I don't care if you guys flame each other to death but I wish that tblount would get rid of that bug, it drives me nuts LOL.
You forgot #5. Just borrow it forever!And the alternative is?
I see a few
1. Windows 7 is very cool on many levels, for many reasons, pay the price, use it.
Just an aside... what is too much, never mind why is it too much. But, anyway, if you can make a better OS than 7 for less than Microsoft has in your basement... then you have alternative #2. Maybe you can market your product for $19.95 & everyone will reckon that's all an OS is worth. Personally, I would reckon it's an expenive process to design & build an OS... and get the IT Community to work together so that everything works together.
3. Since Win7 "isn't worth it" use the old, aging, unsupported technology of XP,rather than something better that has replaced / is going to replace it.
4. Let's not forget about the bane of computing, Vista. If & or since Win7 is overpriced then, stay w/ what you love & praise (so much).
People will fork out say $70 for ONE (occasionally used) video game; but an entire whiz-bang (daily use) OS for thier office or whole family is too expensive... ummm, yeah, ok... follow the logic
Of course, why should an OS be unique... don't people whinge that everything is too dear these days?
Finally, just a possibility I'll suggest (bit like vehicle theft insurance rates)an OS might cost heaps less if not the quantity of global software piracy.
Thanks 4 listening
Cheers,
Drew
Just an aside... what is too much,
Personally, I would pay more than $19.95, but hey if you're gonna throw in a set of steak knifes if I buy before the end of the commercial. I take it operators are standing buy? they speak English right?then you have alternative #2. Maybe you can market your product for $19.95 & everyone will reckon that's all an OS is worth.
Hate to burst your bubble, but there is an enormous IT community that likely outnumbers Microsoft Developers exponentially that develop a pretty whiz-bang OS for free.Personally, I would reckon it's an expenive process to design & build an OS... and get the IT Community to work together so that everything works together.
Here's an idea, since XP is unsupported by Microsoft anymore, how about they release the source code so the open source community can support it for them....Since Win7 \"isn't worth it\" use the old, aging, unsupported technology of XP,rather than something better that has replaced / is going to replace it.
I think this is the source of the anger surrounding Windows 7's price. People payed through the nose for Vista because it could have been cool, and now Microsoft says to us, "Hey guess what, we fixed it. come get your Windows 7! Wait, that will be $319!" wait what for how much?Let's not forget about the bane of computing, Vista. If & or since Win7 is overpriced then, stay w/ what you love & praise (so much).
Not only that, some people pay a monthly fee to continue to play that game, what's your point? How about this, Some people pay $1000 plus for a PC and have no intention of using the copy of windows that's installed on it. Once they get it home they're gonna wipe it clean and install Linux, but these people are still giving money to Microsoft. how is that right, fair or logical?People will fork out say $70 for ONE (occasionally used) video game; but an entire whiz-bang (daily use) OS for thier office or whole family is too expensive... ummm, yeah, ok... follow the logic
So what you are suggesting is that Microsoft believes that for every legitimate purchase of Windows, there is a component of the price charged to the legitimate buyer that is intended to make Microsoft whole for the amount of money they estimate they would have gotten if every copy of windows in use where legit. It's possible, but unlikely. This is more like some fat balled guy who sits in a corner office in Redmond barely big enough to contain his ego says to a marketing rep, "Find out how much money the american people can afford to pay and charge them %10 more than that. Lets keep in mind, that this guy expects to get a multi million dollar bonus at the end of the year. Oh wait I think I secretly divulged where the money goes that you spent on Windows 7.Finally, just a possibility I'll suggest (bit like vehicle theft insurance rates)an OS might cost heaps less if not the quantity of global software piracy.
Now if only we could find a way to get Linux running on a good portion of those machines!
That shouldn't be so hard, make it easy to use and have programs that can do exactly what windows programs can do. I'm not talking productivity but more on the line of instant messengers where you can have all that cute stuff that people like along the line of winks in msn messenger, audibles in yahoo etc.
That's what a lot of ordinary users want. I have shown some people linux and they say I know I can IM but I want my winks!
