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XP Starter Edition Examined
de la mettrie writes "C-Net reports that analysts do not recommend using Microsoft's new 'Windows XP Starter Edition', a low-cost XP version aimed at the Asian market (and previously covered on Slashdot). The report notes that numerous networking features are removed, and the Starter Edition allows only three applications to be run concurrently. According to Microsoft, this limitation 'helps [users] stay organized and reduces confusion.'"
...is what Microsoft is trying to do with this release. It's obvious it won't help at all to stem the flow of pirate copies of the full version of XP, it certainly won't sell to businesses, and it'd be suicide for any hardware manufacturer to use it as their pre-loaded OS.
"..this limitation 'helps [users] stay organized and reduces confusion.'"
This new user base may be overseas, but they aren't retarded.
According to Microsoft, this limitation 'helps [users] stay organized and reduces confusion.'"
Because the poor, simple peoples of Asia can't handle the complexities of the full versions of Windows XP? I, for one, am offended.
Yes, and the fact that Windows needs about a dozen applications running at any time to even be usable is interesting. I assume by application we now exclusively mean only those processes that show up in the task bar. I'm also assuming there will continue to be no limit to the amount of junk apps that run in the system tray and are almost exclusively terrible. worthless drains of memory and CPU time.
I am feeling fat and sassy
Are they worried about them being re-exported? If so, they should not cripple the functionality, but cripple the languages. Make it so that all the menus text boxes etc. are only in one language(that cannot be changed). I doubt people in the US want Thai menus etc. They should still be allowed to type in other languages though.
I was actually going to make the same post, only not as amusingly.
I think people are gonna end up with three pointless crapware items in their tray and then won't even be able to launch an application.
STOP . AMERICA . NOW
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Can we play games with this ? If yes then it's perfect for a dual-boot system.
I don't think the INTENT of this product was either racist or classist.
I think the INTENT was to cripple an inexpensive version of Windows in order to preserve the profit margin on the full version.
Now, they had a problem explaining why the crippled version was crippled without admitting the reason was the profit margin protection.
Their spin sounds either racist or classist.
According to Microsoft, this limitation 'helps [users] stay organized and reduces confusion.'"
OK, so Windows XP Home is confusing to use then?
Can we expect this new clever feature in Longhorn?
*sigh*
Don't they even think before talking?
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
'helps [users] stay organized and reduces confusion.'
So people in the US can handle more than 3 apps, but people in S.E. Asia can't? What a bullshit excuse for throwing out a weak piece of crap.
Since when has this country used intellectual elite as a pejorative term?
Clearly, the three application to a session limitation and lack of networking were not features designed to make the OS simpler. They are limitations put in to intentionally criple functionality as that when a user sees a "starter edition" error message, they can also be presented with "That functionality is in the Home version. Please step up by paying..."
Three is clearly an arbitrarly chosen number based on research and testing... the marketing people were then given the number to work with and then spin it.
Good, there's nothing to spy on.
Actually, I'm pretty sure it'd be three visible apps, not processes (malware would tend to run as a background process or service if it's smart); Windows NT and up (2K, XP) with no apps running has over two dozen processes active; just press Ctrl-Shift-Esc and count. "spoolsv", "svchost" a few times, "lsass", "services", "winlogon", "mdm", the necessary "explorer" and "System", etc.
Starter Edition sounds like a great example of legal price discrimination and turning a blind eye to piracy. Starter edition isn't exactly price discrimination. Price discrimination is when I charge a rich person $20 for a hamburger and a poor person $2 for the same hamburger, even though the hamburger cost me $1 to make. Why? Because I want all the money I can get from each person who can afford to pay. This is illegal. Starter Edition is not the same as Home or Professional, so it's not price discrimination, but the principal seems to be the same. Here's where the piracy comes in. Many people in California drive over the 65 speed limit on the freeway. In fact, you'll probably get honked at if you don't. You can even drive next to a cop at 75 with no problem. It's the unwritten law and what is expected. Publicly, Microsoft hates piracy, but to an extent, I believe they silently condone it. Here's why, and I'll use Adobe as an example. Some high school is playing with a pirated version of Adobe Photoshop at home. He can't afford Photoshop and none of his work is for profit or being sold. Adobe loses no money by his use of their product. Now, let's say he gets really good at Photoshop and some day goes pro. Either he, or his company, is going to buy Photoshop for him to use because 1) now he (or the company) has the money to make the purchase, and 2) it's the product that he knows. If he couldn't have pirated Photoshop back when he was a kid, he probably would have ended up using someone elses product and getting good at that. So, this type or piracy, though still illegal, is beneficial to Adobe. The real pirates they're trying to stop are the ones selling mass copies of their product. So this brings me to two, not necessarily exclusive, conclusions on Starter Edition. One) Starter Edition is a legal method similar to price discrimination to get any money possible from the Thais. Two) Starter Edition is a way to milk money from the piracy issue. People may buy this cheap OS instead of using Linux or pirating (because it's affordable). Then, having gained experience on the OS (similar to the high school kid with Photoshop) they will be more compelled to shell out for the full version than to switch to something they aren't accustomed to such as Linux. I feel the three application limit is not for simplicity, but to encourage an upgrade once the user gets used to Windows. An insightful poster earlier pointed out something good I hadn't considered that is relevant to piracy: This may simply be a Microsoft "tax" assuming that new computers come preloaded with Starter Edition. Even though the user is expected to install a pirated version of Windows anyway, they still payed a small increase for the system to be preloaded with Starter Edition.
When you make something worthless, even free would be too expensive.
They say "we'll sell you less for less". But that's not a great offer if they can get more for less elsewhere. They need to put more value in their products. Say, make XP Home and Pro better and make XP Starter what XP Home was.
Businesses don't buy licenses from Red Hat at $3k per server because Linux is cheap.
After enough times trying to run 4 apps at once, I'm betting that Linux is going to look really attractive to anyone who shells out the $4 needed to purchase XPSE. They already spent $100 or more on the system, so they'll want to get as much out of that investment as possible, and the cost of XPSE will far exceed the $4 price. I doubt that XPSE will let you make a 4 headed system, with one cheap pc connected to 4 cheap monitors, keyboards, and mice.
There is exactly one case I can think of where someone will want XPSE, and that's to run Windows games, unless they put in something to prevent dual boot.
This isn't a problem for MS. Their real intent is to prevent users from getting PCs with Linux installed by default. Users that get Linux installed by default might just realize that it's better than (or at least as good as) Windows and keep it.
On the other hand, users who've never seen anything else will be more likely to just replace the hobbled version with a pirated version of Wintendos and, thus, keep the MS monopoly healthy.
If a reasonably large minority of Taiwanese people/organizations were to start using Linux on a regular basis, this might start "The Domino Effect" (as per cold war thinking).
Free Software: Like love, it grows best when given away.