful an OS is that is limited so severe. Your nextdoor Linux distribution is 10 times more powerful than "XP Starter Edition". I would continue to pirate if I would be presented with that kind of joke.
Hello, La_Boca. Try not leaving your username in next time, dumbass.
there's 25% less chance of virus infection! And significantly less carbs! With same funky acquired taste of XP!
I'm a nube. So how is this different from the XP Pro version?
Yes! I listen to NYC Speedcore and do math at 3AM. I suggest you try it too.
People are getting all too confortable with all this power. I personally think it will be a good learning experience for people to be limited to low res graphics and 3 applications. It will make the community better for all of us. I like to think of it as Windows XP Enhanced edition. I'm George Bush and I approve of this message.
It's fun watching the die-hard MS crowd S-L-O-W-L-Y C-L-U-E-I-N-G I-N about this Linux thing.
Too bad they can't extrapolate out from the past few years to see where MS's OS prices will be in a couple of years...
Why should somebody buy a broken version of a broken OS when they can get the less broken version of it for free anyway over warez channels?
This sig no verb.
"Microsoft's new software - dubbed "XP Lite" - will feature lower resolution graphics and limited options for networking computers together." So basically it's like Windows98?
Because they're not thieves or communists(which is redundant, actually).
Not everyone is immoral like all the Slashbots.
...and will be hobbled to prevent more than three applications running concurrently.
:-/
Sounds like any other version of a Microsoft OS.
While parent is probably trolling, there is some truth to his statement. Windows just doesn't do so well when you load it down with programs (active or not). "Cache Thrash" is simply a way of life for Windows users; even those with gobs of memory. I've known people who have completely disabled the Windows cache because of these problems. Microsoft needs to rip out their VM and threading system, and redesign it for modern computers with 128+ megs of RAM.
The Unixes do it much better, but the programs do take slightly longer to run. I remember the first time I used a Solaris box. A puny Ultra 5, and it was absolutely kicking NT's ass on parallelism! I could have 7 or 8 "busy" programs, and my desktop would never become unresponsive! Mac OS X has made use of the same concept, expect that the window is double-buffered. The end result is that you never see an ugly unpainted window. Now if only Apple would fix the 101 ways to lock up finder.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Microsoft said it hoped the new software would also help deter consumers from buying pirated versions of its XP system, widely available in many Asian countries.
Who would buy a pirated version of XP when pirated copies are widely available via download?
I don't use Wintendo but I see it running here and there. Let me guess on the three apps that'll be running in Asia
AdAware 6.0
Taskman
Persistent Java Console from ladyboy pr0n site
I am very easy to get along with, but I don't have time to waste being nice to people who are being stupid. -Theo
How long do you think before this version comes back to the US as Windows XP:Stability Enhanced!
if they could do a US version of this, & sell licenses in the $25 to $50 range, this would be ideal for schools & small businesses who dont really need or want all the pizazz that XP offers.
So? For probably what they pay for the full Pirated version they get a version that runs like ass? It's simple economics, If a monopoly or oligopoly are charging too much for a product, you're not going to sell enough products, or someone is going to try and re-sale the products at a cheaper rate.
You're not going to compete with Linux by crippling your operating system, Bill.
This is the PCjr. of operating systems, destined to be a laughed-at memory.
It was a joke! When you give me that look it was a joke.
Actually, it's "XP Lite".
... well, there's always the Microsoft Bob Memorial Archive.
I really don't understand why Microsoft is trying to release this crap. No more than 3 apps at a time? Why that hard limit? It's not like they re-built XP for simpler multitasking.
Microsoft is an enormous corporation with many people trying to get things done. If my experience at DEC and HP in the 1990s is any metric, XP Lite could be some pet project for a VP to gain some brownie or "atta boy" points. If it works out, then good for him. If it doesn't
[You have a stable society when some nut guns down a schoolyard and the law doesn't change.]
Commersial program to remove components from Windows XP http://www.litepc.com/xplite.html
Free programs to reduce the size of Windows XP before installation: http://nuhi.msfn.org/ and http://jdeboeck.msfnhosting.com/
And of course, my project that reduces the size of Windows 98 to less than 5MB http://www.etek.chalmers.se/~e8gus/nano98/ ;-)
But MS has nerve to try to undercut Linux. Altho they don't specify which linux distro is being attach, it still reminds me of the attacks MS took on Lindows (www.linspire.com) and having to block Europe domains from accessing their product.
If MS was smart, they should prolly put more time and effort into developing their products, and try to release on schedule, instead of being corupt american business.
2 pennies ..
Actually I think $50 is about $99,950 too much. They would have to pay me to use it.
I always joke that Windows is barely a *uni*-tasking operating system. You can hardly even do *one* thing at a time with it. :)
While parent is probably trolling...
Interesting...I could say the same...
Given a choice between free speech and free beer, most people will take the beer.
One wonders what they are trying to achieve with this. Surely this is not going to stop rampant piracy. If I have the choice of a cheap full version from the blackmarket with next to no probability of being caught, and a (probably more expensive) hobbled version, which one am I going to get?
In a way, it reminds me of the police raids that they sometimes have in places like Hong Kong, where they seize lots of CDs, and put them in front of a bulldozer. Then the press arrives, takes some photos for the papers, and that's it. These sort of things look like they are something against piracy, but in the end it never makes a differene.
Any one been to Hong Kong recently? Golden Shopping Arcade (Sham Shui Po) still there? They have been selling pirated software there since 1987. I would be surprised if they have been closed down permanently.
I hate it when companies put on double faces to try to get the best of both worlds. Despite the fact that they are offering what appears to be a better version to Asian countries, they are still offering crap here. Does this make my despise-o-meter go up or down? Whatever happened to these components being integral, or was that just BS you made up? What are the Asian countries going to think? You lied to them and said it couldn't be done, and then did it when they chose an alternative. They probably have a shopping list of other changes they want you to make that you'll again say is impossible until you realize you have no business in business.
Will windowsupdate still run? I wonder what would happen installing SP2 on it if some things are missing or disabled. Sounds like a dumb idea. Then again, I'm sure someone will figure out how to uncripple it, kinda like the Kinko's Office 97 time-limited trial. Some .dll fixed IIRC.
-- After all is said and done, more is said than done.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/11/winxp_star ter_edition_announced/
200$ too much. Would you bother to install it unless payd with at least 150$?
but how will the spyware, trojans and viruses run ?
we wouldnt want those in Asia to miss out on the Full Windows Experience
Are we going to start shipping Cut Rate Auto Parts over there, too?
C.R.A.P.
You forgot +Gas Money to get to the store to buy it. I wouldn't drive somewhere to get this even if it was free. I wouldn't spend money on bandwidth to download this, even if it were free.
However, this will be a joy to watch. IE:
just how far will it go?
just how long will it take for someone to crack the video/networking/3concurrent app. limit to make this $50 PoS the full fledged os (based off of Home Edition id imagine)?
Excuse me while i go back to laughing.
Hmmm, I think that Microsoft is taking a big risk in promoting a cut rate Windows XP in developing countries. First of all, the people in those countries are not any stupider than people anywhere else in the world. They will know that they are getting the dumbed down, brain damaged version of Windows XP. Even if this costs less than a pirated version (which remains to be seen), I think most will opt for the non crippled pirated version. People already knock Windows for its shortcomings as it is, does Microsoft need to add to this? Not only that, even offering this crippled Windows could be taken as an insult.
A slimmed down version of Windows without some of the extra packages would be a lot better to offer than a crippled version. I think that in the end, Microsoft is going to have to accept the fact that in today's global marketplace, Windows is overpriced. In the face of Linux and free open source software solutions, I really don't know what they can do other than lower the price of admission and add more value and true innovation. There have to be really good killer app sort of reasons that make Windows the thing you want to have. Productivity applications like Office are no longer sufficient reason to stay with Windows. Games might be, but the PC games market is losing out to the console market. So what's left?
Finally, even a crippled Windows won't be immune to piracy! As we learned from the web browser wars, it's really hard to sell something that's being given away for free! Linux is free and certainly has everything a small business might need in the way of productivity apps. So how can Windows compete with that in places where it is not the dominant player and limited resources and nationalism come into play?
To the making of books there is no end, so let's get started
> some people actually do want to follow the law.
Like, dude, you do realize this is in a different country, ya' know? with different laws?
"It remains to be seen why anyone in target countries would choose this over Linux"
Uh, so they can run Windows software easily? Perhaps?
How does it differ from the full version?
Oh come on. You believe someone would want something that looks like crap, runs three programs, and at a resolution the IE would have problems with? How much did MS pay you to right this tearjerker?!
I think consumers will be downright insulted by this. Especially if they're not made well aware ahead of time that this is crippleware.
Case in point: Windows 2000/2003 Server "Web Edition." It's a cut-rate server they've made available to hosting companies to compete with Linux. Now and then I've had to help customers with this particular crippleware and hit a brick wall because a feature was disabled. For example, you can't make it a domain controller.
