03.11.09
Microsoft’s Patrícia Fernandes Fights GNU/Linux on Sub-notebooks, Vista 7 Deemed Unsuitable for the Task
“Consider the problem from the point of view of evil, evil being almost always pleasure’s true and major charm; considered thus, the crime must appear greater when perpetrated upon a being of your identical sort than when inflicted upon one which is not, and this once established, the delight automatically doubles.”
–Marquis de Sade
Summary: Signs of misery from Microsoft as Windows revenues dry up (on sub-notebooks) and GNU/Linux is increasingly adopted
Microsoft Portugal has come under heavy fire by those in the country who understand what the company is up to. The Magalhães fiasco, for example, illustrates the company’s shameless intent to ‘addict’ Portuguese children at the expense of taxpayers [1, 2, 3]. A little bit of investigation from this blog has uncovered Microsoft’s PR efforts and slurring of GNU/Linux in the fight over the Magalhães (there is an English translation with some screenshots for good measure).
“The Magalhães fiasco, for example, illustrates the company’s shameless intent to ‘addict’ Portuguese children at the expense of taxpayers.”Leaving Portugal aside for a moment, Microsoft-affiliated people love bragging about the company’s non-existent operating system, whom they bribed influential bloggers to rave about. Some of the most familiar mouthpieces in the press have been peddling the perception that “Windows 7 will ‘kill’ Linux on netbooks’. By endless repetition in this Big Lie fashion, they hope to stifle adoption of GNU/Linux while hiding the realities behind a plan which is bound to fail.
Not many people are sufficiently aware of the fact that Microsoft will distribute a crippled version of Windows, which is limited to running just 3 processes (at most). Intel’s own CEO (Steve Ballmer’s partner in crime) has just admitted that this strategy is likely to fail. As reported yesterday by the Microsoft-influenced IDG [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]:
Otellini: Windows 7 Upgrade for Netbooks Will Be Tough
[...]
Microsoft has a challenge: Sell a Windows upgrade as a way to save money.
The company’s fourth quarter Windows revenue declined 8 percent, as PC buyers opted for lower-priced netbooks that run either Windows XP or Linux, rather than the higher-priced Windows Vista operating system, which does not run on netbook hardware.
There are more new details here:
Reports: Microsoft Cripples Windows 7 Starter Edition in Hopes of Netbook Upgrades
With Windows 7 Microsoft is releasing cheap versions of its OS for netbooks, but faces the challenge of getting customers to buy pricier versions
What type of fool (or fooled OEM) would choose an artificially-crippled operating system over GNU/Linux? And what is going on in Portugal, which chooses an operating system that’s proprietary and no longer properly supported? There is hardly a valid comparison between Windows XP and GNU/Linux, which is a lot more modern and advanced. To achieve this, Microsoft has manufactured lies, just as it’s accustomed to doing as a matter of strategy. █
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Will said,
March 11, 2009 at 10:06 am
It continues to amaze me how much Microsoft is spouting off about their vaporware to anyone and everyone. I mean, marketing a product is fine, even giving teasers about it before release is fine. But getting everyone to write articles about how “Windows 7 will kill Linux” when we haven’t seen the final release version and don’t even have a solid time line for the release date is just silly. Until Windows 7 ships, Linux has about as much to fear from it as it does from the bogeyman.
I know. I know. The whole “evangelism” quote. You know, if the Duke Nukem Forever team could have hired Microsoft to handle their publicity, that might already have become the highest selling game in history due to pre-orders alone.
Renan said,
March 11, 2009 at 2:52 pm
The “Starter Edition” of Windows is sold here in Brazil with low-cost PCs, in an attempt to fight piracy.
However, it backfires, as most people replace it with a pirated copy of Windows XP Professional/Vista Ultimate.
Dave Stewart Reply:
April 10th, 2009 at 10:24 am
That isn’t a backfire. Microsoft would rather you use their software without paying them for it than use the competition’s software, because using their software increases their installed base, while using *BSD or GNU/Linux would reduce it.
As far as they are concerned, those unauthorised windows installations are a loss leader for future lock-in, and by extension, future profit.
Roy Schestowitz said,
March 11, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Renan,
GNU/Linux, not ‘piracy’.
What Microsoft does in Brazil may be considered illegal in some places.
whatever said,
March 11, 2009 at 6:34 pm
OEMs have never sold starter editions in non-emerging markets and I don’t expect any netbook in north america, europe or japan to even have that option. What I do think will happen is that netbook manufacturers will either try to cut a deal to get win 7 licenses in the $50 range and either keep non-win7 prices the same or slightly lower. And despite whatever your ultimate hopes might be, if faced with a choice between linux or an identical system for $50 more with windows 7 — the vast, vast majority will choose windows 7. That’s just the reality.