It Professional's role in preventing piracy

[honold]

economics 101, you can't charge what people won't bear. people have been buying ms software, in droves, at present prices for a long time now.

 

[honold]

well, i guess at this point people might not notice as much if they paid $400 for windows because systems are so cheap.

but if they started charging $150 more across the board for everything, i'm sure the world would throw a gigantic fit. they're not throwing such fits right now.

 

[Prof.Wizard]

LMAO and On Topic!
http://static.hugi.is/video/fyndin/dctf-1.wmv :lol: :lol:

 

[Fushigi]

LMAO and On Topic!
http://static.hugi.is/video/fyndin/dctf-1.wmv :lol: :lol:

And they even mention offering tech support. That's funny.

I remember the 'Don't copy that floppy' campaign but I don't recall this particular clip. It's too long for a PSA but too short to be an infomercial. Where was it shown?

BTW, the airport shown in Flight Simulator in the clip, Meigs Field, is no more. Thanks to some overnight shenanigans by the Chicago mayor, the runway is unusable. Some details at http://friendsofmeigs.org/ .

- Fushigi

 

[Jan Kivar]

I'd be willing to pay $20 a year to use Windows and Office, always the latest versions, and that's the whole payment (no upgrade fees that is).

$20/year? come on dude, you paid more than that for your heat sink/fan, and how much of your system does that comprise?

It adds up fast, honold. If we assume Windows XP Home is US$100 and Office XP SBE is US$200, that's $60 per year over 5 years - which I for one think is a reasonable life expectancy, not to mention the rulings of the the assorted tax collection agencies that we all kowtow to.

I don't end up with anyhing if I just "rent" the OS&Office for $20/year. After the renting period is over, I can't legally use the software anymore. If I buy full licences (or OEM, to be exact), I can move them to another (new) machine if I wish to do so, or continue using them on the computer.

Honold, I do think that $20 is low, but I don't really understand why the payment should be any higher, as Time pointed out. After all, it's only a renting fee. M$ has monopoly over OSs, and is really making money. Where we would be in processor speeds/prices without AMD? Monopoly in any area of every-day life is deprivation of the consumers.

If one is aiming for really cheap computer (say under $500), the price of OS ($100 for XP Home, $140 for XP PRO) will rise the total too much. As You said, $100 seems little over $1500 one could easily spend to a high-end system, but very cheap computers and M$ have little in common.

But, the consumers who want really cheap computers (=first time buyers IMO) aren't really very good candidates for Linux...

Cheers,

Jan

 

[Prof.Wizard]

I couldn't agree more with Jan.

Too bad renting will never function for that price. BTW, renting IMO has no sense. It's like "renting a hamburger". You eat it, it's over. Software turnover is very fast. Office XP (2001) is already obsolete in respect to Office 2003 functionalities, which is right around the corner. I think it would be better if those prices you say were indeed for buying the software. €20 is more than enough. Monopoly is sure profit afterall.

PS. Everybody see the ad in my link above. Too cool to be true! :mrgrn:

 

[Prof.Wizard]

BTW, the airport shown in Flight Simulator in the clip, Meigs Field, is no more. Thanks to some overnight shenanigans by the Chicago mayor, the runway is unusable. Some details at http://friendsofmeigs.org/ .

Noooooooooooooooo! :x
It was the default airport when I first played FS ten+ years ago.
I didn't know it, damn them... this is outrageous!! :x

 

[Mercutio]

It's going to be turned into a park. Mayor-for-life Daley has something of an obsession with greenery (Chicago, incidently, is very possibly the cleanest large city in the US). The area around Lake Michigan in Chicago is exceedingly well-decorated and very pretty.

Meigs wasn't used much, anyway. Corporate VIPs in small aircraft would land there, and that was about it.

Daley also wants to expand ORD, which is weird. ORD isn't located in Chicago, it's in, um, Lombard I think, which is a suburb. But it isn't part of Chicago, and the Mayor of Chicago is essentially demanding that land which belongs to the village of Lombard and its residents be annexed for the airport. All this instead of building another large airport in the Chicago area.

 

[fool]

I don't know prof, I reckon its precisely because new versions of software come out so often that renting would be worthwhile. That is if you really want to always have the current version of whatever app or os your using.

But if one were to apply the Piyono/Blakerwry Universal Determinant Condition Law of Upgrades I doubt that many people would describe office XP as obsolete.

 

[Prof.Wizard]

I don't know prof, I reckon its precisely because new versions of software come out so often that renting would be worthwhile.

If time between versions becomes very short (year or less) then renting might not be profitable for the company. Nobody will buy their software anymore since renting is more economical. Or they may even rent-and-burn. Or once the renting period is over, keep a working copy. There will be a revolution in how software licenses are handled. I don't think this will ever happen.

Not what I say is much different. But since monopolists are in win-to-win situations, they don't need to sell us to make big profits. Even a slight profit can turn them fortunes. I suggest the current selling scheme but with slashed prices. Then everybody will buy original MS with the manuals. And the world will be a safer place!

That is if you really want to always have the current version of whatever app or os your using.

It's the companies who want us have their latest software for performance, compatibility, reliability, and security. Yes, I want to have the latest software.