Hopefully this will insult the Asian people and they will redouble their adoption of Linux.
Tired of FB/Google censorship? Visit UNCENSORED!
I really don't understand why Microsoft would want to release this cut-down version of XP. Do they really think that an OS that limits you to running 3 programs at the same time is going to be a viable alternative to Linux, or any other OS for that matter?
But then someone let slip that GIMP was one of those hippy-freakout open source programs. They tried to call it the 'Photoshopped' version but were pummeled by Adobe. They now call it the 'Paint' version - eminently confusing but better than the 'Windows Picture and Fax Viewer' version.
I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
Crappy graphics, horrid networking, beyond shitty "multitasking" are they repackaging NT 4? :)
( o ) one could say I'm rather baked
Interesting...I could say the same...
There is a difference between making an unsubstantiated statement hoping people will yell "right on!", and making a statement backed by an explanation of one's experience.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
I don't care if it's a Starter Edition or a Missle Defense Edition, I still say, the only safe Windows is abstinence.
This side up.
Further, I wouldn't exactly call Linux the most user friendly of environments, its geared toward people who want a lot of functionality and have the time to mess with every little detail.
This, in my humble opinion, is one the big limitation of Linux even with the current SuSE and Mandrake distributions. Configuring Linux to work for each user is definitely not a job for computer newbies.
But there is also another big limitation: Linux currently does not support the full functionality of many hardware peripherals out there, not to mention true automated configuration of any new installed hardware. Think about it: does Linux support the full functionality of the Sound Blaster Audigy card? Can you plug in a digital still camera through the USB ports and Linux will recognize the data on the memory card in the camera and "mount" the memory card with a new disk drive designation?
Hopefully, the people who maintain the Linux Standards Base will work with computer hardware companies and consumer electronics companies to settle these issues so Linux will become a truly viable alternative to Windows soon.
"It remains to be seen why anyone in target countries would choose this over Linux, or the widely available pirate copies of 'full' Windows XP."
It is a good point that Linux would be a prime choice, I suppose, but for people who want Windows, and don't support the pirate industry, this is a viable option. Like going to the store and buying a tape of whatever movie instead of going to the red light district and picking up a pirated DVD version of it.
Also, does anyone know if the pirated software in Asia is often virus-filled?
This sig is o Unfunny o Funny
The pirates always do whatever they can to make more money. That includes going into theaters with camcorders to record a film that includes audience reactions at "no extra charge." So it's "no extra charge" for the bad version of Windows you're running that you bought from me when you thought you were getting the real deal.
According to Microsoft: the new software [will] also help deter consumers from buying pirated versions of its XP system, widely available in many Asian countries.
Thus, Microsoft, who wants to sell to corporations in the far east, wants to confuse the issue by making sure that the pirates have lots of inferior product so that the corporations no longer can trust the pirates or the pirated copies.
Gods don't kill people, people with gods kill people.
If you have nothing useful to say post as AC.
Maybe this could bring down the headline cost of computers? It'd be great if, when I came to buy my next laptop, I had the option of buying it with XP Home for £899 or XP "lite" for £849. Let's face it, either way it'd actually be running XP Pro within a day.
Of course, it would be better still if I could buy the thing for £799 with no OS at all; but that's another argument...
Perhaps the warning bells for proprietary solutions/OS began to ring for MS at least, when the Indian government made public its affection for OSS.
#1The Department of Information Technology has already devised a strategy to introduce Linux and open source software as a de-facto standard in academic institutions, especially in engineering colleges through course work that encourages use of such systems.
#2: Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation, met on Thursday with Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to discuss "the ethical issues related to the use of proprietary software," according to the Free Software Foundation of India. Stallman also met officials in the state of Kerala to discuss the use of nonproprietary software in government initiatives. Last year, Kalam spoke out in favor of open-source software following a meeting with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates.
So, there is ample reason to worry. Now wonder why they'd have a strangulated version of OS as a low-cost option?
http://efil.blogspot.com/
Why do I always see articles explain Linux as a 'so called' open source software. They make it sound as though Linux isn't really open source and that is the presses gripe about it. My gripe is about the 'so called' industry journalists not know what they are 'so called' writing about.
Here's a sneak preview of the OS... Windows RG (Warning - requires flash)
This seems like it's going to be Microsoft's PCjr...give them something that *seems* like a good bargain at first, but you run up against the limitations pretty much immediately. Then you realize you've been had and swear you'll never buy a product from this company again.
Not that this ever happened to me *cough*.
It's also very demeaning to the countries involved, piracy issues or not. You can imagine the box as saying: "If you see this box in a store, it's because we have 'issues' with your country as a whole." Frankly, I hope people are offended and swear off MS entirely.
Viva Linux!
Like off disc copy protection and other technologies that lower the quality of the user's experience, this will only encourage pirating of the full version. I can't believe they don't understand that...
Anyone there paying $50 for this crippled crapware is not only going to be disappointed, they're going to be angry.
Stupid sexy Flanders.
it seems like they've already been selling this in the US for a few years
...someone would want to pay less for a crippled o/s that does less than the real one, when you can pay even less (free) for an o/s that does more? I'd like to see their "explanation" for this. I'm sure it's got to be rather amusing.
Now I understand why /. has this horrible color scheme.
Just think of the fun when some spy/scum/Gator/Clariaware attaches itself. (A number would count under IE, some seperately.) Some of them would probably be trapped in tight loops trying to spawn seperate programs and failing.
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
I think the law that most people are going to be following in this particular instance is the law of natural selection. I've not gone computer shopping in China, Cambodia or Vietnam, but I have a strong suspicion that the piracy is happening at the comp-u-shop. I submit to you all that this isn't about consumers at all. This is about Microsoft being able to tell 3rd world governments (and the US Gov't) that "we're doing our part" by making a cheap version available, now do your part by cracking down on the piracy. Expect this version of Windows to be followed by some serious bribery/lobbying for stronger IP enforcement in the 3rd world.
The "Hobbled Version has" been around for years. Here is what my use has been like. If you try to run more than 3 programs, the OS grinds to a near hault, and often crashes. If you badmouth MS at any point, the machine restarts causing you to lose anything you didn't save. The OS is so hobbled, I am always getting messages when on the internet about being insecure, so I click them all. That doesn't seem to help, so I had better click some more. Oh yeah, and the OS now decided that my '88 Chevy Cavilier is no longer compatable, so I have to buy a new Ford. It is very proprietary.
- smile while selling it
- quote professional support of your product
- present convenient facts in favor of it
Well no offense to my american nerds, but if it works in US (telemarketers anyone?) it certaintly won't work in China, if you know what I'm saying...Yam, yam, uga booga, yam, yam, yade, yade, uga booga, yam, yam, yade, yade
You remember: MSIE is part of the OS, and as such does not count as an application!
But what if you have Quick-Time resident, Norton-Anti-Virus and the Zone-Labs firewall running? Will you be able to start any additional program?
I thought MS did drug testing on their employees?
XP Lite is proof that there must be one heck of a bountiful mushroom harvest this season up there in the pacific northwest.
Today on CNN a Gardner guy was saying: "Users may grow out of it too fast, and it may even encourage piracy"
Geez, who would have though that!!!
how long until
With all the crap Windows normally starts, I'd think it would be useful to be able to limit it to just three apps.
How can this be a good idea? This program is crippleware? How do they expect it to compete with linux or pirated windows? 3 programs only? after a virus program that leaves two. This boggles the mind. It crippels the network services which is one of the keypoints of Linux.
I keep thinking it's like watching a Histroy Channel show on the last days of Hitler, when his military strategy just went off the deep end.
500 dollar reward for tip(s) leading to the arrest of the person(s) who stole my sig.
See http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1634748,00.as p
- Microsoft took an existing product, and made changes to it (to make it less capable).
- These changes cost money to make, meaning the XP Starter Edition cost Microsoft more to produce than XP Home or XP Pro.
- Microsoft is selling the product that cost them more to make, for significantly less.
Can somebody tell me how this makes business sense?All's true that is mistrusted
So you download one malware program that installs 2-3 other apps and then your machine come unbootable. Great
Rus
Cheap UK and US VPS
Yes, most people do want to follow the law..but most people don't really consider copyright laws REAL laws..at least not in the states. In fact, I'm willing to bet that the only people who actually KNOW and CARE about the copyright laws when it comes to software (and perhaps music/movies) are lawyers and IT/Programming guys (and entertainers). The average user doesn't face a moral dilemma when deciding whether or not they should make a copy of some software for a friend or family member.
::looks around for the Feds::
"Why is that?" you may ask. Because the copyright laws only seem to be enforced when large groups (pirating RINGS) are involved, not when Billy shares his favorite piece of software with his best friend. I mean, seriously, when was the last time you heard of someone being hauled off by the copyright police because of their bootlegged copy of MS Office?? Anyone? Exactly.
