Here in Turkey, Windows costs around $2 (Mandrake costs a bit more, because there are more CDs). To quote a local comedy show, "Please don't use the word 'pirate'. We are art distributors."
Here that OS would cost around US$3. But, you know what, I think it's still too expensive. :-)
I once read (possibly even on a mandrake list) that M$s biggest asset was that MOST of the world's programmers and sysadmins and certain almost all of the world's joe bloggs' are only comfortable using M$ products. I would like to see the figures of M$ still losing ground. Sure Linux and others might be gaining a little here and there, but i'm sure M$ is also still growing as a company. Actual raw numbers are growing for both and while that is still happening then M$ can afford to let this little "Linux thing" continue. While I know lots of people that think it is "cool" to use pirated M$ software - the joke is on them. While people are only comfortable using M$ then there are always situations where they will extract their pound. 3rd world companies still have to pay for their licences. Jesus, aparently even in China now they are getting strict! But ask yourselves this - how many companies would buy copies of M$Office if all their employees used Open Office at home? Eh? Think about it. Microsoft will dance the fine line "trying" to "stop the scourge of piracy" but only so far. If they really stopped all those $2 and $3 copies then people would really start looking for alternatives. They would see that M$ is just glossier, and gives no real competitive advantage. M$ does not want that to happen. I recently flat out refused to get my dad an illegal copy of office, which I could have acquired, had I wanted ;-). No I will not, I said. I will, however, give you a copy of Open Office, and also of Star Office (when they had their free licences I got a few). So I got ready to send it to him... but in the meanwhile dad, just boot into the linux partition I installed for you when I was up for christmas... and btw you don't need to worry about viruses in Linux so you don't have to get another virus checker... What do you know? Dad now uses Linux. Be vigilant my friends and free your fellows from crime - stop piracy NOW! The less you condone the use of pirated software the more you promote alternatives - FREEDOM.
Cheers
Anton
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