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More Details on Cut-Rate Windows OS For Asia

Posted by michael on from the take-my-software,-please dept.

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.

3 of 451 comments (clear)

  1. Better link by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Without crazy colors

  2. Limited to 800x600? by Lispy · · Score: 4, Informative

    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.

  3. Government Involvement by geomon · · Score: 4, Informative

    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!"