Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Microsoft Introduces Pay-as-You-Go Computing

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the crash-as-you-go dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Geekzone is reporting that Microsoft is introducing a new business model for 'pay-as-you-go computing.' From the article: 'The pay-as-you-go computing model enabled by Microsoft's FlexGo technology allows customers to have a fully featured PC at home by paying only for the time as they use it through the purchase of prepaid activation cards or tokens. Microsoft has been running trials of the program in Brazil for more than a year and will soon be expanding to select markets in India, Russia, China and Mexico.'" This makes me giggle, because it's basically the return of time-sharing; in the past it was for for mainframe systems, but I suppose the same concept behind the mainframe idea would be true in developing countries today with PC systems.

3 of 328 comments (clear)

  1. On-demand computing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Not exactly time-sharing, but "on-demand" computing. Unisys and IBM are doing this now - it's actually a new concept for them as well...

  2. Re:Giggle giggle by BasilBrush · · Score: 5, Informative

    Hello young un.

    When I first started work, I had to log the time that I logged into my terminal and logged out again into a black book. This was so we could double check against the seemingly extortionate amount of money the time sharing bureau charged us for the time spent on the computer that was on the other end of the line from my terminal. This was around 1983, which will have been towards the end of a practice that had been going on since the 1960s.

    Oh, and your comment about this latest scheme being about licensing software is wrong too. They're hiring the hardware as well as the software. Just as they were in the old time sharing days.

  3. Re:Why? by tomhudson · · Score: 4, Informative

    In case you haven't noticed, its now a LOT easier and quicker to install linux on a box than Windows, so Joe Sixpack is more likely to have success with his email, word processor, browser, etc. with a bare box if he tries to install linux instead of windows.

    Steps to install OS and a ton of apps under linux:

    1. boot off install dvd
    2. answer a few questions
    3. when dvd tray opens, remove dvd and reboot
    4. set all apps and os to auto-update

    Steps to install OS and a ton of apps under windows:

    1. run install cd
    2. answer a few questions
    3. when cd tray opens, remove cd and reboot
    4. for driver_cd in driver_cds: cross fingers; GOTO 1
    5. ... some time later ...
    6. insert app cd
    7. answer a few questions
    8. for app_cd in app_cds: GOTO 6
    9. update antivirus
    10. set OS to auto-update
    11. set antivirus to auto-update
    12. every once in a while: pay to update apps
    13. once a year: reformat to get rid of spyware/malware/trojans/etc; GOTO 1