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Software Piracy Due to Expensive Hardware, Says Ballmer
frdmfghtr writes "ZDNet is running a story where Steve Ballmer tries to pin the blame of software copyright infringement on expensive hardware: 'One way to stem piracy is to offer consumers in emerging countries a low-cost PC, Ballmer said. "There has to be...a $100 computer to go down-market in some of these countries. We have to engineer (PCs) to be lighter and cheaper," he said.' Does he think that cheaper hardware will make copying software harder to do?"
In other news, it was announced that speeding was primarily due to long roads. Starting next year, all roads will be shortened by 10% and this should achieve a 10% slowdown in highway speeds.
Agile Artisans
He's just been seeing too many politicians making absurd claims on television lately, and thought he ought to get in on it too.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Why is that surprising? They let Bush do it all the time, and he's the head of the biggest corporation in the world. ;-)
The House Between - Original Sci-Fi Series
...of CD's is to blame for pirated music.
Let's see, the cost and performance of PC hardware is constantly dropping, and how's the price of software been doing?
You know, if they'd just sell hummers for $100, people wouldn't steal gas anymore.
666-607: 6th floor apartment of the beast
-Errors in MS products behaviour due to stupid user errors.
-Security breaches in Microsoft's products due to plugins.
-Worst hurricane season in Florida in recorded history due to a cyclic weather phenomenon.
-Global warming due to increased levels of CO2.
Okay, maybe Microsoft didn't cause those last couple, but I say we blame them anyway. They've been transferring it just a little too often, and I think it's about time they take on their share.
So, Microsoft, what are you going to do to reduce world emissions? And have you hired out enough landscaping companies to clear away all the downed trees? You better jump on this stuff. You wouldn't want to be declared the cause of cancer, would you? 'Cause I'll do it.
Mod me down and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine!
IT budgets are finite .
IT budgets typically cover hardware, software, and (sometimes) services.
Services are not much of an issue since that typically comes from staffing. It's a lot easier to shift capital money from HW to SW purchases than to shift expensed money from staffing to purchases.
MS doesn't sell hardware. Well, they brand keyboards, mice and xboxes. But that ain't where they make their nut.
Therefore, it is desirable that the entire IT budget be allocated to software. Hardware has to go.
Hardware has to go. QED.
Ideally, MS would prefer that IT budgets are spent entirely on software licenses, and no hardware at all. Without actually installing the software or even opening the boxes, there would no concerns about tech support, liability, or piracy for that matter.
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, it doesn't go away." - Philip K. Dick
No, they don't let him. I'm sure every time Shrubby makes up a word or claims that God speaks through him Dick Cheny beats him with a rolled up newspaper.
Still, he can't change what he is . . . . . .
Only in a Slashdot fantasy can a Slackware install turn into several hours of sex . . . . .
Blue with white text on it.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
So PLEASE don't mention Java Applets. You're likely to get stoned for it.
Hell yeah. I could sure use some Java Applets. Lots and lots of Java Applets.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
I keep my really sensitive information on clay tablets buried in the back yard. I hear they're good for at least 10,000 years, and can never be hacked into over the internet.
Steve Ballmer, citing the high price of gas, noted that the problem is the high cost of new cars.
Subtract one bazillion karma points for actually knowing the price of a Britney CD.