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Would You Use Ad-Supported Windows?
An anonymous reader writes "ZDNet reported earlier this week that Microsoft was thinking of offering an Ad-Supported version of Windows. A blog post by John Carroll offers some reasons why Ad-Supported Windows makes sense. From the article: '4. More revenue through targeted marketing: The holy grail of marketing is to target an audience with the sort of ads that most appeal to them. Sending a bunch of male programmers advertisements for breast enlargement isn't terribly useful. Sending a bunch of male programmers advertisements for a four hour extended version of Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan is useful.' Is there any situation where you can see yourself open to the possibility of using an Ad-Supported operating system?"
There's a 4-hour version of Wrath of Khan?
> Sending a bunch of male programmers advertisements for breast enlargement isn't terribly useful.
Breast reduction, on the other hand...
... Redhat buy ads?
Sigs are so 1990s. No way would I be seen dead with one.
If there is an ad-supported version of Windows, the ads would be intergrated on the level of the operating system (like a rootkit). Doesn't this sound like a bad idea? What will happen when a less-than-well-intending firm finds out how to use the ad system and hijack it? It would be almost, if not impossible, to remove.
The American computer-using public is used to "ad-supported" meaning "free to me." We're also used to "ad-supported" meaning "not going to last very long."
Would the OS be crippled? Could a purchase un-cripple it (and remove advertisements)?
And how intrusive are these ads? Is this a thirty second video commercial while the OS loads, or am I going to be receiving pop-ups every 30-45 seconds? Am I sacrificing monitor space to keep a banner ad on the screen at all times?
x = x + ++x;
Windows is not yet ad-supported??? Does that mean that all these porn and viagra ads popping around when I use winodws are not normal?
I gave up with the idea of an useful sig...
Isn't it already ad supported within like 10 minutes of being connected to the internet ???
A non-intrusive Google-Ads-like system I could live with. A bar containing seizure inducing banners and annoying "Catch the monkey and win a gazillion iPods" flash ads would be intolerable. It depends on how it is implemented. Of course, why not just use a prexisting free OS?
Even though you can try to justify it and I am sure there are some isolated usefulness, I'd say NO, at least for work PC. We have enough trouble with email and IM itself (there have been a lot of stories on those on /.); the last thing we need is some ads popping up when someone is trying to work especially in crunch time. It might work for home editions or home users, but professional uses - NO. I don't care how contextual the ads are, they are a distraction and I bet they will be flash based or something more silly and obnoxious or at least they will evolve in to those.
No. There is no situation where I would be open to using an ad-supported OS.
My philosophy about an OS is that it's merely a functional component of my computer, like the processor, or the RAM, or the hard drive, or the keyboard, etc. Would you be open to using ad-supported RAM?
Anyhow. . . I'm sick of ads. Even my tolerance for ad-supported TV has almost run out. The only thing that keeps me watching TV is the ability to record shows on my DVR and skip over commercials when I watch later.
I am gonna go out on a limb here. Isnt this the ideal way for MS to get consumers to adopt Palladium (or whatever they are calling it this week)? I mean, isnt it much easier to avoid liability for product performance, restrictions, etc... if there is no charge? This sounds like the MS of old -- give it away for free.. keep em / get em hooked, then unleash the dogs (in the form of DRM etc...). Just my 2cents.
Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master.
Even though you can try to justify it and I am sure there are some isolated usefulness, I'd say NO, at least for work PC.
Personally, I think it's a great idea. If Microsoft moved all their Windows products to Adware, then computer users would start to grumble. Computer users grumbling will eventually produce a desire to move off of Windows. Then I'll come along and charge $150/hr to set them up with "more technologically advanced Macintoshes". See? It's a win-win for everyone!
Of course, I'd need to take my time setting up the Macs. The blasted things are too damn easy to install. I don't even need to ghost the machines! Just extract all the Applications they need. Hmm... maybe I can find an old 10MBit hub. Preferrably with plenty of collisions. Or maybe I'll just charge thousands of dollars to make up a study saying that companies could save money by moving to Macs...
* For the humor impaired, the above is a joke. I don't usually advertise the fact that I make up studies.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
four hour extended version of Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA (sucks in air) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA (sucks in air) AAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!
While an alternative "free or low cost" version of Windows supported by ads might be attractive for some users, I have a really big feeling that if this actually gets implemented, the normal versions of Windows are going to start having ads too.
Right now, I can buy a Dell Dimension with XP home preinstalled, spend a half-hour uninstalling all the useless crap they load on there, and get the machine into a relatively professional state. If I want a machine that comes in a professional state, I have to pay a significant premium for an OptiPlex or something.
How much you want to bet that as soon as this gets implemented the next "home" version of Windows will have ads all over the place with no option to turn them off?
"My Documents...sponsored by Coca-Cola!"
Believe it or not, I remember once I saw there was an experiment in which a company (I do not remember if it was Dell) gave away free computers to the users which where add suported (this was more than 8 years ago).
It was FreePC.com, IIRC. They were a separate startup that thought they would make it big by offering a PC with a real resolution of 1024x768, but an effective resolution of 800x600. (The rest was ad space.) They also provided the dial up service. Many people (myself included) signed up for the offer. Unsurprisingly, the company went under long before most people (again, including myself) actually received their PCs.
BTW, they had a monthly charge if you didn't watch enough ads. I think the problem they had was that they couldn't line up enough advertisers to make a profit, and they couldn't charge the users for actually looking at their placeholders.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Hell no Windows must go! Hell no Windows must go!
Has anybody seen the film Coyote Ugly, set in a bar where the hot female staff dance on the bar-top? It's pretty shit, but one thing I remember was them chanting 'Hell no h20' and going crazy whenever somebody asked for water.
Reading the parent's comment, I instantly pictured him working in a computer shop, where whenever somebody asks for a copy of Windows, he and the technicians get up on the counter and start chanting 'hell no Windows must go' while gyrating and swinging their black Metallica t-shirts above their heads.
An amusing, yet utterly revolting, picture.
Mother, do you think they'll like this sig?
show announcements by displaying PowerPoint slides (using the free viewer)
That'd be fantastic with ad-supported windows.
[PowerPoint slide transitions in]
Church Potluck, 2pm
Last Name A-J, Salad
Last Name....
[popup]
ENLARG3 Y0UR P3N1S N0W!!!!111
Sony ha
I have enough problems trying to keep spyware/adware ads from displaying on my Windows desktop. Now you want the OS itself to support the displaying of ads?! I can see a lot of users not realizing they have spyware then. Oh that ad? it's just Windows advertising.
Having a smoking section in a public restaurant is like having a peeing section in a public swimming pool.
There already a fair few bits of advertising hook ins.
-the sign up to MSN/AOL stuff on an XP home system
-default search through MSN; pre XP SP2 that would even bring in popups
-the 'buy more music like this' hint when you browse a folder full of MP3s.
-the 'print your photos right now' option when you upload photos
-the 'get a digital ID' button on the Outlook security panel
So its there, its there, just no blatantly in your face.