Now when it comes to software pirating RINGS, the story is different.
P.S. I don't download music, software, movies, or any other form of copyrighted work on the internet.
that is exactly the point.
If microsoft CAN put out a cheap version of windows, no matter how crippled, then at least *some* people will buy it, and instead of getting $0.00 * 0 revenue from that country, they get $small_amount * x customers.
However, by limiting the functionality, people in the more developed (read: stupid idiots for paying so much) countries which actually are forced to buy the full sized version will not look on this and say "Hey MS why cant we get OUR windows cheap".
This kind of cut down OS would appear to me to be perfect for OEM distributers, supply this cut down MS "product" and pay less M$ tax without losing buddy status.
True, noone on the street who knows the difference would touch it with a bargepole, but for the computer newbie this maybe just the price point they are expecting ("ahhh look, I can save $50 by getting xp-lite").
liqbase
Very clever of microsoft. This helps to convince asian governements to enforce copyright laws. With 'normal' prices for software a copyright enforcement is e.g. in China about equal to a ban of XP, Office, you name it.
However if there is a reasonable alternative to comply with the WTO / US request for enforced copyrights then e.g. the Chinese governement will think about this option twice.
For the moment beeing: why should anybody pay $50 for a crippled version, when he can get the full thing for $1 in the CD store around the corner (China). Legally - or at least mostly legally.
I think that all Mozilla developpers should thank Microsoft: thanks to the all-in-one concept in Mozilla with one application you can have a web browser, an email client, IRC client.
Otherwise, users would go mad stopping and starting applications..
I wonder if this is true or if Windows think that Mozilla web browser and email client count for two application?
I bet it runs faster than Windows XP Pro, with all the extra crap pulled out.
My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
Their goal ISN'T to sell Windows XP Starter Edition. It's only there to deter those Asian countries from suing Microsoft for big $$$bucks$$$ for their monopolistic practices. Now, they pretty much don't have an excuse...
Real programmers can write assembly code in any language. -- Larry Wall
A day after the realease of Windows XP, so-and-so-geek has released a crack that allows you to run any number of programs on Windows Stadard and bypass the graphic restrictions , effectively making Windows XP standard as good as Windows XP Home.
Yeah, thats what will happen and thats how Windows XP Standard will become a hot sell.
I could care less if Microsoft produced a cut-rate version of their software. I could care less if they give it away. They are a competitor and they have to respond to the market. The market now says "OSs are commodity". Microsoft will continue to capture all the revenue they can from that stream as long as they can. Remember, Microsoft initially wanted to be a computer language company. DOS was going to be the cash cow they relied on to continue their development of assembler, fortran, C, etc.
What pisses me off is that the Thai government is going to HELP Microsoft in spreading the deployment of XP Lite. I know that many Microsoft supporters will chime in about Munich's recent decision to move forward with Linux. This is different than a government making a purchasing decision for themselves and coming up with XP or Linux as the OS choice. Instead, the Thai government is helping with the deployment in non-government settings.
Nothing annoys me more than corporate welfare. The Thai government is supporting one of the richest companies in the world.
Fuck you Microsoft.
"Rocky Rococo, at your cervix!"
And by "normal", I mean the applications which zombify your PC and make it send spam.
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
FROM:Bill Gates
TO: MicroSoft Asia
Subject: Linux/Piracy in Asia
DAMMIT! Re-arrange those deck chairs FASTER!
And tell the band to play 'Nearer my God to Thee' LOUDER!
Guaranteed! This comment 100% Anthrax free!
So does this "three applications" limit include the obligatory virusscanner, firewall and anti-spyware tools... whoops, that's three already!
Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
I run 8 programs concurrently, constantly on my XP Box. AIM Yahoo ZoneAlarm McAfee K++ Winamp BitTorrent Firefox I'm not seeing any slowdown, and my computer has been running for over a day.
...look at a simple price/volume curve. With one price/volume combination, there's either a) a lot of the market you don't reach (too costly) or b) a lot of the mark-up you don't reach (customers willing to pay more).
The trouble is to prevent resale and competing with yourself (via parallell imports etc.) Basicly, if you could sell for $2 in Asia, $15 in the US, $18 in the EU, how do you prevent the asians from reselling it? MPAA did it with the region coding. Microsoft tries crippleware.
It is the same old story all over again. They don't expect pirates to buy this. They expect those that "need" a legally licenced version to go with this, because their users are already trained so well on Windows.
In Asia, this is more about moving businesses from "Yes, I know we NEED a legal licence, but no matter how you bend it we can't come up with that kind of cash." to "We'll take it, just so we have a legal licence."
Kjella
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
while they say it will cost 50, I am guessing that they will offer it for free to OEMs. It is the only real way to compete against Linux.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
What is half of free, anyway?
This is my post. There are many others like it. If you don't like what you read here, go try one of the others.
Let's examine this a little bit. Microsoft releases a partial version of a (no flames, please) halfway decent OS. Sooner or later consumers of this cut down product are going to want the full thing. They're going to want the full featured product. They have three choices;
1. Upgrade. We've already acknowledged that these areas are poor, which means they have a limited cash flow. If they weren't willing to pay for the full blown product before, do you think they're going to be more likely to pay AGAIN? I don't think so which leads us to
2. Piracy. This is the real reason this product is even available. Cracked CD Keys, reg hacks that allow Win Update regardless. I think this move is going to INCREASE piracy. More users. More users wanting more.
3. Move to Linux. If you are going to shell out some money anyway - why not buy a retail linux distro. You get better support and a full blown product. Not enough $$ to cough up fiddy bucks for a retail copy? Download that mother for free!
I think MS had a few objectives that this product was supposed to accomplish. I think it won't make as big of an impact as they expect.
I think what they were supposed to do, was to make a windows xp version without anything bundled, like media player, browser, text editor and so forth. What they actually made was a Windows XP without quality of any kind. How sad. I really don't see how this is going to battle Linux in any way. "Look, you can get a poor operating system for a lot of money and a great operating system for free" What kind of logic is that?
I am sure if Microsoft had their way they would love to find some way to region encode people's PCs so they could sell full versions for reduced prices in certain markets while continuing to gouge the developed world.
I ... see ... THREE .... lights!!
The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
People know that it is illegal to share software with their friend, but they do it anyway. True, people may not understand the details of copywright law, but they know it is illegal to share software. If they didn't know, they learned when they tried to install Windows XP on two computers and could only activate one.
And, I'm sorry, but I do know people who feel that it is worthwhile to purchase software than to get it illegally. Some people feel they have more to lose than to risk breaking the law over a couple hundred dollars worth of software. I KNOW that there are plenty of people on this board who aren't concerned, but I think its being overly general to say that the average user doesn't have a problem stealing software.
Finally, thanks to the music industry individual people have become targets of copywright infringement law suits. To make an example out of people, I think that they purposely chose everyday people who sometimes only shared a few songs. What makes you think that software companies won't see this cue and want their piece of that? It has made me more wary of downloading music and downloading software. Maybe I'm the only person in the world who thinks this way...
This whole thing makes me wonder about how dumping - the practice of selling goods abroad at a price below the manufacturing cost or the price you charge in your home market. When foreign manufacturers sell steel or RAM or some other commodity in the US at prices lower than their home markets then the US calls that dumping and slaps a tariff on the goods. I believe that these tariffs are in principle legal under the WTO, so it seems that the WTO must have some antidumping provisions in it.
In this specific case it seems one could argue that MS is dumping Windows in these third world countries. There must be some small software companies - such as Linux shops - in these countries that are getting hurt? Yeah it is a stripped down version, but they only do that to protect their pricing elsewhere - and it is not clear to me how slightly different products are dealt with in a dumping context. You change the amount of carbon in your steel by 0.01% outside some specification, call it " Really Special Steel", and avoid US dumping tariffs? I don't think so. Might there be a basis for these countries to bring action against MS - and would then even want to? Who else might have legal standing to bring such an action - other OS vendors? Of course, IANL.
In the more general case the notion of dumping as applied to software or other information products (databases, movies, music) seems to raise some interesting questions - and I wonder if there has ever been a dumping case based on such products. With a commodity your production price is often a substantial fraction of your sales price, and you can't go very low before you start loosing money. But a $1,000 piece of software could be sold elsewhere for $5 without a direct loss on unit sold. There are also the endless different versions one can make - where the above steel example does not hold. As you change a product you do eventually reach a point where it is truly different, and it seems like information products are particularly suited to that.
You're missing the point. This isn't "Microsoft is doing foo to fight off the All-Powerful Linux Desktop Threat. Face it, nobody besides Linux Advocates really thinks Linux is a contender for the desktop.
