Comments on: IDC: Microsoft anti-piracy efforts will backfire http://www.kareldonk.com/karel/2006/12/14/idc-microsoft-anti-piracy-efforts-will-backfire/ The blog of Karel Donk, a Software Engineer, Designer and Photographer in Suriname. Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:33:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: infoman http://www.kareldonk.com/karel/2006/12/14/idc-microsoft-anti-piracy-efforts-will-backfire/#comment-1329 infoman Sat, 03 Feb 2007 10:34:31 +0000 http://www.miraesoft.com/karel/2006/12/14/idc-microsoft-anti-piracy-efforts-will-backfire/#comment-1329 anybody knows more info about the operating system google going to releases, I heard that its free of cost, when that comes to the market what will be the position of Microsoft will they sell their operating system free of cost. :razz: anybody knows more info about the operating system google going to releases, I heard that its free of cost, when that comes to the market what will be the position of Microsoft will they sell their operating system free of cost. :razz:

]]> By: Karel Donk » Archive » Windows Vista a Disappointment http://www.kareldonk.com/karel/2006/12/14/idc-microsoft-anti-piracy-efforts-will-backfire/#comment-1310 Karel Donk » Archive » Windows Vista a Disappointment Tue, 30 Jan 2007 16:17:53 +0000 http://www.miraesoft.com/karel/2006/12/14/idc-microsoft-anti-piracy-efforts-will-backfire/#comment-1310 [...] With Vista, Microsoft has given a unique opportunity for the competition to catch up with them because of various reasons. The most important reasons are the fact that the quality of the OS isn’t very good, the absurdly high prices, the fact that there is no (compelling) reason to upgrade, the anti-consumer DRM “features” and locking down the OS with Software Craptection Platform which will backfire on them. People are already writing about the fact that Apple should now take a chance and start supporting Mac OS on third party hardware: THE INTRODUCTION OF Microsoft Windows Vista and its’ many confusing and progressively expensive flavors has opened up a er, period of opportunity for Apple (formerly Apple Computer). Will Steve Jobs take a really bold chance to increase his market share or just play it safe with his little fiefdom of iPods, iTunes and forthcoming iTV? [...] [...] With Vista, Microsoft has given a unique opportunity for the competition to catch up with them because of various reasons. The most important reasons are the fact that the quality of the OS isn’t very good, the absurdly high prices, the fact that there is no (compelling) reason to upgrade, the anti-consumer DRM “features” and locking down the OS with Software Craptection Platform which will backfire on them. People are already writing about the fact that Apple should now take a chance and start supporting Mac OS on third party hardware: THE INTRODUCTION OF Microsoft Windows Vista and its’ many confusing and progressively expensive flavors has opened up a er, period of opportunity for Apple (formerly Apple Computer). Will Steve Jobs take a really bold chance to increase his market share or just play it safe with his little fiefdom of iPods, iTunes and forthcoming iTV? [...]

]]> By: Kevin http://www.kareldonk.com/karel/2006/12/14/idc-microsoft-anti-piracy-efforts-will-backfire/#comment-1262 Kevin Sun, 21 Jan 2007 23:51:44 +0000 http://www.miraesoft.com/karel/2006/12/14/idc-microsoft-anti-piracy-efforts-will-backfire/#comment-1262 That is a great post. You have captured the essence of the problem with anti piracy measures very well. There is of course also the extra issue of a bloated kernel. I feel pretty certain Microsoft fully appreciate the problem they are in in terms of a basic underlying kernel that has way out grown its life. The fact we see them signing up with Novel suse linux to work with them on integration operability is I think a clue to your last question. This is of course wild speculation. Currently its very clear that forcing 15 year olds to purchase any kind of software is going to be a massive self inflicted wound. At this point in the marketing game they must know they have lost the OS war by ensuring that in four to three years time all those same 15 year olds will be running any free or pirated OS other than Vista. (Lets face it, statistically did anyone buy expensive software before they started work in their first job?) So I would suggest that MS will be looking to port all their applications to linux very soon (I would also wager that this App porting development work has been going on for a very long time.) The strategy of destroying their own OS could be intentional so that they can cut all ties from their third party suppliers and associated out sourced developers, leaving them clean to push forward with application development. Thus avoiding any possibility of litigation from third party suppliers. Because if they decided to just stop the whole thing and start from scratch with linux or similar then their third party developers would sue them for breach of contract. This partial suicide allows them to get rid of this legacy code base and move smoothly then in the wake of its destruction to App development exclusively on top of a solid Unix type OS. So what I think we might be seeing is a deliberate strategy by MS to destroy the OS and thus avoid all the messy repercussions it would cause if they just dumped it. My guess is they desperately want to get rid of this kernel and move to unix based kernel which everyone who has used a unix system will know is far superior than the mess that they have built. It sounds crazy I know. But I can not for the life of me think of any other reason other than the knowledge that this kernel has always been flawed from day one and its just grown into an unmanageable mess. Everything else is smoke and mirrors as the core issue is trying to keep their own in house developers motivated to code on-top of a kernel which they all probably know can not be sustained any longer. That is a great post. You have captured the essence of the problem with anti piracy measures very well. There is of course also the extra issue of a bloated kernel. I feel pretty certain Microsoft fully appreciate the problem they are in in terms of a basic underlying kernel that has way out grown its life. The fact we see them signing up with Novel suse linux to work with them on integration operability is I think a clue to your last question. This is of course wild speculation.

