MS considering lowering prices...

[cunokyle]

http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/articles/...e_matters.html

The article there is pretty interesting.

Microsoft now states that "the popularization of the Open Source movement continues to pose a significant challenge to the Company's business model, including recent efforts by proponents of the Open Source model to convince governments worldwide to mandate the use of Open Source software in their purchase and deployment of software products. To the extent the Open Source model gains increasing market acceptance, sales of the Company's products may decline, the Company may have to reduce the prices it charges for its products, and revenues and operating margins may consequently decline."

Not sure if I believe their statement or not, but it would be nice to see MS lower the prices. Another very interesting part of the article is where MS is going to release the Windows source code for foreign governments to review it!

Good reading material.

[Bob The Great]

yeah, and my grandma is going to figure out how to use the 4in1 remote I bought her! In the words of Wayne "but of course.....NOT" Yeah like thats ever going to happen.

[Doomer]

MS will lower prices when the have some REAL competition. I don't see that happening any time soon.

[lost-and-found]

they will first raise prices and then lower them back to the same level and make a fuss about it.

[vass0922]

Typically their method is ...
"Includes NEW Features! Like FAST REBOOT TIME!"

That's like going to a hotel because it includes cable tv

[pbharris]

Linux is more than REAL competition. MS could give away there software and i would still use linux.

[PresterJohn]

the statement you are trying to interpret as a possible price reduction is merely MS's 'rationale' for trying to scare its stockholders and gov't authorities into taking some kind of legal or 'public forum' action against the open source movement.

perhaps MS may re-evaluate it's licensing terms. Lord knows, many businesses are balking at renewing or buying new versions of their products, notably MS office.

call me a skeptic but i don't see that (price reductions) happening anytime soon.

instead, MS will concentrate on measures bent on 'securing ' their product with more activation schemes, as well as working with chipmakers like intel to 'secure' the next generation software, all under the guise of making things safer for consumers & businesses.

[embj]

Yeah, right. That is definetely not gonna happen. We all know Bill better than that. That greedy b@$t@**.

[nukes]

I'm sceptical as well. We'll just have to wait and see.

Quote:

"Includes NEW Features! Like FAST REBOOT TIME!"

But that is a really important feature, well used at least!
Now, Linux is serious competition, it allows you to do whatever you want with as many connections as you want without paying £100 for every 5 connections you want to a server!

[CMonster]

Quote:

the statement you are trying to interpret as a possible price reduction is merely MS's 'rationale' for trying to scare its stockholders and gov't authorities into taking some kind of legal or 'public forum' action against the open source movement.

Yep, that's exactly the way I saw it the very first time I read it -blame Open Source

fortunately we live in a GLOBAL economy and MS will have no such success in many countries

Never mind that I have spent way more on all the various boxed Linux distros comming out every 3-6 months than if I had just bought the full version of every Windows desktop.

...and in the server market MS has always lagged behind.