Thanks, I saw that a few days ago and shared it elsewhere (putting things in perspective using related articles, which I append below). In the links postings I never include any excepts, so I thought adding it here would seem like (or even serve as) Microsoft promotion. I sent it for inclusion in Groklaw though, where bits that show Microsoft attaching strings get highlighted in the form of selective excerpts.

It’s very ironic that the same company which ridiculed the idea of computing for the poor (notably OLPC) hopes that we will suddenly forget this and accept its entrance into this market, provided there’s ‘addiction’ to Windows. Microsoft perceives these people as prospective clients and hopes that its obedient media will perceive and also present this as charity. It’s a win-win situation for Microsoft and at the end of the day it’s more unethical than ethical. To Microsoft it’s merely an investment which is bound to cost these people when they grow older. The same goes for donations to some schools. I ought to accumulate more links and present them sensibly in order to defend this view which is seen as controversial to those who don’t know better. Remember that people are brainwashed to believe all sorts of things, including: (1) software patents are crucial for innovation; (2) DRM defends musicians; (3) open source is, by definition, difficult to use; (4) Free software is about being cheap.

___

   From: Roy Schestowitz
   Subject: [News] [Rival] More ‘Windows Drugs’ for the Poor
   Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy
   Date: Fri, 09 May 2008 02:42:16 +0100

Microsoft to Increase Focus on Handsets for Poor

,—-[ Quote ]
| It’s a subtle change from the past now that Craig Mundie, chief research
| and strategy officer at Microsoft, has taken over the company’s Unlimited
| Potential Group, which focuses on the developing world.
`—-

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/145633/microsoft_to_increa…

The Unlimited Addiction Group is about getting people dependent on Windows, especially where Free software gets adopted. It’s an unethical program intended to identity areas of competition for Microsoft and then dumping dependencies onto them. The group’s leader recently ditched the company. No surprises.

Related:

Governments Must Reject Gates’ $3 Bid to Addict Next Billion PC Users

,—-[ Quote ]
| “Microsoft’s strategy of getting developing nations hooked on its
| software was clearly outlined by Bill Gates almost a decade ago,” said
| Con Zymaris, CEO of long-standing open source firm Cybersource.
|
| Specifically, Bill Gates, citing China as an example, said:
|
| “Although about 3 million computers get sold every year in China, but
| people don’t pay for the software,” he said. “Someday they will, though.
| As long as they are going to steal it, we want them to steal ours.
| They’ll get sort of addicted, and then we’ll somehow figure out how to
| collect sometime in the next decade.”[1]
`—-

http://www.cybersource.com.au/press/gates_set_to_addict_next_billion.html

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/Microsoft-mobile-phone,news-28182.html

interesting, considering the Wintel-moves with OLPC…

However, I need the hits! ~smile~