$319 for the useful version is too much
So what you are suggesting is that Microsoft believes that for every legitimate purchase of Windows, there is a component of the price charged to the legitimate buyer that is intended to make Microsoft whole for the amount of money they estimate they would have gotten if every copy of windows in use where legit.
"400 million copies were in use in January 2006, according to an estimate in that month by an IDC analyst." That quote was for Windows XP machines in January of 2006. It's probably safe to say that in five years, there will be at least that amount of machines running 7.
that means at it's current price 400 million copies of windows 7 means gross product sales amounting to $127,996,000,000. Wow! Yes I know this isn't a very scientific way to come about this figure, but if gross product sales hit the 12 digit number range or at least come close, Piracy isn't hurting them. it's just making it harder for Microsoft execs to compare their super yachts with the ones owned by some prince in Saudi Arabia. Not much sympathy here.
How about this, Some people pay $1000 plus for a PC and have no intention of using the copy of windows that's installed on it. Once they get it home they're gonna wipe it clean and install Linux, but these people are still giving money to Microsoft. how is that right, fair or logical?
hahaha.... people who run Linux build their own machines. Not one will buy a computer with Windows on it unless it's a super deal where whatever happens to be installed is irrelevant.
For the most part, you are correct.
What I ultimately want to see is the chain broken that binds the major PC brands to Microsoft.
I think there should be legal restrictions put in place under US antitrust law to forbid these kind of exclusive deals. If you sell a device that requires another product or service to function the way a cell phone requires a service provider and a computer requires and OS, you must make the customer aware if there are multiple products or services to support the operation of the device or product.
I would be satisfied if PC manufacturers where required to place a small statement conspicuously located on the product packaging stating that while their product is regularly sold with a Microsoft OS installed, the buyer has the choice to buy the PC without that product and also not be charged for it as well.
My opinion is that Windows 7 is not worth the price tag. My problem is that Microsoft uses shady long standing business tactics to make people believe that there is no choice other than buying a Mac..
Hard to compare the two products as one is universally known to kill you, though perhaps they aren't too dissimilar, Vista made me want to slit my wrists.You mean like on the side of cigarette packages? We see how well that works.
Microsof has almost NOTHING to do with my decision to upgrade to windows 7.... it got to the point that NONE of the software I wanted to run would work on Windows ME.
I'm not totally sure if it's healthy but windows get's the job like a large supermarket and i know linux can get a similar quality job done but I have to walk 3 miles round my local town going from the butchers to the chemists to the fishmonger to the fruit store to the bakers with some risk of not getting full choice and each shop has different standards
I choose windows with some imperfections and it's higher price as it get's the job done as a one stop shop
The difference is really that the internet makes going around the corner to the butcher shop from the fish market as simple as one click. Users of Canonical Linux distributions get a nice little repository that has almost every feature and application that's a simple command line away. For instance, I love emerald and every time I have to install a new distro, one of the first things I enter is "Sudo apt-get install emerald Compizconfig-settings-manager." Bang, done.
I don't want to have to use terms like "Sudo apt-get" unless I am programming website design with html or using mysql on dynamic databases, this is where the appeal of linux stops and windows excels using a friendly GUI and common or garden language to achieve things.
If you call strong arming the manufacturers of PC peripherals to make it almost impossible for them to offer driver/technical support for any other PC operating system but windows "getting it right."It's a balance where windows is the closest at the moment to getting it right compared to any other operating system
If you call strong arming the manufacturers of PC peripherals to make it almost impossible for them to offer driver/technical support for any other PC operating system but windows "getting it right."
Well, I will agree it is worth money. It is the amount that I have trouble with!no this is where Microsoft let themselves down and are in fact a company built very much on taking other peoples half developed ideas and claiming them as their own , I wasn't however talking about the ethics and practices of Microsoft but simply about whether i felt windows 7 is worth it and I still feel it is.
I guess you don't ??
no this is where Microsoft let themselves down and are in fact a company built very much on taking other peoples half developed ideas and claiming them as their own , I wasn't however talking about the ethics and practices of Microsoft but simply about whether i felt windows 7 is worth it and I still feel it is.
I guess you don't ??