Microsoft To Give Away Windows/office Package For $3

[Thaising]

Microsoft on Thursday announced its most aggressive move yet to reach more people that do not have the financial resources to purchase a modern, functional software environment: The company will offer a complete software package built around Windows and Office for $3.

The software bundle, called “Microsoft Student Innovation Suite,” (MSIS) includes Windows XP Starter Edition, Office Home and Student 2007, Math 3.0, Learning Essentials 2.0 for Microsoft Office, and Windows Live Mail desktop. According to Microsoft, the software is part of a “new commitment to help close the digital divide” and an effort to “bring social and economic opportunity to the estimated 5 billion people who are not yet realizing the benefits of technology.”

It isn’t the first time that Microsoft targets especially the markets of developing countries. A little over a year ago, the company unveiled FlexGo, a pay-as-you-go program to rent computers and make it easier for people in low-income countries to finance a computer. The new program announced today does not include a PC, but it offers software that would cost several hundred dollars even in student editions for $3.

The offer, however, is limited to a bulk purchase through governments and includes a whole set of conditions governments will have to meet. According to the ordering criteria, governments will have to subsidize the purchase prize of a PC by a margin of greater than 50%, at least 10,000 PCs have to be ordered at once and delivered in a single language in a single year, and the software must be activated using Microsoft’s general software activation process.

While the offer is aimed primarily at low, lower-middle, and upper-middle income countries, Microsoft will also offer the $3 package for high income countries, if those governments agree to sign up for the firm’s Partner in Learning program and limit the (MSIS) software to “underserved communities.”

“All human beings deserve a chance to achieve their full potential,” commented Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, in a prepared statement. “Bringing the benefits of technology to the next 5 billion people will require new products that meet the needs of underserved communities; creative, new business approaches that make technology more relevant, accessible and affordable; and close collaboration between local governments, educational institutions and community organizations.”

[Gumballl]

Governments should pass on this offer. Just use Linux and Open Office, both of which are free. The cost of the PC remains the same unless of course one elects to use Windows Vista (which can drive the cost of a PC through the roof).

[think_too_mut]

Governments should pass on this offer. Just use Linux and Open Office, both of which are free.

That's exactly what MS is trying to fend off. Instead of giving it for free and losing the track how many users are out there, $3 price kind of ensures MS would know as accurate as possible what impact they are making.

They simply could not afford to watch young population switching to free software.

Nice try, MS.

[cdnvic]

I still prefer Open Office

[chingching]

“All human beings deserve a chance to achieve their full potential,” commented Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, in a prepared statement. “Bringing the benefits of technology to the next 5 billion people will require new products that meet the needs of underserved communities; creative, new business approaches that make technology more relevant, accessible and affordable; and close collaboration between local governments, educational institutions and community organizations.”

Translation:

“All human beings deserve a chance to spend money at Microsoftl,” commented Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, in a prepared statement. “Bringing the benefits of technology to the next 5 billion (times $3.00) people will require new cd's ($.0005) that meet the needs of underpayed CEO's ; creative, new business approaches (hook them on windows while teen-agers) that make technology more relevant, accessible and can compete with piratted software; and close collaboration between local governments (who else can afford to buy all those 50% off older computers that no-one else wants) , educational institutions and community organizations.”

[think_too_mut]

“All human beings deserve a chance to achieve their full potential,” commented Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, in a prepared statement. “Bringing the benefits of technology to the next 5 billion people will require new products that meet the needs of underserved communities; creative, new business approaches that make technology more relevant, accessible and affordable; and close collaboration between local governments, educational institutions and community organizations.”

Translation:

“All human beings deserve a chance to spend money at Microsoftl,” commented Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, in a prepared statement. “Bringing the benefits of technology to the next 5 billion (times $3.00) people will require new cd's ($.0005) that meet the needs of underpayed CEO's ; creative, new business approaches (hook them on windows while teen-agers) that make technology more relevant, accessible and can compete with piratted software; and close collaboration between local governments (who else can afford to buy all those 50% off older computers that no-one else wants) , educational institutions and community organizations.”

Who said hardware is part of that offer?

For Bill Gates, give him some credit. He set up that charity foundation knowing he can't spend his 50 bil US$ for his lifetime.

Also, he took the computers to the masses. Without him, we would have been with VT-100 and 3270 terminals, at offices only, character based and command line and skills hungry. Apple was there too but Bill Gates takes the credit for democratizing the machines.

If anyone remembers Digital Equipment Corporation, they were doing the same in the 70s and 80s. Selling below cost or giving away their PDP and mini-Vax computers to universities and schools. That move returned high yields - an army of young people skilled in programming DEC machines.

Unix was developed by academics, not by a company - and for DEC hardware first.

Bill, the next move - software should be free for non-commercial use. People should pay for the media only, if needed today when it is easy to download anything.

[ZZZ]

Typical drug dealer tactics, hand some out for free to get people hooked and dependent on it, then make them pay

[think_too_mut]

Typical drug dealer tactics, hand some out for free to get people hooked and dependent on it, then make them pay

Is it not then what Red Hat and other Linux peddlers have been doing?

