__/ [ Geico Caveman ] on Saturday 28 April 2007 17:29 \__
> Roy Schestowitz wrote:
>
>> '$100 laptop' to cost $175
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>> | However, Negroponte disclosed that XO's developers have been working
>> | with Microsoft Corp. so a version of Windows can run on the machines
>> | as well. It could be the $3 software package that Microsoft announced
>> | last week for governments that subsidize student computers. It includes
>> | Windows XP Starter Edition and some of Microsoft's "productivity"
>> | software.
>> `----
>>
>>
>
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070427/ap_on_hi_te/hundred_dollar_laptop;_ylt=AgTOto3p7k68Zkj5Kf2EgBfMWM0F
>> http://tinyurl.com/2xqtor
>
> Roy,
>
> This does it. I think Windows just managed to lock hundreds of millions of
> new customers, customers who would be even harder in wean (on an average)
> from substandard software because they come from countries (mostly) with
> lower technical expertise.
>
> Consider the following pitch by Microsoft executives to a Nigerian or a
> Pakistani dictator :
>
> "For just $3 more, you can help your citizens get savvy with the advanced
> operating system that the West uses and become engines for growth in your
> economy. Just look at India - where they were 30 years ago and where they
> are now. We will even throw in a few thousand free licenses and make
> a "charitable" contribution to anyone you want if you just sign on the
> dotted line."
>
> They might be hopeless at their primary job of making good software, but
> you have got to hand it to Microsoft people that they definitely plan their
> marketing and sell their stuff better than anyone else. Which is why in
> spite of shoddy products, they are number one.
This might be barred by new legislation in some of these countries. One issue
that has been coming to mind (other than theft, for which there are kill
switches) is click fraud. That said, value of ads are normalised by region.
How long before they find proxies and start SSHing from XO? When the Web
'opens up', just like a Web site or a newsgroup, it doesn't necessarily
raise quality, but at least more people participate. It's only fair.
Just dread the thought of one billion new Windows users, as Gates would
argue. With wireless meashes and Windows XP Starter Edition you'relooking at
one billion new zombies with 100% CPU utility all the time. It's not good
for the world's mail servers, let alone for battery life. The XO boasts
innovation not only in kill switches, but also in security (unprecedented
and previously untested, until recently). Then you have the battery, the DE,
the high-resolution monitor, sunlight effects prevention, etc.
--
~~ With kind regards
Roy S. Schestowitz | GNU is Not Universal (begin recursion)
http://Schestowitz.com | Free as in Free Beer ¦ PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
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http://iuron.com - semantic search engine project initiative
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