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Microsoft To Sell Win XP Starter Edition In Russia
Garabito writes "Cnet reports that Microsoft plans to distribute in Russia the low-cost, stripped-down version of Windows XP, called 'Starter Edition.' This release of Windows is aimed at markets in developing nations, and is known for not allowing more than three applications to run at the same time and not being networking capable. This product will not be available on retail, but will be distributed by OEM vendors in new PCs, at an approximate price of US$36. On a side note, the article also states that the MS tax paid by vendors to Microsoft for Windows XP licenses is $70 or more."
..ahh, why bother.
"BSD: Free as in speech. Linux: Free as in beer. Windows 10: Free as in herpes." --Man On Pink Corner in #52607549.
Microsoft loses money on the deal, everyone is happy.
Microsoft is going to sell Win XP starter edition.
What did you expect here?
...that's about what the full version is worth.
"Like fire and fusion, government is a dangerous servant and a terrible master."~RAH
Customer rips off Microsoft!
I'd like to see anyone willing to pirate thing thing :)
Only runs three applications. Sells at a bargain basement price. Can't network worth crap. So basically: Russia is getting the unsold copies of Windows 95. Kudos to MS for figuring out a way to recycle their backstock rather than dump it in a landfill.
-The Libra
"Please be patient--The future will begin momentarily."
With the current surge of spyware, viruses (don't get into the virii / viruses battle) and other malware, this may be the best feature yet :)
that somebody at Microsoft is getting an award for this idea. It is just the culture of Microsoft that something this stupid is going on.
Marketing Exec One: Let's try selling our stripped-down, crippled version of Windows to stop piracy and stop this "Linux-thingy" in Russia. Nobody there will know the difference
Marketing Exec Two: Brilliant!
One week later in Redmond at a special award ceremony:
Bill Gates: We hereby award this plaque for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Marketing Excellence (apologies to the Simpsons). Marketing Exec One has devised a brilliant plan to stop piracy and the Linux cancer in Russia. Brilliant!
And so life goes on in Redmond.
No trees were harmed in the composition of this; however, numerous electrons were inconvenienced.
and all this time I thought the cold war was over.
This release of Windows is aimed at markets in developing nations, and is known for not allowing more than three aplications to run at the same time and not being networking capable.
So, with XP's kernel, Microsoft's spyware and a user's app, the user might not have enough resources to launch a virus !
(BTW, with no network, one wonders where he'd get one from)
Trolling using another account since 2005.
> Why would anyone want to pay 36 USD for an
> operating system which isn't capable of networking
> and multitasking past 3 programs?
Well, windows are very well known to crash when you have more than 2-3 programs running, so I expect this edition to be the most stable windows ever sold. The cheapest too...
No.
You can't run more than three applications at once?
So that's
1 - Anti virus
2 - Firewall
3 - Anti spyware
Nice....
Sunday you're Thinking Different, Monday you're a huge tool, paying too much and waiting to think like everyone else.
After years of development, MS finally introduces the first truely secure edition of the Windows XP operating systems. Implementing a feature many security experts believe essential to make XP secure, MS enters the next level of secure computing and brings groundbreaking new security technology to its customers.
An MS spokesperson was quoted as "Our users were not using the network anyways." and "Speculation that this is a step backwards by 15 years are completely groundless.".
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
> This release of Windows ... is not ...networking
> capable.
Hey...how come Russia gets the secure version of XP?
---eludom
Why would anyone want to pay 36 USD for an operating system which isn't capable of networking and multitasking past 3 programs?
DUH, for security reasons.
Yes, but most of those don't own a computer.
> I know this might sound rather crazy but the beauty of linux is that it would be trivial to create a linux "Starter Edition" equally crippled ?
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
...is Russia when their unit of currency is a rock. Not a refined rock, mind you, but instead leftover bits from disasters.
Was it Microsoft itself, who named us 'developing nation'? We had better sending a few nukes in response.
> Oh my god... XP is Bad in the Proffesional Edition, an in the Home edition no words.. but, THIS EDITION?!?!?!!?!!!? Jesus.... NOT NETWORK SUPPORT???!??!!?! What the Fuck! microsoft is go to down.... Linux Power... The Freedom it Self...
Hmm, do you think Babelfish could translate that? Maybe it has an "IDIOT" to "ENGLISH" setting?
1-Word
2-IE
3-Solitair
Now there's no room for the virus or spyware to run.