This stripped down version of Windows XP is merely Microsoft producing a version that's cheap enough to sell in countries that can't afford full Windows but still want their people to know mainstream skills and be able to use mainstream tools. Microsoft is MUCH more concerned with bootleg Windows copies than the trivial number of Linux desktops.
But, if it really makes you feel more important to think that Redmond is terrified of you, enjoy it. It isn't much connected to reality but it's a pretty harmless conceit.
This sounds perfect for my grandma. A little crippled XP that just does email and nothing else. Of course lets hope the spyware/viruses are blocked or the 3 application limit will turn it into a 100% spam box real quick.
No matter what the media or MS claims, this is not an OS that is meant to be used by single end-users.
Instead this release is meant to do two things.
First, it is an attempt to look concerned and responsive, thus generating goodwill from the governments in question. This, will give MS a more friendly reception when it attempts to lobby those same governments for restrictive DRM, abusable patent law and denial of fair-use. MS is effectively saying "Hey look we've gone to great lengths to do our part now you do your part."
Second, this cheaper release is a good whip to use against medium and small companies. It allows MS to go after them and argue in court that there is no good reason for these companies to have unlicensed MS copies. Currently the companies might be able to argue on grounds of inflated prices and monopoly abuse. But it is more insidious than that. By effectively removing an legal claims that the smaller companies could put forward and offering only a crippled OS at the low price-point MS is effectively forcing them to buy the full-featured expensive OS. Voila, nice fat revenue stream.
Yeah, sounds like Windows 3.1 with respect to the limited multitasking as well. My Amiga 500, which was hobbled with the (even then) hopelessly outdated 68000 played *way* better than Windows 3.1 much of the time.
Why? Because the Amiga could multitask properly (no waiting for your failed telnet connection to hang up before you can do anything else). Cooperative multitasking, yuk.
3.1 even looked and felt horrible too.
Yeah, you're right, it probably will run faster. But if the ordinary XP distro came with less unnecessary and dangerous crap enabled by default, it too would be faster, and the stuff would be there when you *needed* it. (It's the old WP problem; for any given obscure feature X, 90% of users will say "I don't need X"; but 90% of users will also need one or two *particular* obscure features that fall into the above category. So it's not necessarily a good idea to remove them unless add-on replacements are both cheap and modular).
"Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
I think you guys are really missing the point. If Microsoft can successfully pull this off, they will capture a huge market share. You say "Why not just use Linux?" Yes, Linux is obviously an excellent solution, but if Microsoft can provide a simple, boxed installation that's familiar, I don't see how this wouldn't sell. And it's a natural migration path to "less crippled" versions like XP Home or XP Pro.
/. are not of the "one-at-a-time" mindset. For example, my standard fare at work is to have Lotus Notes, UltraEdit, two IE session, Info Select, and a Remote desktop window open all the time. But consider someone like my parents. They log onto AOL, surf the 'net, and they log off. They open Word, type a letter, and close Word. They open a greeting card program, create a card, and close the program. While they do understand the "concurrency" concept, they simply don't do it. I could install this on my parents' PC and they wouldn't know the difference.
I really don't see the two main objections as a big deal:
Three program limit:
Obviously, the "three programs" limit needs to be better defined (do services count, does explorer.exe count, etc.) but I really don't think this will be a deterrent. Remember that we on
Resolution:
You complain about the resolution. We all crave high resolution, but I don't see this as an issue. Again, don't forget that this is being targeted in areas that probably don't have the most modern of hardware. Makes compatibility MUCH better.
Just Remember, they're trying to penetrate a market that filled with very non-computer-savvy users. If it's priced right, this will probably sell like hotcakes.
Oh, and as far as "They'll just get the pirated versions of XP Pro" statements, yes, many will, but from personal experience, I have admittedly have used MANY "less-than-legal" versions of software, and most times, end up paying for the product if it's worth it to me. Less than computer-savvy people will certainly not want the hassles of dealing with warez idiosyncracies.
My mom always said, "Jim, you're 1 in a million." Given the current population, there are 7000 of me. God help us all!
Perhaps Linux could gain market share as well if it had a starter version that had "limited networking", "limited to low-res graphics" and no more than "three applications".
With innovations like those, it's no wonder MSFT stays so far ahead. Someone should get working on such a distro to stay competitive (unless MSFT patented the idea of an OS that can only run 3 apps, of course).
Wow, you computer people will never be satisfied. You complain and whine about how bloated our OS is. So we reduce all the cruft (like the number of process you can run, and networking) and you complain even louder. Will you never be satisfied?
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
I suspect part of the reason why the OS is so crippled is because they are afraid of grey imports back into the US or other developed nations. Let's say they release a full version of XP or even a version not very crippled at a low low price, there will be a big market in the US and other developed nations for a legal copy of XP from MS with no chance of viruses or trojans at an extremely low price. Hence they cripple it. Unfortunately it's so crippled that *no-one* would want it...
This is suppose to compete with Linux, which doesn't limit network connects, number of applications running, or graphics? Sounds like they are coming into this fight with both hands, a leg and their brain tied behind their back. I think the only way Microsoft could handicap themselves more is to actually use this Starter Edition themselves.
What does this say about their understanding of the appeal of Linux?
>It remains to be seen why anyone in target countries would choose this over Linux
Very simple, windows has working well written Asian language localized versions of its products.
this isn't an awful idea. here you are, a massive corporation, no different than the film industry that I work in, and you face a huge emerging market. you can either toss your hands up in the air knowing that there is no way on God's green earth that someone's going to pay the equivalent of US$300 for your OS (or US$20 for your latest DVD or US$15 for your latest CD ....) or come up with an alternative.
So what do you do?
1) release the same version for less? that causes absolutely ridiculous import/export issues worldwide among other sorts of "discriminatory business practice issues"
2) release a dummed down version that may function reasonably well -- especially in a world where the latest and greatest computers aren't that easy to come by anyway.
In so many international territories, unlike the US, hardware is a HUGE issue. Did you know that while cable television and DVD players are in something like 70+% of US homes, even in Europe, they're at roughly 40% or less. Now we move into lower developed Asian countries and these things become even bigger issues. The simple fact is that people don't have the lifestyles and monies to support big expensive American-price-leveled products.
You either accept and ignore piracy as it beats the heck out of you (as it has done for years now to the software and entertainment industries) or you come up with an alternative.
They're going to ship all those warehouses full of Microsoft BOB to Asia and _tell_ them it's "XP Lite"!
'Windows XP Starter Edition' will be limited to low-res graphics, limited networking, and will be hobbled to prevent more than three applications running concurrently.
The monopolist Micro$oft is desperate to maintain the illusion that software can be treated as a scarce material resource. But they actually had to add effort to take away value!
For those participating in Micro$oft's shared source program, here is a patch to turn your Windoze 2003 Server to the XP Starter configuration:
Hey Asia, how do you like building the worlds most powerful graphics cards only to be able to use them at 800x600?
an ill wind that blows no good
We're going to cripple Windows far more than XP Home by slashing the networking stack, forcing users to screen resolutions that were all the rage in 1990, AND make people pay for it -- and expect people to use it over Linux.
Right. I guess you won't need anything more than 640x480 if all you're going to run is 3 applications simultaneously.
-K
Think about it. They release crippled XP. There will quickly be a crack or patch to turn crippled XP into full XP. People buy crippled XP and apply patch or crack, smiling because they didn't pay for full XP. MS gets some change and market share. MS doesn't care about about profits today. They are more concerned with catching the emerging markets in Asia, Africa, and South America. This will lead to HUGE profits for years down the line.
I could be wrong.
Not bloody likely!
Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach him to fish and he'll wipe out the species.
Is that with our without spyware?
Q:I was listening to a CD in Grip and it sounded horrible! What's up? A:Perhaps you are listening to country music
Oh, wait...
"With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine." -- RFC 1925
... because you can't seriously expect that kind of crap to sell. I think they did solely because Taiwan (or was it another country?) demanded that MS would provide a stripped-down version of windows, so MS "complied" in such a way that it is hard to say that they did not, but for all practical purposes they did not. Taiwan, of cauorse, meant a version of windows without explorer and media player bundled (and maybe smth else) and that's it, but MS interpreted that their own way.
...remember good 'ol times when IP used to mean Internet Protocol....
First, you have to remember that this was done after negotiations with the national governments in the region, that means they have the police power of those states behind them (especially if the government is motiviated by any kind of kickback or free licences for itself). If they can crack down on white-box sellers and make them sign OEM pre-install licences, then they can put a $36 MS-tax on every box sold. That is $36 of pure profit for MS on every unit that they didn't get before. So go ahead and install Linux or even a pirated XP because you already paid the MS-tax that MS otherwise would not have gotten before.
Um. What?
Try xp embedded with everyone switched on, minus the shit and it will boot using less than 50meg ram total, and still have a fully functional desktop/ie etc....
If you really must run XP on a 300mhz box and 64-128meg ram, then XPe is the way to go.
Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
Damn thing probably won't even run Doom 3! What good is that?!?!
