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Microsoft To Bring Windows 8 Marketplace In 180 Countries

Posted by samzenpus on from the check-the-list dept.

First time accepted submitter mugi writes "The Microsoft Windows Marketplace was so far only available in 63 countries, and only 38 of those were allowed to submit apps. But now, Microsoft is planning on expanding that list considerably and has announced to bring the new Windows 8 Marketplace to over 180 countries at launch."

11 of 69 comments (clear)

  1. Microsoft by kthreadd · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Just for comparison, from how many countries are users allowed to submit from to the Ubuntu Software Center?

    1. Re:Microsoft by Sir_Sri · · Score: 2

      Perhaps a better question is how many are capable of doing so and who's definition of a a 'country' do you want to use. Microsoft not making available a store to a country that doesn't exist according to the US or that partially exist through another country (like some of the small pacific island states) isn't an easy comparison.

      The Windows phone website lists the Macau special administrative region of china specifically, but to me that's really just part of the Peoples Republic of China, so is that really 179 countries, and the moment you start asking questions like that you start realizing that the number of 'countries' in the world is actually hard to count.

      Then of course you have the practical realities to deal with. Not on the list for windows phone are north korea, syria or Iran (although it only lists "Korea" that's the local form both entities would used to describe themselves as they are both the government of the entirety of Korea). That's not microsoft excluding them, that's the US government excluding them and MS being caught up in it as a US corporation, and any US linux vendor would have the same problem.

      At 180 countries you're pretty much hitting everyone with internet that isn't under sanctions and the differences between lists of 'countries' start to depend very much on what you care to count as a 'country'. Technically England and Scotland are separate countries, but both are part of the country of the United Kingdom of Great Britain (along with wales northern ireland and the crown dependencies etc.).

      Another example. The first alphabetical difference on the list of WP8 countries and the list of countries on http://www.listofcountriesoftheworld.com/ is
      Akrotiri, any area on the island of cyprus that is legally part of the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, which as a single entity form a British Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. Confused yet?

      Technically Canonical is based in the UK I think (according to their legal page), so they will be bound by UK (and therefore EU) rules presumably on who they can and can't do business with or even give technology away to. If there is a total embargo on syria for example, well guess what, no new ubuntu downloads for syria.

      Remember sourceforge has had to block Iran Sryia, north korea sudan and cuba (and I think some others).

      For MS to have 180 countries seems like they've hit basically everyone in the world they reasonably can accounting for sanctions, unless there are some african quasi states, pacific micro states, or disputed areas that are not being counted nicely.

  2. 180 marketplaces? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's nice. I will not buy anything in any of them.

    1. Re:180 marketplaces? by BanHammor · · Score: 2

      I see Android tablets in any store that sells tablets, exluding Apple-only ones, of course. You can't really ignore that.

    2. Re:180 marketplaces? by tehcyder · · Score: 2

      That's nice. I will not buy anything in any of them.

      I can see why you posted as AC on slashdot with a daring, controversial opinion like that. It makes a real change to see an anti-Microsoft comment here.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  3. Who's left out? by Mabhatter · · Score: 2

    There are only 192-194 countries... Who's left out?

    1. Re:Who's left out? by kj_kabaje · · Score: 2

      I could be wrong, but more than likely the axis of E-vil and other countries MS would be prosecuted for trading with.

  4. Firehose should have binspammed this by AliasMarlowe · · Score: 3, Informative

    Just for comparison, from how many countries are users allowed to submit from to the Ubuntu Software Center?

    All of them, including those which are not generally recognized (Somaliland, etc.) as independent states, provided they have an internet connection.
    BTW, your question (a bit tongue-in-cheek) is just as newsworthy as TFA. Which is to say, not newsworthy at all.

    Slashdot has descended too far down the slippery slope of perdition, and continues to plummet at a depressing speed. In days of yore, commercial propaganda stuff like this "story" would have been stopped in the firehose as binspam.

    --
    Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
    1. Re:Firehose should have binspammed this by Rogerborg · · Score: 2

      ...then he employed his stoner dropout friends as 'editors', they replaced themselves with very small shell scripts, he married his bucktoothed farmgirl and it was happy ever after.

      Honestly, I only come here for the trolls and lulz these days.

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
  5. As much as I dislike... by Darkness404 · · Score: 2

    As much as I dislike the "Applization" of Windows 8 and some of their really stupid new "features" I have a feeling it will be one of my more used OSes until a good Linux distro comes out like how Ubuntu was until a few years ago. Mint with MATE comes close, but to be honest I'm not sure how well MATE (and Cinnamon, etc.) development is going in regards to fixing bugs and security issues since many GNOME applications will need the new libraries.

    Someone, please make a Ubuntu for 2012!

    --
    Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
  6. Re:and only US will buy by oztiks · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I quite like the MS marketplace is as, it's like AppStore minus the shit.