[LINK] Re: Windows XP versus Vista

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

Ivan writes:

> ..'Has access' is a very loose term .. they need to travel to a place
> with electricity, and a computer, and one with an internet connection.

Agree Ivan .. the percentage of the world's population with acces to the
Internet is subjective. I was being generous, others say it's around 20%.
<http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm>, with Windows XP on around
+75% of computers. <http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=11>

>> to maintain that access, Microsoft (the US) is demanding new hardware.
>
> Why does this follow? I don't see the connection ..

Vista wants 40 gig space and a gig ram. How many of the world's computers
would you say will run it now, especially in the third world countries? And
with world fuel prices and talk of a global recession, how many third world
villages could afford to upgrade hardware when XP support stops in 5 
months?

> > Instead, many in Asia and elsewhere
> > will seek free alternatives, for example, Red Flag Linux (China)
> > which is running on 80-95% of all of China's open source machines.
> 
> And if there were only 100 open-source machines in China, that would
> amount to almost 95 machines. Sorry, but this appears to be a collection
> of sloppy statistics...

Ivan have a look beyond numbers to the big picture. For me it's a matter
of world social justice, and the digital divide.  For shakey third world
computers, some virus-ridden, the continuation of XP support for several
years at least simply seems a world humanitarian necessity. Do you agree?

>From the MS perspective of profits-before-people, I say, not good enough!

As well as marketing vertically to us 20% of the world with net access etc
why not horizontally, with say, XP RA (Remote Area) at US$20 for a few CDs
posted anywhere. An MS XT Beetle/Trabby/Mini for the world and your Vista 
Caddy for broadband highways. Come on Microsoft! 20% and no less than 20%!

Windows XP, if it works, don't break it .. 75% of the world depend on it.

> We might well ponder if the computer be made in the east or the west
> (it doesn't matter to me: I'm typing on a machine made in Shanghai),
> but it is inevitable that computers will be designed in places that
> stimulate the most innovation and creative thought, and made in places
> that offer the cheapest labour and manufacturing: the two won't
> necessarily be the same, and are unlikely to be so.  iT

Cheers, Ivan
Stephen Loosley
Victoria, Australia