Hasn't Bill learned his lesson from Micro$oft Bob? Apparently not.
A while ago, I had to look into the Windows VMM to try and explain some odd behaviour we were seeing with two large applications. Now Windows NT/2K/XP will multitask several applications just as well as Linux, BSD, Solaris etc. but the VMM has some significant shortcomings (which along with other Windows shortcomings - such as a lack of good command line tools with the default install - which make it inappropriate as a server).
The trimmer (the part of the Windows VMM which reduces a program's in RAM working set, writing it out to the swap space) *only* looks at pages pointed to by the TLB (if I remember right). The TLB - translation lookaside buffer - is a small cache of PTEs on the processor (page table entries - the things which tell the kernel where 4K pages of virtual memory are at the moment. The TLB just gives you very fast access to a small number of PTEs - it's essentially a cache). IIRC, the TLB has room for 64 PTEs, so the Windows trimmer only ever looks at 64 pages or memory for candidates to write to swap. The trimmer (in the grand scheme of things) doesn't run very often - once every few seconds IIRC.
This normally isn't a big deal. However, servers often have a couple of processes using a lot of virtual memory. Sometimes, you can get the situation where you've got a big process with a large working set - many megabytes - possibly a high percentage of physical RAM, even on a modern machine. This big process might not be very busy - it might not be using much CPU at all. Indeed, it might not even be using many of the pages currently loaded into physical RAM.
Then another process comes along, wanting lots of memory. The trimmer SHOULD have started writing unused bits of the first big process out a long time ago. But guess what - the first big process has been touching pages that the TLB points to frequently, even if it hasn't touched the other 99% of pages loaded into physical RAM. Because the trimmer only looks at the TLB for pages to swap out...it never swaps out ANY of the large process despite the fact most of its pages haven't been touched in maybe days.
So the second big process wants to use up a gob of RAM, and really wants to do things with it. Except it ends up thrashing in and out of swap, because the first big process isn't getting swapped out ever.
This is quite easy to demonstrate if you write a short C program to allocate a bunch of RAM and regularly touch a small subset of its pages - it'll never get swapped out even when another program comes along wanting lots of memory. Whilst we were figuring out what the problem was with our two big processes, I actually did this to prove what I reckoned from reading the book about the NT VMM.
Even early Linux and BSD kernels of the same vintage as Windows NT 4.0 were much better with things like this (and you could look at the source of the VMM rather than taking some book's word for it, and having to write programs to test your theories). I've not tried this on Win2K or WinXP, but I'm betting the VMM still works the same way.
Oolite: Elite-like game. For Mac, Linux and Windows
3 apps? Limited resolution and networking? How is this going to deter piracy or Linux? In both case you get a full-featured OS for free. In countries where you can get pirated Windows XP Pro for a few bucks or Linux for free download, how do they think this junk will help them? Typical MS thinking...
Geeks like acronyms. The ones you are looking for on the screen sizes are SVGA and XGA.
Are those Explorer Desktop, Start Menu and Taskbar running at the same time?
Wooo guys it's getting scary - it's getting to be some kind of serious alternative to C64!
Beware... This XP Starver Edition seems to be many levels below Windows 2.0, Deksmate and Workbench...
Also - what about if one programm calls external programs all the time (and many at the same time - like various cpld/fpga hardware development systems java-ui-over-commandline-tools)? Most likely most of the programs will not work at all. Note that, for example, [open] [save as] windows are run as separate programs, so sometimes those will not work, too.
I thought Windows XP Home already had this enabled.
No Windows XP (Lite) for India. http://www.techtree.com/techtree/jsp/showstory.jsp ?storyid=53490/
The important thing is not to stop questioning --Albert Einstein.
They tried to call it the 'Photoshopped' version but were pummeled by Adobe.
That's why many communities centered around image fabrication (fark, w1k, etc) have switched to calling such manipulation "photochopping", short for "chopping and piecing together of photographic images". It's close enough to "PHOTOSHOP®" but generic enough not to draw lawsuits.
IBM used to do this with their (very) old computers. They first came out with the "full" version and when the market for that was saturated, they sold a "lite" version of the machine for half the cost - the lite machine would insert sleep cycles in between instruction cycles so that the lite machine would only do half the work of the full machine.
A fine is a tax you pay for doing wrong and a tax is a fine you pay for doing all right.
to compete with regular XP.
Note the story....
Now click through to the BBC News item.
Can you see anything about low-res graphics?
Nope.
Nice way with the facts there.
"You know you want me baby!" - Crow T Robot
So does this come with the standard pop up window on boot reminding you that this is only good for 30 days and then you have to pay for it?
Insert Sig Here
Hahahaha... haha.. heh. Welcome to 1999.
Not exactly. The Windows CEMENT image refers to Windows ME, which wasn't first published until late 2000. In fact, the image was Last Modified in January 2001.
right now on kde - normal useage, ive got the following open
l arm
kweather
juk
amsn
krandrtray
kget
korg
ka
opera
konsole
mozilla-thunderbird
thats 10 applications, which is over three times the limit imposed by XP-lite. if i closed stuff i wasn't using, it would be still
kweather
juk
amsn
opera
mozilla-thunderbird
konsole
which is still twice the limit imposed by xp-lite, and to stay at 6 apps, i would have to close something in order to set an alarm, or use the calender, or download something using kget, etc.
this is abysmal, bearing in mind that at the moment im not programming, writing a document or whatever.
In most of Asia, pirate CDs generally sell at a market for about $1-5US depending on the country. People are used to this, and buying an actual version is generally considered a waste of money.
What puzzles me is that Microsoft would know this. They're not stupid. So why would they even go though the effort of releasing this crippled version that nobody, absolutely nobody, will buy?
One sentence, and this IS the Microsoft dilemma: How can you make your products ubiquitous, yet not a commodity, and keep that up over the long term?
That's really what Microsoft is striving to do. As the old quote goes, "a computer on every desk, running Microsoft products," with the hidden implication, "and only Microsoft products." Yet things that are on every desk are commodities. If I look on my desk, I see papers, two mice, two keyboards, speakers, a CRT, a stapler, a phone, a calculator, etc. ALL of those things are commodities. The CRT is connected to a computer running a non-commodity OS, but that's because it's a non-commodity engineering workstation.
The big drive of the PC is that it's a commodity. That's why the price is so low, because of commoditization. Everything in it is a commodity, except the CPU and the OS. Even the CPU has many commodity-like traits about it, at least as long as there is SOME competition in that marketplace.
How many other things in life ACT like commodity without commodity pricing?
Unfortunately, rather than Microsoft realizing that they're in an unstable situation and girding their loins to exist in a more sensible software landscape, others are trying to mimic their business model.
The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
They are doing everything they can to keep from diluting the value proposition of their software.
If they let it go cheap in Asia, then it will, fairly quickly, end up cheap almost everywhere else. By limiting the feature set, they can say the software is worth what they ask, but that most folks don't need the full package.
It's the same deal with XP Home Edition. The limits are put in place simply to justify the higher price of Pro. Lots of software companies do this, particularly MCAD ones.
Just goes to show just how high the OSS value proposition really is. Anyone, anywhere can obtain and make full use of the entire feature set offered by the software in question. Once a person gets to understand this difference, regular commercial software begins to undergo far greater scrutiny to justify its price.
The movie studio people understood this and had the power to make it happen, which is why Linux is in wide use. Commercial software vendors, who happen to offer a valid and necessary solution, are paid for their efforts. Those that didn't are now gone.
OSS is going to cause a shakedown at some point that is going to seperate the men from the boys in software. One by one they will learn if its going to be them or not, based on their value offerings. If they understand they have a valid niche, we will eventually see a port to OSS tools because they know their customers will have more to spend on them as a result.
If they don't? Well... you are looking at the result.
Everyone producing basic computing tools is on borrowed time. Office software, editors, e-mail, internet browsers, media players, many basic authoring tools for graphics, anti virus/spam and simple, casual games are all in danger because OSS can do them just as well or better than the companies currently doing the job can. Everybody needs them, so the incentive to get this work done or offer services to do the work, will continue to chip away at the value proposition these producers offer.
Analysis, MCAD and Simulation, represent types of software that OSS will have a very difficult time reproducing because the problems are both complex and only necessary for a small number of people compared to more mainstream software. We have OSS ports of these already with more on the way.
Microsoft produces what? That's right, software almost everybody needs. Expect the FUD to come hot and heavy because they have no choice!
Blogging because I can...
None of those programs are busy
And this is the farang price... I am sure that those friendly guys at Pantip Plaza also do discounts on mass purchases.
Estamos como estamos porquè somos como somos.
Of course, if customization / localization took 2,000 man hours @ $75/hour, than $small_amount * x customers seems like a loss to me.
this will just turn more people away from windows in general. Spend $50 on an OS and you can only run 3 programs? That sounds like hell. Anybody using this will get so frustrated they will either buy a mac, run linux, or pirate the real windows.
