I read this morning Microsoft are aiming to provide to Developing countries a version of their Windows operating system and Office for the low sum of $3.
Now many of you will see this as a good thing, and I for one can not argue with the sentiment, giving those with so little the opportunity to get into the technology world at a low cost, when the I.T companies charge so much for their product which would make it out of the reach of so many in the developing nations.
A cynic might say that Microsoft are trying to combat the mass of pirated versions of their software which it is reported the developing world make use of, and of course once you get people on board with the $3 buy in, you can keep them buying year on year as upgrades come out.
After all this is why Microsoft provide Office and Windows at Education pricing, normally anywhere near a 1/4 of the full price the rest of the world pays. If you get people use to using your software in school, when they go into the work place they will ask for it, and will buy it for their own homes, as it is what they are use to.
But I wish to sound a note of caution to those in the developing world eyeing up this $3 deal and viewing it with a positive light.
Along with this Windows for $3 story today, there are also a handful of others which should be a warning of why even at $3, it is a price to high.
- A senior State Department official described an elaborate ploy by sophisticated international hackers. They used a secret break-in technique that exploited a design flaw in Microsoft software
- Dell brings back XP on home systems
- Microsoft Can’t Use Own Software To Pay Washington State Taxes
Windows Vista is incompatible with the state’s electronic filing system, according to a bulletin published by the State of Washington Employment Security Department.
So before everyone rejoices and views this as a boast to legitimate I.T. take up around the globe, please remember, Windows is not the only software out there, Linux and OS X are built on the robust Unix platform, and whilst they are themselves not immune to security problems, there are very low in number, and patched a lot quicker then Microsoft ever do.
So lets show the Developing world that whilst $3 for the initial buy in is a good price, the long term cost for loss of work, from security breaches and time spent patching, is that much greater, and with such a wide range of Open Source applications, they can ignore Microsoft completely and enjoy a more pleasurable computing experience.
Microsoft Windows Alternatives
Microsoft Office Alternatives
Carl Grint
Web Development Consultant
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Posted by Carl Grint 