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Average User Only Runs 2 Apps, So Microsoft Will Charge For More
Barence writes "Microsoft's decision to limit Windows 7 Starter Edition to running only three concurrent applications could force up the price of netbooks as many manufacturers opt for the more expensive Home Premium. The three-app rule includes applications running in the background but excludes antivirus, and the company claims most users wouldn't be affected by the limit. 'We ran a study which suggested that the average consumer has open just over two applications [at any time]. We would expect the limit of three applications wouldn't affect very many people.' However, Microsoft told journalists at last year's Professional Developers Conference that 70% of Windows users have between eight and 15 windows open at any one time."
Um, well Microsoft's official press statement says: "Starter is a limited functionality SKU with an application limit designed for small notebook PCs in all markets." I'd say that's a bit more than a hint, wouldn't you?
Seriously, such limitations gives the public the perception that older versions of Windows, in particular XP, are a better value and more usable.
If Microsoft plays up the "most people only run 2 apps" too much, that makes it far easier for others to sell people on netbooks, running a non-Microsoft O/S. For browsing, email, and basic word processing many people can't tell the difference / don't care what the O/S is.
Ron
Carrie Fisher just released her autobiography "Wishful Drinking". The cover shows her, as Princess Leia, nearly passed out with martini glass in hand and pills nearby.
Don't think she'll be saving us from the Empire this time around.
Can we get a "-1 Wrong" moderation option?
I live in mexico, my father in law once bought a cheap computer for his son, it came with Windows XP Started Edition. but you could only open 3 windows at a time. Not 3 Programs. if you were using MSN Messenger, you could only chat to 3 contacts. he solved that issue installing MSN Plus with Tabs.
This is an anti-Microsoft Slashdot posting. It does not require citations or proof!
Here in Brazil we have starter editions since before Vista, and the xp starter was even more crippled, it didn't allowed resoltions greater than 1024x768, and even though there were computers with this windows and 17" lcd monitors, wich have a native resoltion of 1280x1024, forcing everyone who bought those to have a blurred screen
People of third world simply use the "free" Windows from Pirate Bay. Simple that.
Religion: The greatest weapon of mass destruction of all time
This article is treating the starter edition as something totally new which we haven't heard of due to Microsoft's diabolical scheming. Microsoft already made similar versions for XP and Vista but nobody heard of them because they were never sold in any developed country. Outside of some bizarre speculation by some bloggers that it'd double as a netbook edition, nobody has said anything about that version being sold outside of developing nations. Whatever the most basic version is that will be sold in the US, EU, Japan, Australia etc. will be like every previous Windows version in that it'll run as many processes as you want.
"Anyone who attempts to generate random numbers by deterministic means is living in a state of sin." -- John von Neumann
Starter was meant to run on lower-spec machines than the full version. The 3-app limit was meant as much as a measure to ensure performance (by not bogging the system down) as it was as an actual marketing technique to make other versions of Windows more populer. Starter is probably going to end up in netbooks (cheap low-spec laptops) worldwide.
Are you sure? I had 3.11, and I thought you still needed Trump Winsock to get internet connectivty.
Windows 3.11 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11 were two different products.
Probably different in the same way that XP Home and XP Pro are different, but they were definitely different.
"City hall" in German is "Rathaus" Kinda explains a few things......
Current trends:
Macs: Growing a lot (7->10%)
Windows: Shrinking slowly (91->88%)
Linux: Flat at <1%
Macs are not cheap. Maybe they're close in the markets they are competing, but they sure don't compete in all and if you accessorize in the Mac store with extra RAM, disk and so on it certainly isn't. You think Windows Starter Edition is going to scare people to Mac? ROFL. As much as we would like to think Linux is close (and IMO it is, technically), there's next to no market pickup of Linux and Microsoft is raising prices in a market segment where there is no real competition. Despite what you may think of their marketing and sales department, I think they got a pretty good idea when they can bleed their customers and when to play nice. Every year slashdot loudly proclaims that this is the year of the Linux desktop and flops shows we got less of a clue than they do, so I wouldn't talk too badly about them.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
You fail: A visit to any 'emerging market' Internet cafe will tell you that for the youth of the developing world, it's all about communication. AIM, Skype, Yahoo Messenger, and yes, even e-mail, and on a regular basis.
Of course, the obvious alternative would be for people to just dig out their old copies of Windows 3.1.
Windows 3.1 had no built in network stack. Microsoft wanted their own propietary service at the time. Third party vendors were the only source if you wanted the internet.
I don't know why dattaway was modded Troll--he's correct. Look at the Winsock article...
Specifically the bullet points that say:
* Microsoft did not supply an implementation of Winsock 1.0.
* Version 1.1 of Winsock was supplied in an add-on package (called Wolverine) for Windows for Workgroups (code named Snowball). It was an integral component of Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.x.
There's no place like
WfW didn't come with a TCP/IP stack though it was all Netbeui... workgroup = local LAN, bascially. You downloaded the TCP/IP addon from microsoft research (it never left beta, but was pretty stable).
If as was common then you were using dialup then you used Trumpet to handle it.
On the contrary, emerging markets haven't got all our legacy infrastructure. They started with mobile phones, wifi and mobile data.. none of this digging holes in the ground crap. AIM/MSN & Skype are hugely popular.
A fascinating read sir.. sadly I am confused as to the relation this has to windows 7.
BTw I am going to put your entry on my blog.
Who should a credit?
Charles Krauthammer, in The Washington Post, Feb 6 2009
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020502766_pf.html
-- "Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words best of all."
The article poster is incorrect and basically talking rubbish.