I'd rate this article "Small and petty minded".
You really don't care who you might potentially harm in your undying quest to push your own adjenda do you? How does that make you better than MS?
Fuck you Linux zealot!
They've even managed to Embrace and Extend the Ugly American stereotype! God, this is patronising, don't they care what they look like to their customers?
If I was in Thailand and Microsoft came to me and asked me to buy a system this crippled (and, no doubt, with total system failure bugs lurking in the code they put in to cripple it), I'd take any alternative I could. Even if I wanted to run Windows. Even if the alternative was SCO.
> limited networking, and will be hobbled ..It's exactly the same?
Someone asked me the difference between ignorance and apathy, I told them I don't know and I don't care.
anti virus, mp3 player, web browser.
ms word, spread sheet, email.
spyware, spyware, spyware.
Doesnt leave too much space for usablity.
TruePunk | Games
In most Asian countries, you can buy real Windows for about a $1. I'm making a wild guess that any windows version blessed by MSFT is going to cost more than that... why any one wants to buy a crippled Windows for more is beyond me!
You want them to pay you $99,900 to use it? Or, perhaps, you meant it was $100,050 too much? Subtraction is our friend, kids!
Yeah, I know it's a troll, and I'm an asshole. So sue me. It's AC.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this thing meant to spur interest in computers in "poor" countries? Poor as in "I don't have any food, water, or shelter, so I can't afford WinXP Pro" kind of poor? So lets say that someone out there finds enough money to get a computer... What makes the 'Soft think that their "first" computer will even have enough chest-hair to run XP? I mean, if you're having a hard enough time finding food or shelter, IF you have a computer, it's probably something I (or my capitalist friends in a 'rich' country) threw away 5~10 years ago... I hope it runs on a 486!
Microsoft could count IE as "part of the operating system" again. Then who would run any alternate browser if it counted against the 3 application limit and IE didn't?
Next step in vendor lock-in plan: Assume that certain MS-products (IE/Office/MP/Outlook) won't increase the program counter, then there is little reason to try out say OSS applications since they have a disadvantage.
Now excuse me while I close firefox to check my mail (winamp is playing such a great song, wouldn't wanna quit that).
Sounds like regular Windows to me...
Yes, this is sarcasm, morons.
Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!
Using Microsoft is bad enough, but no one will want to use a totally criplled OS. Only 3 programs! I have no idea how they are going to enforce that, Windows has far too many services running in itself. If you want to combat piracy, you don't patronize the cutomer.
On the plus side, Linux usage is rising in India. I know that some new engineering colleges have started to install Linux instead of Windows. This will just boost it further.
Is this relly derogatory, or just a sarcastic commentary on our system of elected leaders, or is it a recognition that he's not doing a very good job? It could mean many things, but derogatory is not the first way I'd describe it.
That is all.
Strangely enough I myself, a former rampant user of any cracked software I could find whether I actually needed it or not, am now thinking in the same way.
If feels good to actually pay for legal copies of the prorietary software that I cannot live without (Ultraedit, Space Tripper, etc.) while replacing the other stuff with free open source alternatives.
if they have already put the work in, but nobody is paying for it, then its a loss limitation excersize.
liqbase
limited networking, and will be hobbled to prevent more than three applications running concurrently" Hey, I'm already running this: XP Proffesional...
Wow. You must be about as technically inept as some of the end lusers that I have to support at work everyday. I hate windows too but at least I have the skills to make it do what I want.
Actually exactly that could be very dangerous for MS: If OEMs ship Windows "Light", they will sooner or later realize that (almost) all customers immediately wipe it and run something else - so the OEM might realize that they might as well ship the PCs naked or with Linux.
Windows Light could be very dangerous if it demonstrates that preinstalled Windows isn't as important as everybody seems to think.
Also this helps stop those boxes being sold with Linux pre-installed. They just make the OEM price low enough so that installing Linux just to escape the MS tax and the law just seems like too much hassle for the OEM. They just slap this really cheap version of Windows on it.
Apparently a percentage of Linux sold boxes doesn't get reformatted with pirate Windows. This new tactic squelches this percentage by ensuring that percentage of ordinary folk never even see Linux.
I guess that's the idea anyway.
Do adware and spyware count?
That just has waaaay too much comic value not to share.
I'm sure gonna miss my lil ole dopamine receptors.
(If at first you don't succeed, do it different next time!)
Cries will be heard all throughout Asia.
I've got the Windows XP Embedded CDs, but you have to install a database that takes up to 3 gigs so you can pick and choose what you want! Is this how you went about it, or did you just "find" a preconfigured XP Embedded iso? Or can you install it on a clean disk straight from the CD? I like the idea of trying this, but I don't have 3 gigs to spare right now.
shhhhhhhh dont tell MS ;)
liqbase
i hope linux doesn't grow too fast on the ...
...
... it's acctually the goverment of ... every ... ... if these internet shops needed the ... and internet shops ...
desktop since i really really want the phat grafic
card to play quake 4 and doom 5 before i die
i can't really expect a linux wizard to appreciate
gpus anyhow (gui's are for wussez!)
and serious, some people in certain countries can't
afford a legal version of XP, it's like half their
yearly income or something; so this is to be
legal, when the police show-up for "bribe-me" or
pay a fine
each country that is to blame for this
poor country can only sustain a goverment core
that is (relative) filthy rich. rich goverment
can sustain a goverment core that has members that
are farmers (exclude USA). so in poor countries
the economy is the goverment
nevermind
money so badly, then go for open source and games
that run on open source. 'cause most games kids
play in the targeted windows lite market are
playable only on windows
make 95% of their money on games
My computer has been running for over a month and it's not slowing down.
With all those limitations, really they think they can compete with Linux and pirate copies?
A nice portion of people with simple needs, but even willing go a little further than those restrictions allow, as running four things at a time (Browser+IM+email+Word processor?) could pick Linux, anyway.
Even worst is the fact this WILL NOT stop piracy. Believe me, I (3rd world inhabitant) just know about only one computer running XP Home, as it is ugly and running a pirated, cracked Pro version is same as easy as running a pirated Home version.
Of course, I don't care about MS at all, and neither run XP myself, but I wonder if they really expect results about this.
Got Pike?
There is a difference between making an unsubstantiated statement hoping people will yell "right on!", and making a statement backed by an explanation of one's experience.
:)
True but neither is inherently trollish and the second is more likely to form the basis of a troll. Getting people to yell "right on!" is nothing like trolling. Getting them to write indignant replies is
True but neither is inherently trollish and the second is more likely to form the basis of a troll. Getting people to yell "right on!" is nothing like trolling. Getting them to write indignant replies is :)
I was hardly looking for indignant replies. I was merely stating the facts as I see them. Notice that I presented a balanced viewpoint with ups and downs of each system. (i.e. Unixes load programs slower, but parallelize better than NT. Macs don't suffer from the redraw problems, but the Desktop has several flaws that could lock it up.)
Using your definition, how does one determine when something is a valid opinion that should be heard out, and when it's nothing more than an attempt to cause chaos?
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
We can't allow this! Quickly, my fellow developers! We must remain competitive and produce a distro of Linux that is crippled in a comparative fashion! We can beat them at their own game, and produce an operating system that is crippled in a more superior way than they can cripple theirs! :D
Christopher S. 'coldacid' Charabaruk -- coldacid.net
Oh, you mean the acronyms that came out of nowhere when laptop makers didn't want to use scarry numbers to describe their LCDs? I've always known and referred to resolutions by numbers, not names or acronyms. Heck, didn't even know what all those laptop-res names even meant when I first started seeing them.
how much more crippled can xp get - all that comes with is a browser and not even a good one at that. you still have to buy all the productivity apps to even make the pc useful. just install open source and forget about it - don't have to worry about licenses, viruses, children rendering the machine useless (relatively speaking), and updates are handled much more frequent and professionally - (i.e doesn't break anything). windows is still a standalone by itself os - it has no business being networked.
On Wednesday, Microsoft for the first time divulged specific information about what the Starter Editions will contain. For instance, the bare-bones operating system's screen resolution maxes out at 800-by-600, it lacks support for home networking and shared printers, and only allows three programs to be running simultaneously.
Holy God.
That is the most outstanding advertisement for ANY OPERATING SYSTEM OTHER THAN MSFT WINDOWS that I've ever seen. That's like back when "John Romero is going to make you his bitch" and "Suck it down" were selling games.
These are the same people that are using IRC, Kazaa, Shareza, Emule, Bit Torrent, FTP, Direct Connect, WASTE, and other "share" programs that I don't even know the names of, to download beta editions of longhorn and source code from Win2k. The newspaper and television companies (state-run!) are using "pirated" versions of windows. The people who are using the computers over there are savvy in a way the average American is not. They'd load up Starter one time, and that would be IT. Asians get pissed when they feel they've been taken for a fool; honor on that side of the Lake is a whole new ball-game.
