Slashdot Mirror
'Microsoft Should Scrap Bing and Call it Microsoft Search' (cnet.com)
Chris Matyszczyk, writing for CNET: Does anyone really have a deep, abiding respect for the Bing brand? Somehow, if ever I've heard the brand name being used, it seems to be in the context of a joke. That doesn't mean the service itself is to be derided. It does suggest, though, that the brand name doesn't incite passion or excesses of reverence. The Microsoft brand, on the other hand, has become much stronger under Satya Nadella's stewardship. It's gained respect. Especially when the company showed off its Surface Studio in 2016 and made Apple's offerings look decidedly bland. Where once Microsoft was a joke in an Apple ad, now it's a symbol of a resurgent company that's trying new things and sometimes even succeeding. The funny thing about Bing is that it's not an unsuccessful product -- at least not as unsuccessful as some might imagine. Last year, Redmond said it has a 9 percent worldwide search market share, enjoying a 25 percent share in the UK, 18 percent in France and 17 percent in Canada. And look at the US. Microsoft says it has a 33 percent share here. Wouldn't it be reasonable to think that going all the way with Microsoft branding and letting Bing drift into the retirement home for funny names might be a positive move?
...he should have known he was playing with fire by making those pirated discs, even if he did it for a noble purpose.
No, you didn't read the article carefully enough. Please try again.
Those were backup disks. They didn't contain a Microsoft key and they couldn't function without a valid Microsoft key.
For old windows computers, the Microsoft key is located on a sticker on the computer itself. And the backup OS can be downloaded legally and for free from Dell (and other vendors). Then the user just needs to plop the disk in and enter the valid Microsoft key that came with the computer.
Your comment regarding Linux is well taken, and I like Linux, but if a customer only wants Windows restored on an old machine and already owns a valid license of Windows for that specific machine. Putting Linux on it instead, against the customer's explicit instructions and consent, would only upset the customer and would eventually get your business shut down after you did it to enough people.
The guy's only mistake is the way he labeled the disks. That was his only mistake. And yes, he should stop doing that, and maybe pay a small fine. But throwing a guy in prison for so long, for such a minor technicality, is overkill and cruel. He provided those disks mostly at cost. He didn't misrepresent what was inside of them. He didn't commit fraud. He didn't steal anything. He didn't pirate anything. He only tried to provide a convenience for his customers.