"Charlie Wilkes" <charlie_wilkes@users.easynews.com> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.10.24.05.52.56@users.easynews.com...[color=blue]
> On Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:51:02 -0400, jim wrote:
>[color=green]
>> So pirates haven't been slowed down at all, and the rest of us -- the
>> legitimate purchasers -- are left to live with Windows Activation. You
>> really need to ask the question - who's benefiting here? Certainly not
>> users, and given the amount of discontent this is likely to cause,
>> arguably not Microsoft either.[/color]
>
> Ah, but that's not true. Arguably Microsoft DOES benefit.
>
> Whoever wrote this article doesn't seem to understand the big picture.
> Chinese users are accustomed to getting their Windows OS for free.
> Microsoft is afraid that if they can't get Vista for free, they'll
> migrate towards Linux. It wouldn't do to have Linux computers become
> dominant in the world's soon-to-be-biggest economy, would it? So,
> Microsoft provides a "workaround" that committed software pirates can
> exploit, while at the same time putting honest users in a vise to squeeze
> out the last possible drop of licensing revenue.
>
> It's called "screwing your best customers." It only works for so long,
> which is why Microsoft's star is on the wane.[/color]

I still can't understand why Microsoft hasn't learned the lesson that razor
and printer manufacturers have long ago...give away the OS and sell the apps
to make it useful.

It's like giving away the razor and selling the blades or giving away the
printers and selling the ink cartridges.

Besides, if the OS was free, there'd be less government intrusion. You
can't be a monopoly if you give the OS away. And, you don't have to reveal
as much about anything that is free to government agencies.

I may be wrong here, but I don't think they can (under current law) make you
publish APIs or other proprietary info when the "product" is free.

So, give away the OS (or make it ****ed cheap - like printers are now), and
make your money on the apps and services provided to government agencies and
businesses that run the free (or cheap as hell) OS.

If Windows was free, Linux and Macs would fizzle out overnight (not that
they're really cooking now).

jim