Whoever in the hell came up with this plan should be promoted. Oh yeah, it'll sell like hot-cakes...
The only benefit I can imagine with a "lite" version of windows is that less software and less bugs.
Young Munch in New York City
Just create a virus that starts up before Norton, etc. and opens 3 copies of itself. Windows will take care of the rest. Windows: "Norton, SpyBot, go the hell away. I'm busy running SpyProg, VirOS, and CrazyPop. You'll have your turn after the next drive format."
If you mod me down, I shall become less powerful than you could possibly imagine.
Figure that someone in those countries rich enough to buy a computer can afford an OS. Who are they trying to sell it to, people who live in a vacant lot in a tent? Those people don't even have electricity and if they had the money for a computer, they'd most likely use it to buy food, clothing, and other useful things.
No, it is oriented more towards those lucky enough to be hired as managers in factories or that own their own business and can afford a computer, who are smart enough to realize that either Linux or Windows XP Pro is much better to use than this crippleware. $50 for crippleware, or $0 for Linux which has no limits, hmmmmm, tough choice.
Those unlucky enough to be hired as factory workers will be using their $100 to $200 a month for food, clothing, rent, transportation, etc and not have any left for a computer much less an OS.
Plus Linux is more compatable with countries that have a Socialist/Communist government, or believe in something like Buddism that rejects materialism. All they will see the XP crippled edition as would be a piece of crap that a materialist company is trying to force them to buy.
Remember, Slashdot does not have a -1 disagree moderation, and no, troll, flamebait, and overrated are not substitutes.
I can't open more than three at at time now. Then that blue screen comes up.
Windows 3.1 didn't have much competition. MacOS was more mature, but it cost more since you had to buy Apple hardware. And X Windows only ran on expensive Unix workstations.
M$ also illegally charged PC manufacturers for every PC they sold, regardless of whether it had Windows or not. Manufacturers in turn used Windows whether the customer asked for it or not, since they were paying for it anyway.
These conditions no longer exist, which makes Windows XP Starter Edition a non-starter.
I wonder if they will have left the same loop hole they have had in the past, whereby servicepacking it removes time limitations or removes other restrictions ? Wouldn't surprise me !!
"Welcome to Hell - Here's your copy of Windows"
And yet half the users out there seem to want to lower their res to 800x600 when we give them nice new 17" CRTs and LCDs.
Windows looks TERRIBLE no matter what res you work at, using OS X or even KDE for a few days will make you never want to touch the Windows GUI again.
"Sometimes, I think Trent just needs a cup of hot chocolate and a blankie." -Tori Amos on Nine Inch Nails
You are a full of shit zealot evangelist. You do not cite any of the "facts," and I know several people who utilize Cyrillic and the Chinese and Hebrew support in Windows with great success. All my run ins with language support on incompletux Linux is this: The mere presence of the language support causes several applications to not build properly. Obviously you've never tried actually using language support or compiling stuff to use it in Linux.
Funny, too, that most Japanese *nix hackers prefer FreeBSD. Must be something about it not sucking.
Why don't you link to a screen shot of you using native language in Linux. Show us how much you know. And I want to see an application from every category with it working - browser, Gimp, "Office Suite," etc.
That's what I thought, no picture forthcoming. Now you shut the fuck up, cough up your "studies" and a screen shot, or more likely, just shut the fuck up.
Ass. By the way, you dont know SHIT about *nix. Nothing. You know nothing and are a computer neophyte.
What are you all acting so surprised about? ServicePack2 evidently does hobble the networking, and a few of the ther items list. Truth in advertising, I guess. Accidental, but nevertheless true.
Got time? Spend some of it coding or testing
It has 800x600 resolution. It has ability to run no more than 3 programs simultaneously. It's from Microsoft. What is it? Hmm.. Let's see. I know! It's Windows 3.1!
I think three applications running concurrently should be enough for anybody.
(Remember that it is more than 200kB per application.)
Sincerely,
Pan Tarhei Hosé, PhD.
"Homo sum et cogito ergo odi profanum vulgus et libido."
pth@ph9:31:~/work/projects/.linuxx$ ps aux | wc -l
3685
pth@ph9:31:~/work/projects/.linuxx$ _
Err, no.
Sincerely,
Pan Tarhei Hosé, PhD.
"Homo sum et cogito ergo odi profanum vulgus et libido."
Yes, but even with full res, full net, great multitasking, will it have XP GUI?
Sincerely,
Pan Tarhei Hosé, PhD.
"Homo sum et cogito ergo odi profanum vulgus et libido."
It is not crippling, not at all. It's just that the GUI used in XP Lite, MS Bob, can only run at 800x600 max.
Sincerely,
Pan Tarhei Hosé, PhD.
"Homo sum et cogito ergo odi profanum vulgus et libido."
I like this new colour scheme. At least my eyeballs stopped bleeding.
Sincerely,
Pan Tarhei Hosé, PhD.
"Homo sum et cogito ergo odi profanum vulgus et libido."
No, sorry. Those 3 concurrent applications include Internet Explorer, kernel and blscrn32.dll.
Sincerely,
Pan Tarhei Hosé, PhD.
"Homo sum et cogito ergo odi profanum vulgus et libido."
Three simultaneous applications, and restrictions on network traffic are much bigger concerns of mine than screen resolution. Hell, I can do an awful lot at 80x25, without needing any graphics at all, but not if I'm going to find myself in a system with severe program launch restrictions.
It was a joke! When you give me that look it was a joke.
Thank you for responding.
I also noticed his rebuttle was more attacking me then backing up his own argument.
I couldn't reply because my high paying programing job lets me leave at 3:30 and I don't have a computer at home. (is 58.27/hr + full benefits high paying still)
Yeah, nothign like a Linux zealot toting the party line of
"M$ 1s th3 5ux0Rz"
Later
I wonder if they're thinking that some people who are running XP without a license, and worried about getting caught, will buy a copy of this and leave it on the shelf unopened. If they're caught, they're guilty of having the wrong version running, but they do have something. Maybe under some legal systems that's a help? That would let Microsoft generate some revenue, and introduce people by baby steps to the idea of buying licenses.
+5 FUNNY!!! (see teh link)
The party line is the communist party line.
/peace officer your name is UNDER FIRE.
I believe in free speech, and that includes things not Politically Correct.
I believe in private firearms ownership - if the Police or National Guard can carry it, I should be able to. Read the Federalist Papers and learn how Lincoln and moreso FDR fucked this country up.
I believe in freedom from warrantless search. There are several laws on the books that allow warrantless search. Even the miranda rights reading and the REQUIREMENT that you tell a LE office
I believe in the right not to self incriminate. All confessioans should be considered to have been given under duress. No one should confess without a lawyer present.
I belive in facing the accuser. Thes new rape trials are bullshit where the accusers can hide from the effort to prosecute.
I believe as it says in the constitution, any dispute of $20 or more should get trial by jury. Verizon and other wireless SCUM would stop fucking us if everytime we had a dispute we brought them to COURT.
I believe the death penalty is state and federal murder and is designed to get rid of a living witness. It is cruel and unusual.
The current federal and state governments are illegal as thier powers are NOT enumerated in the constution, and we the people reserve all rights not delegated. The bill of rights is a WHITELIST, never a blacklist. Prohibition is illegal. Including NFA weapons.
The elector system was designed to keep a strong third party from forming. The winner takes all approach to government leads to radical leftist thinking becoming law when the treasonist have power. When they dont, the fillibuster Judge nominations to better control the illegal making of law by the judiciary.
"nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Diane Feinstein got a concealed carry permit in California. I cant. No equal protection. Treason against me and the people. Also, My rights to own property, namely guns I wish to purchase which ARE NOT federally prohibited (federal prohibition is illegal too) the state further illegally destroys my right to property.
Amendment 16, the taxation of income, is illegal because 3 states did not ratify it.
We are losing the spirit of Madison, Jefferson, Franklin and others. The constitution is the KONSTITUION NOW and we are prisoners of a treasonist government. HELP FREE THE PEOPLE!
Yeah, ok. Troll away.
You won't get a screenshot. I'm not likely to get Linux going in an Asian language for a simple reason...I don't speak or read any. And I never claimed to. I merely said I had read studies which claimed that new computer users in Asia found Linux easier to deal with than Windows, and that those studies cited Microsoft's poor language support as a reason for this. Then, after you, dickless troll, called me a liar and produced no conflicting evidence whatsoever, I humored you and showed you where you could purchase one of the studies I had read information from. But that wasn't good enough; your outrageous trolling must continue. Worse, you continue to beg for the studies, even after I showed you one.