Currently its very clear that forcing 15 year olds to purchase any kind of software is going to be a massive self inflicted wound. At this point in the marketing game they must know they have lost the OS war by ensuring that in four to three years time all those same 15 year olds will be running any free or pirated OS other than Vista. (Lets face it, statistically did anyone buy expensive software before they started work in their first job?)

So I would suggest that MS will be looking to port all their applications to linux very soon (I would also wager that this App porting development work has been going on for a very long time.) The strategy of destroying their own OS could be intentional so that they can cut all ties from their third party suppliers and associated out sourced developers, leaving them clean to push forward with application development. Thus avoiding any possibility of litigation from third party suppliers. Because if they decided to just stop the whole thing and start from scratch with linux or similar then their third party developers would sue them for breach of contract. This partial suicide allows them to get rid of this legacy code base and move smoothly then in the wake of its destruction to App development exclusively on top of a solid Unix type OS.

So what I think we might be seeing is a deliberate strategy by MS to destroy the OS and thus avoid all the messy repercussions it would cause if they just dumped it. My guess is they desperately want to get rid of this kernel and move to unix based kernel which everyone who has used a unix system will know is far superior than the mess that they have built.

It sounds crazy I know. But I can not for the life of me think of any other reason other than the knowledge that this kernel has always been flawed from day one and its just grown into an unmanageable mess. Everything else is smoke and mirrors as the core issue is trying to keep their own in house developers motivated to code on-top of a kernel which they all probably know can not be sustained any longer.

]]> By: Archimedes Trajano http://www.kareldonk.com/karel/2006/12/14/idc-microsoft-anti-piracy-efforts-will-backfire/#comment-1177 Archimedes Trajano Tue, 19 Dec 2006 16:56:18 +0000 http://www.miraesoft.com/karel/2006/12/14/idc-microsoft-anti-piracy-efforts-will-backfire/#comment-1177 I think Vista would be the last OS that Microsoft would be releasing of that type. Operating systems are quickly becoming a commodity product. The WGA is probably a last minute cash grab for Microsoft to milk as much money from Windows as possible. However, Windows itself won't be gone. The APIs and programming systems for it are well too established and Microsoft is the best one that can provide an end to end development environment for it (that is certification, tools, support, etc). We would probably get more pervasive products instead (e.g. PDAs running Windows Mobile, XBox360s, GPS systems running Windows CE, and Zunes). However, the PC will still be there and still be running Windows, but the OS would probably remain stagnant and not get replaced with anything else anymore. Microsoft will still be selling software for Windows but focus more on keeping hold of Office on the business PCs. They still don't have any viable competition to it that supports integration with a lot of their other products or scripting. OpenOffice is good for the casual user, but it isn't as good when it comes to automating your office workflow. (Hmm... should move this comment to my blog later :) hehe) I think Vista would be the last OS that Microsoft would be releasing of that type. Operating systems are quickly becoming a commodity product. The WGA is probably a last minute cash grab for Microsoft to milk as much money from Windows as possible.

However, Windows itself won’t be gone. The APIs and programming systems for it are well too established and Microsoft is the best one that can provide an end to end development environment for it (that is certification, tools, support, etc).

We would probably get more pervasive products instead (e.g. PDAs running Windows Mobile, XBox360s, GPS systems running Windows CE, and Zunes). However, the PC will still be there and still be running Windows, but the OS would probably remain stagnant and not get replaced with anything else anymore.

Microsoft will still be selling software for Windows but focus more on keeping hold of Office on the business PCs. They still don’t have any viable competition to it that supports integration with a lot of their other products or scripting. OpenOffice is good for the casual user, but it isn’t as good when it comes to automating your office workflow.

(Hmm… should move this comment to my blog later :) hehe)

]]> By: Renan http://www.kareldonk.com/karel/2006/12/14/idc-microsoft-anti-piracy-efforts-will-backfire/#comment-1175 Renan Mon, 18 Dec 2006 02:09:55 +0000 http://www.miraesoft.com/karel/2006/12/14/idc-microsoft-anti-piracy-efforts-will-backfire/#comment-1175 I would like if Vista caused more people to switch to Linux. This is exactly with Linux needs! I would like if Vista caused more people to switch to Linux. This is exactly with Linux needs!

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