Windows 7 Starter Edition is simply the next version of "Vista Starter Edition". This is a version of Windows for 3rd world/developing countries to run on old/recycled computers, or possibly OLPC type laptops. You won't find it on any netbooks sold in the Europe or the US. In fact it will probably impossible to purchase it in these areas (as it was to try and purchase Vista Starter Edition).
And yet googling any of that only comes up with three hits: 1 to your comment above, 1 to another PCPro article making that claim, and 1 to the techradar article linked below which refers to a "bumph" (?!?). Funny how this "Press Release" (you know, the information sheets that get RELEASED to generate PRESS) doesn't seem to exist as a PRESS RELEASE. Where is the link to Microsoft's Press Release archive? There isn't one because you're making this shit up!
Skype and AIM are much more popular in many parts of the world than email. Atleast in Europe (Spain, Portugal and Bulgaria from my experience), it is common to print your skype ID on your business card. It allows people to call you relatively cheap (or free). I atleast have one card with no email address, but with skype listed along with phone number.
In true emerging markets it is the same. I have seen immigrants in the US teach their relatives to use skype and yahoochat so that they can make free video calls internationally
Email on the other hand is a hassle since not everyone understands all the scripts properly.
http://slashdot.org/submission/1062723/Cheap-mobile-data-plan?art_pos=2
Except that the licensing for Vista states specifically on the Home versions that you're not allowed to VM it. If you're going to violate the EULA and use the OS illegally, might as well just pirate the full version and not give them any money.
I think you may have had a "modified" version (or at least an addon to include TCP/IP). WfW was the O/S we used on the first network I built, and we used IPX/SPX because IIRC that and NetBEUI were the only two networking protocols I remember being available (there might have been others, but I distinctly recall TCP/IP *not* being an available choice).
MCSE? No, sir...I don't do Windows. Yes, I am an idealist. What's your point?
Hmm, lets not just guess at this, and try it out on a Windows Vista starter edition.
I don't know how they actually work out what counts and what doesn't, but it definitely errs on the side of letting you have a lot. Hell, we even tried SQL Server and it doesn't count!
Also, you can have as many instances of any of those as you like. So if you want 10 explorer windows, 5 notepads, 4 IE windows and all those useless tray icons, that's fine. That's 2 applications, you've still got one left!. I think that Office only counted as one, even if you used 2 different apps from it (Word and Excel for example)
It's not quite the crippleware version that people assume. I reckon most users would never notice. Of course, you're right that most users also have more crap running than they need, but from what I've seen of Vista Starter, it won't actually stop them running the things they do want.
1 MSN Messenger
2 AOL AIM
3 Yahoo! Chat
You are probably right that they will likely run one of these and possibly two, but some people may stumble on Pidgin and use all three in one app.
6 Facebook, MySpace, Blog (and who knows how many more open IE windows)
IE is a single app.
7 Perhaps Word to switch to when the parents walk in (I'm doing homework!)
A wikipedia page on a vaguely school-related topic (history, most likely) could suffice.
8 Maybe a game or two open (nothing heavy, but something)
"Nothing heavy" likely would mean a browser-based flash game. In the already-running IE.
9 E-mail (Thunderbird, OE, etc)
Again, open in IE. Most people don't use a standalone email client outside of work.
10 Video Chat window
May be mergable with the IM apps.
Anything else I'm missing?
Like jonbryce said, a media player. Likely iTunes.
Also, ATI/nVidia/sound card taskbar apps.
Google Desktop (and assorted apps such as Earth).
Malware.
Windows 3.11 (not Windows 3.11 for Workgroups) did exist, but it wasn't a major release. It was primarily an minor, service pack-like upgrade of Windows 3.1. Since this was back in the day before Windows Update, not many people actually installed it, or even knew about it. I don't think Microsoft released it in its own right except for a select few OEMs.
For that matter, there was, IIRC, a Windows 3.1 (not 3.11) for Workgroups, as well, though it didn't get the same amount of traction as its successor, and was quickly replaced/upgraded to the more familiar 3.11. But I believe WfW 3.1 was the first version of Windows to implement SMB shares.
Sean Daugherty "I have walked in Eternity -- and Eternity weeps."
Minor quibble -- kanji is the Japanese word for Chinese characters, and Japanese really only makes use of ~2,500 kanji or so on a regular basis, with a total lexicon of maybe ~5,500. If you mean Chinese characters as used in Korean, say hanja. If you mean Chinese characters as used in Chinese, say hanzi. (Naturally, all three words are 'spelled' the same way when using Chinese characters.)
That aside, if you're at all interested about typing in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or various other non-Latin-based scripts, look up "input method editor" or "IME" on Google. I'm a Japanese-English translator by trade, and I've also studied some Chinese and Korean. I routinely have to type in at least one of these non-Latin scripts, using my stock-standard US keyboard. The IME is programmed to read in certain Latin character combinations and convert these into the appropriate script, offering alternates when these exist.
So say I activate the Japanese IME here in MS Word and type in "seikou" and hit the space bar -- I get a drop-down showing 23 different possible kanji renderings for this reading, together with hiragana and katakana. Well-programmed IMEs also allow for new renderings to be added in addition to the built-in dictionaries.
The sheer number of characters required, and the ridiculously huge keyboards needed to input these in any hardware-based solution, is precisely why computers took so much longer to gain market penetration in China, Korea, and Japan (among other countries). It wasn't until the software capabilities caught up to the linguistic and practical realities that widespread local-language computer usage was feasible.
Cheers,
"What in the name of Fats Waller is that?"
"A four-foot prune."
Windows 3.11 was not an operating system, as you had to have DOS (an operating system) installed before you could install Windows.