I've not used incompletux Linux, and I'd recommend against it...doesn't sound promising. And you probably shouldn't be trying to take an English distribution and bootstrap it over to exotic languages unless you know what you're doing, and obviously you don't. So, if you want that support, I suggest you get any of the numerous distributions custom built for those localities. Keep it an apples-to-apples comparison; if you buy a machine with Windows in one of those places, it will come tricked out special for your market.
Of course, that's a silly suggestion; it's quite clear that you don't actually use Linux, nor do you ever intend to. It is impressive, though, that you grasped that "stuff" needs to be "compiled" to use it in Linux. Jackass.
So, respond in kind, if you've any balls; let's see your study that shows the opposite, which isn't funded my Microsoft. And while you're at it, let's see your evidence for most Japanese *nix hackers preferring FreeBSD. Not because I have anything against BSD (after all, I work at an ISP, and the production servers I administer practically all run FreeBSD), but just because I am fairly certain that you pulled that directly from your incredibly loose asshole.
And since you "have friends" that use Microsoft's fantastic language support, surely you can produce a screenshot for us, right? Oh, and let's see it in an Asian language that's not Japanese or Mandarin Chinese...in other words, a language that isn't on the top echelon of profitability.
Oh yes, and by the way, it's very impressive the way you can tell exactly what someone knows about computers and Unixlike systems from a two-post exchange that contains no discussion of Unix usage or technical computer topics. Yes, with an attitude like that, you must be well-employed and have throngs of beautiful women surrounding you. Of course, your idea of "well-employed" probably involves your left fist in your asshole while your right jerks off, and the throngs of women probably have lots of wrinkled spots on their paper bodies from just that sort of employment.
Given a choice between free speech and free beer, most people will take the beer.
Just in case you were wondering, no one believes that you program for a living. Nor does anyone believe that if you did you would command the level of pay you made up. Furthermore, no one believes that you are a different AC from the one above you.
I'm glad I could clear all that up.
Given a choice between free speech and free beer, most people will take the beer.
As though you needed to show everyone even more incontrovertibly what a complete fool you were, you decided to start talking politics. Fine, I'm game...I'm just going to pick some of the really, really dumbass ones:
I believe in private firearms ownership - if the Police or National Guard can carry it, I should be able to.
Right...because our constitution obviously allows unrestricted crazies to carry apache helicopters? Wrong. It's a damn shame that no one seems to remember that the words "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state," comes right before the words, "the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." Should you be able to carry nukes around, dumbass?
I believe as it says in the constitution, any dispute of $20 or more should get trial by jury.
I can't find any reference to $20 in my copy of the Constitution. It's one thing to make up statistics about Japanese Unix hackers....but seriously, it's pretty easy to catch you when you make shit up about the Constitution.
The current federal and state governments are illegal as thier powers are NOT enumerated in the constution, and we the people reserve all rights not delegated. The bill of rights is a WHITELIST, never a blacklist.
Constitutional law is significantly more complicated than your childish wailings suggest. As a matter of fact there is a wealth of interpretation and Constitutional law created through the court system which holds plenty of sway, and you are just wrong as hell.
The elector system was designed to keep a strong third party from forming. The winner takes all approach to government leads to radical leftist thinking becoming law when the treasonist have power. When they dont, the fillibuster Judge nominations to better control the illegal making of law by the judiciary.
First, you confuse illegal making of law with necessary interpretation of law. Second, it's downright hilarious to talk about radical leftist takeovers when we've got John Ashcroft in the Attorney General's office. You are a really dumb motherfucker.
Diane Feinstein got a concealed carry permit in California. I cant. No equal protection.
Well, it's hard to argue with whatever policy they have there that is keeping deadly weapons out of the hands of mentally unstable dumbshits like yourself...
My rights to own property, namely guns I wish to purchase which ARE NOT federally prohibited (federal prohibition is illegal too) the state further illegally destroys my right to property.
Does California's Bill of Rights guarantee you unlimited gun ownership? Because the federal Bill of Rights does not keep the states from adding their own restrictions. In other news, that is not a sentence.
Amendment 16, the taxation of income, is illegal because 3 states did not ratify it.
This one is really my favorite....it just shows how you know absolutely nothing about the Constitution, yet you can still work yourself into an indignant, sophomoric bout of bullshit whining. For an amendment to be added to the Constitution, it must be ratified by 4/5 of the states.
Now that that's taken care of...shut the fuck up. You're out of your fucking league, you bullshit troll.
Given a choice between free speech and free beer, most people will take the beer.
You fucking fool. You fucking fool. Apache's are not FUCKING ARMS.
Article [VII.]
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
There is the TWENTY DOLLAR clause. YOU FUCKING COMMUNIST FOOL DEATH TO YOU.
I nailed you by the way. You took the bait, and you look like the communist fool I accused you to be. AHAHAHAHAHHA
AHHAHAAHHAHAAHHAHA
AHHAHA!
Well, it's hard to argue with whatever policy they have there that is keeping deadly weapons out of the hands of mentally unstable dumbshits like yourself...
Wrong, I'm not federally prohibited and I already own several guns. Your thinking here is treason. Read the federalist papers and see why you should be put in a pillary. Well, I also think the first amendment doesnt apply to you, you are hereby gagged or face prison. Same thing.
Lord Tsarkon is certainly different that the other person you assaulted. I defend those against disgusting scum. You are a fool, a scum, and you sould have your legs chopped off and live as a gimp, you digusting fool, and your dismembered legs fed to dogs.
Waste of flesh.
- I won't get a screenshot because you are a liar. You never ready any study that implies anything you said. You are lying like a rug. The burden of proof is on you, since you made baseless claims.
- NLS support is not working properly in any Linux distribution right now. Since linux is incoherent, NLS support cannot be applied to all applications for it.
-I've used Linux extensively, and I can tell by your mouthing off you know nothing of it technically. In fact, I regularly modify kernels (with my own and other's patches) to be used in appliances that people pay money for.
- Look at the committers for FreeBSD. Explain PC98 support. Are you actually going to imply here that the FreeBSD project doesn't have a disproportionately large Japanese contributing community when compared to other projects? Please.
- List of Microsoft supported languages:
Arabic Afrikaans Armenian Albanian Baltic Azeri(Cyrillic) Central Europe Azeri(Latin) Cyrillic Basque Georgian Belarusian Greek Bulgarian Hebrew Catalan Indic Croatian Japanese Czech Korean Danish Simplified Chinese Dutch (Belgium) Thai Dutch(Netherlands) Traditional Chinese English (Australia) Turkic English (Belize) Vietnamese English (Canada) Western Europe and United States English (Caribbean) English (Ireland) English (Jamaica) English (New Zealand) English (Philippines) English (South Africa) English (Trinidad) English (United Kingdom) English (United States) English (Zimbabwe) Estonian Faeroese Finnish French (Belgium) French (Canada) French (France) France (Luxembourg) French (Monaco) French (Switzerland) Galician German (Austria) German (Germany) German (Liechtenstein) German (Luxembourg) German (Switzerland) Greek Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Italian (Italy) Italian (Switzerland) Japanese Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian (FYROM) Malay(Brunei Darussalam) Malay (Malaysia) Mongolian (Cyrillic) Norwegian (Bokmal) Norwegian (Nynorsk) Polish Portuguese (Brazil) Portuguese (Portugal) Romanian Russian Serbian (Cyrillic) Serbian (Latin) Slovak Slovenian Spanish (Bolivia) Spanish (Chile) Spanish (Colombia) Spanish (Costa Rica) Spanish (Dominican Republic) Spanish (Ecuador) Spanish (El Salvador) Spanish (Guatemala) Spanish (Honduras) Spanish (International Sort) Spanish (Mexico) Spanish (Nicaragua) Spanish (Panama) Spanish (Paraguay) Spanish (Peru) Spanish (Puerto Rico) Spanish (Traditional Sort) Spanish (Uruguay) Spanish (Venezuela) Swahili Swedish Swedish (Finland) Tatar Turkish Ukrainian Uzbek(Cyrillic) Uzbek (Latin)
- You are a fat, sexless unemployed fucking idiot with no life.
Fuck you OTAKU and goodbye
Pure balderdash, poppycock and bullshit flim flammery. You are an armchair activist, but your loose conjecture will never make you money. Mister know the market, put some money in the market and show everyone that your prophecies are true by making money with them.
Thats what I thought. Now go back to being a poor Otaku
Federal law is supposed to be supreme law. The constitution states that any powers no delegated by it are reserved by the states and the people. This doesn't give carte blanche to the states to deconstruct federal law, you couldn't have a state that banned free speech. Those rights are supposed to be inalienable. Period.
Secondly, the states must ratify by 3/4 supermajority, not 4/5. So while you go and laugh about knowing your stuff, you got many things wrong about the constitution. The twenty dollars bit was rather laughable - its the 7th amendment!
On the comment about Mandarin: I hope you know that the Chinese writing system is unified, the language spoken is not. So - for the most part, support for both methods of Chinese character display will cover all the country's dialects.