Recent heated topic.. Microsoft is implementing a new gimmick to tackle piracy [Microsoft articel] in United States, Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia starting April 26. If you want to know more, some of the local bloggers already blogged about this, you can have a look here, here and here..
I am actually going to write something a bit controversial.. that despite all their effort, Microsoft actually support piracy.. in some sense.
It has been a while ago when I was having tea with someone (I think it’s James and KC) that we raised the issue of Microsoft actually don’t mind piracy to a certain extend especially among private users.
Their priority is to keep everyone using Windows platform from the very beginning of starting using a computer.
If everyone is familiar with Windows, when they started their working career they will need to use Microsoft Windows.. and the companies will have to supply the workers with Windows. Note that Microsoft is always strict with commercial Windows usage.
If Microsoft started to implement strict control on personal users, they could create a scenario that people will switch to other OS platform like Linux for example.
When people started to familiarize with other free platform, they could recommend to their employers that they don’t need to buy the expensive Windows.
The scenario could create a viral effect and in the end jeorpadize Microsoft revenue.
I am not talking blank, I have experience with real life cases. Last year I have a friend that started a company and needed some PC, well he went on to get the genuine Windows but was undecided on whether to get the Office package as well. I somehow recommended him to try the free OpenOffice and woolah, Microsoft lost 20 Office package because of my simple few lines.
Now WHAT IF I was familiar with Linux? I could have recommended my friend not to use Windows at all.
WHAT IF there are more than just a few people that are familiar with Linux and started recommending their friends and bosses to switch to free software?
When more and more people are using the free software, people might realize that Microsoft Windows is not a must in business.
Microsoft won’t want to see these scenarios, they don’t want any ‘IF’, not at all. The highest priority is everyone is using Windows, and the 2nd priority is to get them using a genuine software.
Anyhow despite Microsoft’s bit of tolerance against piracy, I am not encouraging piracy at all.. please support genuine softwares.
April 27th, 2006 at 9:49 pm
To have an anti-piracy message visible on the screen would definitely turn me to Linux. In fact, to switch to Linux is no longer as hard as 3 or 5 years ago. Now quite a number of Linux distributions have user friendly interface like Windows too. I think the only biggest problem is that most of the software are built for Windows only.
I have 5 CDs of uBuntu (they mailed in 5 CDs a pack for FREE) waiting for me to play with. I will definitely try it out one day.
April 27th, 2006 at 10:50 pm
Actually for business users, the needed applications are not much.. perhaps just the OS, data management, word processor and emails.
All of these could be done without Windows. It’s just that Linux is not popular in Malaysia at all, and corporates would rather spend money on Microsoft rather than using the time to study the usability of other options. For them, time is money perhaps.
Have fun with the uBuntu
April 29th, 2006 at 4:17 pm
um… it’s not piracy then. It’s the open-source & free software movement you’re talking about.
April 29th, 2006 at 11:58 pm
Actually what I am trying to say is that Microsoft would rather support the piracy of Microsoft products than seeing people using other free software.
May 3rd, 2006 at 9:25 am
quite logic..
May 18th, 2006 at 3:59 pm
hmm.. linux susie is not bad.. very nice interface, build-in a lot of stuff like word, power point, excel…
However, jee is right. most software cannot run on linux.. so I think we still need time to switch ..
May 18th, 2006 at 6:26 pm
right kuanchong.. we do need lots of time to switch. I’ll call you and yumcha next week, calling Sean as well.