News Microsoft covers up slashed XP

I would have called it "Mini-XP" (1/8th size, just as evil) - but that's just me. This from the Inq:

THE SPINNERS at Microsoft have been having a trying time thinking what they are going to call the new cut price anorexic version of Windows XP they are peddling in Thailand.

The slimmer smaller Windows comes without any bells and whistles and has been in the shops in Thailand where it competes with Linux and sells for US $38.

However, it has been software without a name as Microsoft didn’t really want to admit that it had a cut-price version to the rest of the world.

Now the Spinsters from the Lair of the Vole in deepest darkest Redmond have announced that it will be called the Windows XP Starter edition to imply that it is just for beginners.

More here

Rumours that it comes with L plates are just that - rumours...

 

wouldn't it just be like server 2k3 without teh server tools?

might be handy for htpc attempts

 

really?? Oh i never knew they where doing this..

Hmm it sounds like a basic windows, tbh sounds great for building a server on.

 

Just goes to show... if you really want M$ to lower prices, use linux.

 

Ubermich... in your avatar: Location: Hell. Posts: 3,666. lol... good timing

Anyways... $38 isn't that unreasonable for windows, even with it as buggy and targeted as it is. That's why most people pirate software... not because they want to but because the legit version is way too expensive.

Of course "starters edition" further conflicts with my stances of idiots and computers mixing.

It's safe to assume that Thailand pirates more XP than anywhere else, right? Or at least the pirated:legit ratio is higher?

 

So if they pirated more, and the result was a cheaper version of windows... and people HERE want a cheaper version of windows... what must we do?

I think Microsoft is doing a very good job at explaining how to exploit a monopoly in a modern economy.

 

I havn't laughed that hard all day! But yeah, MS have pretty much dug a deeper hole for themselves with this one...

 

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I wish they would release something like that over here, XP without all the crap

It'd make my life easier, the first thing I do on a new install is remove all the rubbish they put in, like internet explorer, windows messenger, all the unused services etc etc

 

i.e. isnt rubbih, neither are newer versions of media player. And what if they removed bit like the "Network Connections" Dialog thing, thatd make things a whoile lot more difficult for people!

I wouldnt want a cut price version, id want full whack!

 

I wonder what the service packs would be like for the baby windows,?

 

I want to know how fast that sucker boots... I would pay money for a reasonable boot time (under 10 seconds).

 

IE may not be rubbish, but even if popularity is the only factor accounting for all the exploits in it, one of the reasons I use Firefox instead is for security.

Media player is more about personal preference I think, and Zoom Player just fits me better than WMP ever will. Although I still use WMP for .WMV files since Zoom Player has trouble with them sometimes. So does WMP in fact, but at least it plays.

 

Winamp 5 Rocks the casbah for all windows media formats now, I wuv it.