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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.
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.
'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).
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.
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Except that you're paying for it...
This fits for a company that has gotten people to pay for beta CDs. Not to mention that most of the releases of Windows have felt like Betas anyway. So this is just business as usual, nothing seems to have changed. Makes you wonder if the whole security focus is just marketing fluff too doesn't it?...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 isn't the first to offer a discount for certain countries. $40 or $50 over there is probably worth more than $300 here in the US. Microsoft could give it away for $10 and still make a small profit. The goal is not to make money in that respect, but to keep countries locked in to their products. If they start using linux now, they'll never get them back.
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.
If they do manage to sell these successfully, I'll be even more scared of their Marketing division.
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
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.
-truth
I had a steady B+ in my AI class until I failed the Turing test...
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.
...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
I could possibly understand the limitted networking, maybe even the concurrent application limit, but lower resolution? Microsoft needs to remember that porn is _the_ killer app of the internet, and nobody will stand for lo-res porn.