Did you pay too much for Windows?

Microsoft Offers $3 Software Package for Developing Countries

Quote:

Microsoft is expanding its "Unlimited Potential" initiative to include offering a software package, the Student Innovation Suite, to governments and students in emerging countries across the world at a price of just $3.

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates will use the Government Leaders Forum, which he is hosting in Beijing on April 19, to announce new products and programs under the banner of its existing Unlimited Potential initiative.

The goal of this enhanced initiative is, essentially, to help bring social and economic opportunity through new products and programs to as many as possible of the potential 5 billion people who do not yet use Microsoft products.

There are three primary pillars to this enhanced initiative: education, fostering local innovation, and generating jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities, Orlando Ayala, the senior vice president of Microsoft's new Emerging Segments Market Development Group, told eWEEK in an interview from Beijing ahead of the Forum, which is being attended by 300 of the top influencers in Asia.

A critical component of the initiative is the Microsoft Student Innovation Suite, a software package that includes Windows XP Starter Edition, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, Microsoft Math 3.0, Learning Essentials 2.0 for Microsoft Office, and Windows Live Mail desktop.

The suite will be available in the second half of 2007 for a cost of $3 each to qualifying governments in eligible countries that buy and supply Windows PCs directly to primary and secondary students for their personal use at home and for school work. (continues)

I think this is more of a case of Microsoft trying to price competition out of the market. Unlike most developed countries, many 3rd world countries promote the use of open-source software such as Linux and OpenOffice.org.

Joined: Mar 11, 2005 Posts: 2340

I for one am dumping windows in this developed country. My bias is showing because I wouldn't want Vista if they offered it to me for $3.

Again, my very biased opinion, even if the software only costs $3, how much would the computer cost to be able to run one of the MS supported versions of windows? You can't put 2K, XP, 2003 and Vista on low end computers. The $100 one laptop per child http://laptop.media.mit.edu/ is a much better real world solution. Even $100 is a very steep price for someone earning pennies an hour. I'd rather send a contribution to donate one laptop like this to a school than purchase 99 copies of windows.

User: inactive Posts:

Shucks, I just heard today that Hubble and Gates and many other US millionaires, including many of our high Govt officials, have converted all their ready cash to Euros and secured it in foreign banks, not in the US.
S'pose they know something that we don't?
You dang'd well better believe it.

Me Cool