Get free Linux and then pay 1200$ a year for support?

And they just packaged what open community was contributing. Did a shit themselves.

[cdnvic]

Ever see the ridiculous support fees for freeBSD? Trust me, open source software is far from being a bunch of charitable people who want to give away stuff for free.

[ZZZ]

Not sure about Red Hat, sounds more like they are stealing from the open source community.

I'm not that familiar with Linux but have always thought Linux users did have quite a bit of knowledge about computers/software and if they are buying Red Hat I guess they must have added something to the free open source software.

Anyway, MS are in great debt to all the copy pirates as without all those cheap copies Microsoft would not have been used as it is today. Without near free MS software available open source would have taken over by now.

[think_too_mut]

I'm not that familiar with Linux but have always thought Linux users did have quite a bit of knowledge about computers/software and if they are buying Red Hat I guess they must have added something to the free open source software.

That's not how it works in this industry.

It's not about hobby users who may know whatever they know.

It's about making money on assuring the thing is going to work.

Oracle cut down RedHat by offering half price support for Linux. They have skills and infrastructure to do that.

Many people know Oracle, is it possible that RedHat advertises and gets to support Oracle at half price? Give me a break.

People concerned about their jobs and smooth operations want a brand name that brings a robust support with it. Not a Mickey Mouse free-ware.

That's another thing MS has. The infrastructure that will help you and save your bread and butter (possibly a mortgage repayments) if something goes wrong.

[ZZZ]

It's about making money on assuring the thing is going to work.

People concerned about their jobs and smooth operations want a brand name that brings a robust support with it. Not a Mickey Mouse free-ware.

That's another thing MS has. The infrastructure that will help you and save your bread and butter (possibly a mortgage repayments) if something goes wrong.

Assuring the thing is going to work, robust support and if (you mean when) something goes wrong. Is that Microsoft you are talking about

[think_too_mut]

It's about making money on assuring the thing is going to work.

People concerned about their jobs and smooth operations want a brand name that brings a robust support with it. Not a Mickey Mouse free-ware.

That's another thing MS has. The infrastructure that will help you and save your bread and butter (possibly a mortgage repayments) if something goes wrong.

Assuring the thing is going to work, robust support and if (you mean when) something goes wrong. Is that Microsoft you are talking about

Yes, Microsoft.

I get them to analyze core dumps, rip apart their DLLs, acknowledge the bugs and release hot fixes. Quite cooperative and professional company. Only they can do the fixes within 3-4 days. What we get when we need, the public gets in SPs twice a year.

Sun Solaris folks are much harder, same with HP-UX staff. Weeks if not months to get something.

Only IBM AIX people can be compared with MS.

But, it's not a hobby. It's peoples bank accounts, airline reservations, mobile phone emails, high visibility. Just stop email system in any company and see who knows about it. Up to the CEO.

Microsoft is our partner, they rode on us to get into the data centers and into serious business. In return, we like them for their popularity and the revenue they bring to us.

Let the children play. That was the original article.

People who think they are damaging MS...they are like those worms in swiss cheese: while eating it and shitting in it they increase the cheese's quality.

[pumper]

but, what will it go for in Phantip? .. bundled with everything adobe makes..

>>>>

What operating system do the heads of Fortune 500 companies run on their personal laptops? In the case of Michael S. Dell, president and CEO of Dell, it's Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn.

Yes, the head of Dell Inc., with a market-capitalization of just south of $56-billion, isn't just saying that Dell will be selling Linux-equipped PCs in the near future -- he's already running Linux at home.

To be precise, Mr. Dell, in addition to running the latest version of Ubuntu, which is still scheduled for final release on April 19, is also running the VMware Workstation 6 Beta, OpenOffice.org 2.2, Automatix2, Firefox 2.0.0.3, and Evolution Groupware 2.10.

http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS5149877302.html

>>>>

I'm planning on getting a new box at Panthip next year .. if apps for my needs are full featured I might go with a linux box

or a mac

would be easy to switch me from a windows box

>>> Google Apps<<<

not sure what I think of internet based software .. on a dial up..

Google Apps relies on an entirely different concept from Microsoft Office. In Google Apps, the PC is considered an extension of the Internet, merely an access point towards it. That is not the case with Microsoft Office, which was developed with the PC as the center, having the Internet connection as an extension. In other words, comparing Microsoft’s Office with Google Apps is much like comparing apples and peaches.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3050091

[think_too_mut]

but, what will it go for in Phantip? .. bundled with everything adobe makes..

Sure, for people that buy computers at Pantip, not much can be said.

I buy there too, for my personal needs.

However, there is a corporate world that does know or care about Pantip Plaza.

Just think where CitiCorp, Bank of America and tens of thousands of the biggies buy their computers from? Do they know of Pantip?

[pumper]

> Do they know of Pantip? <

their IT dept does.

[britmaveric]

Got Office 07 for a tenner! Corporate/Home policy.