Dear Microsoft: Why You Should Let Home Users Copy XP
from the reasoned-arguments dept
David Coursey has written a letter to Microsoft that explains to them why they should let home uses copy Windows XP to all of their machines. It’s a very well-reasoned argument that makes a lot of sense – which is why Microsoft is unlikely to follow the suggestion. Basically, Coursey points out that “free” home copies of Windows OSes in the past is what helped established Microsoft as a standard. People who have multiple machines are going to be pissed off about paying multiple upgrade fees to upgrade multiple computers – and instead will probably just not buy XP at all. Then, he gets to the best point: the main selling feature of XP is that it’s stable. Microsoft has never apologized for offering buggy, unstable software in the past. So, Microsoft should act like a car company and “recall” all of its buggy old operating systems, and replace them with XP. They can continue to sell XP for new machines, but the old ones deserve an upgrade. Maybe someone can take this idea and turn it into a class action suit.
Comments on “Dear Microsoft: Why You Should Let Home Users Copy XP”
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I love XP but I will not be buying copies for all of my PCs (sorry, Microsoft). I’ve converted my server to Linux and will keep one laptop on W2k until that computer dies.
I wonder how many “scenarios” like this it will take for them to realize that the copy protection they’ve proposed will limit the number of processors running XP.
Microsoft is doing what it has to for its sharehol
The shareholders want to maximize their return.
This is the only way they feel they can get that return for thier shareholders.
Apple said that in 1995. “We are committed to maximize shareholder value” Look at what happened to Apple after that.
Let Microsoft squeeze their customers. I’ve been on Unix from 1984, and had no need for Microsoft software. If avoiding the DMCA and other things were as easy to avoid as M$.
Re: Microsoft is doing what it has to for its shar
Contrary to popular opinion among many techies, it really is possible to serve shareholder value and your customers at the same time. The point of this article was that Microsoft’s current policies will not only hurt its customers, but its market share and thus, it’s shareholder’s value.
Re: Re: Microsoft is doing what it has to for its shar
All Microsoft knows is how to charge for software. They do not understand any other model.
They know many people pirate the software, and feel each pirated copy is a lost sale, a lost sale is lost revenue. By trying to stop the piracy, they prevent the lost sale.
M$ also is of the opinion that if they can control the content (in the form of being able to play video/audio and delivering internet content via CPRM or other ‘secure’ methods), the only choice will be Microsoft programs.
For example, if I want to watch a DVD on my machine my choices are a Mac or Microsoft. And that software comes ‘bundeled’ with the box.