But if one were to apply the Piyono/Blakerwry Universal Determinant Condition Law of Upgrades I doubt that many people would describe office XP as obsolete.

The P/B Universal Determinant Condition Law of Upgrades is a nice aphorism, but according to the same scientists ( :wink: ) it is best applied to subjective matters (as audio hardware is). The OS is the base and the cornerstone of a system. Windows 2003 may not be as secure as Windows 2000 SP4 or NT SP6, but it is definitely the most up-to-date regarding performance and new "serving" technologies.

 

[Prof.Wizard]

It's going to be turned into a park. Mayor-for-life Daley has something of an obsession with greenery (Chicago, incidently, is very possibly the cleanest large city in the US). The area around Lake Michigan in Chicago is exceedingly well-decorated and very pretty.

Meigs wasn't used much, anyway. Corporate VIPs in small aircraft would land there, and that was about it.

He could have upgraded the airport with more green.

 

[Fushigi]

It's going to be turned into a park. Mayor-for-life Daley has something of an obsession with greenery (Chicago, incidently, is very possibly the cleanest large city in the US). The area around Lake Michigan in Chicago is exceedingly well-decorated and very pretty.

Meigs wasn't used much, anyway. Corporate VIPs in small aircraft would land there, and that was about it.

Daley also wants to expand ORD, which is weird. ORD isn't located in Chicago, it's in, um, Lombard I think, which is a suburb. But it isn't part of Chicago, and the Mayor of Chicago is essentially demanding that land which belongs to the village of Lombard and its residents be annexed for the airport. All this instead of building another large airport in the Chicago area.

Actually, O'Hare is in Chicago .. there's this thin stretch of Chicago that goes out from the City proper along I90 to where ORD is and envelops it. Go here and click the tiny map on the left.

But the proposed expansion will mean displacing the occupants of about 600 homes in neighboring Bensenville. Though promised a fair price for the land, the home owners are obviously upset as is the Bensenville mayor, etc.

I'm not too horribly concerned myself. Meigs wasn't heavily used and lost money. It is not large enough to run commercial planes. O'Hare is large enough but is too crowded. The 3rd airport idea that's also floating around sounds fine on paper but dunno how it'll work in reality. I generally fly out of Midway lately.

- Fushigi

 

[honold]

i'd like to congratulate everyone on successfully completing a double thread hijack

 

[Prof.Wizard]

We're still on topic, dear: How to save Meigs airport while creating more green for Greater Chicago and helping the IT professional cope with piracy temptations. All this in accordance with Microsoft lowering their prices for licenses. :lol:

 

[Mercutio]

Coming soon, in this very thread: My opinions of SuSE 8.2.

It's been a good thread, regardless.

 

[SteveC]

I know people who deliberately and out of principle copy and hack MS software because, they say, "it's the only way to limit Microsoft's unchecked growth and help competition". I know it's unfair but I sometimes think myself it's the only way to deal with the beast.

How is this helping competition? Sure, it doesn't add money to Microsoft's pockets, but it adds to their market share, by having more people use their software then would have otherwise. If they really wanted to help Microsoft's competition, they would be using (and paying for) the competitor's products, and stop using Microsofts.

 

[Jan Kivar]

If they really wanted to help Microsoft's competition, they would be using (and paying for) the competitor's products, and stop using Microsofts.

Hmm... Microsoft doesn't really have any good competition. That's part of the problem IMO. Linux is too divided with dozens of different distros. Plus, not all manufacturers have provided good drivers for Linux, so Linux runs a bit late in terms of hardware support. (I'm not up-to-date with the latest distros, feel free to correct me... )

Also Linux has few good applications. Plus, the installation of the apps differs greatly from the M$': There's no "press enter few times" installations, at least not two years ago (second time I tried Linux).

I could be using Linux. It's just matter of time, I'm too busy to read any 500-page books (that aren't related to my studies). Maybe I should try once again on my older machine...

Cheers,

Jan

 

[Prof.Wizard]

If they really wanted to help Microsoft's competition, they would be using (and paying for) the competitor's products, and stop using Microsofts.

Forgot to mention that. They do (but still install them on MS platforms).

 

[Howell]

I don't think we can actually blame Microsoft for the unsustainable margin, not directly.

Maybe not, but we can certainly blame them for keeping the price of their key software at an unrealistic level. Excluding the monitor (which is a separate appliance anyway), Windows Pro and Office Pro can form virtually half the cost of the customer's bundle. These are commodities, for crying out loud, not niche software. They both have competitors (which are too incompatible to form a serious threat) that are free.

www.webster.com]commodity: 1 :c : a mass-produced unspecialized product[/url]

Windows Pro and Office Pro are not commodities. When you can buy your OS from Taiwan or China, then you can call it a commodity.

 

[time]

When you can buy your OS from Taiwan or China, then you can call it a commodity.

But you can! It's just that Microsoft doesn't like it very much ...

This actually proves my point either way. It's only available from one manufacturer, therefore they are a monopoly. The fact that China is prepared to mass produce it, shows it is accepted as something generic.

I also don't see what is wrong with your dictionary definition. Surely Office is about as unspecialized as you can get? And Windows is available for workstations, servers, PDAs and embedded products - toasters too, if Bill had his way.