[kwlug-disc] free MS software for 3 years

[Khalid Baheyeldin]

On Thu, Sep 24, 2009 at 10:45 AM, Raul Suarez <rarsa at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Savvy business decision.
>
> I've always been of the idea that all the Word sharing (some may call it
> pirating) of the 90's helped solidify Microsoft's dominance in this area.
>

That is exactly what happened in the 90s. My brother, a small business
owner, manufacturing, not tech, switched way before me to Linux because of
the pressure of Microsoft. After the initial "sharing" phase, Microsoft (and
others) got the government in Egypt to have a special branch for
intellectual property, and they were authorized to go to businesses and
inspect licenses, or original CDs. They did this for Windows, AutoCAD,
Oracle, and Novell.

So, he switched to Linux rather than buy thousands of pounds worth of
licenses.

Bill Gates is quoted saying "If they were to pirate software, then it better
be our software". Because after a while, they came and said : "you have to
legalize it" and that meant revenue for Microsoft.


> Now, instead of leaving it to chance they do the same as the drug dealers.
> Give it for free to hook up the client.
>
> Whoever has built an application knows how difficult it is to change
> platforms, both technical and business inertia.
>

The irony here is that the market has changed, with Linux maturing on the
desktop more than it was in the 90s. So Microsoft is offering free to
compete against "Free", not against other commercial providers.

So in a way, Free software has forced them to change their tactics.

Let us see if it gains them market share ...
-- 
Khalid M. Baheyeldin
2bits.com, Inc.
http://2bits.com
Drupal optimization, development, customization and consulting.
Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. --  Edsger W.Dijkstra
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. --   Leonardo da Vinci
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