RE: [Off Topic] Windows Genuine Advantage

[Harry Binswanger hb@xxxxxxxx]

> Good points raised Phil.


And by you. I also scream with frustration at MS and a lot of software by
other vendors (never at Xy!). But they do provide value, and I don't see
them as seeking to, in Patricia's words, rummage around on people's hard
drives. I trust them to be greedy enough to see that there is no future for
them in doing that.


--Harry

> I work for a company that develops, sells and supports an MIS system for
> Printing companies.
>
> Because our customer base is so small (700-800 companies world-wide), we
> have to charge 15% per annum support fee. This is on top of the purchase
> price that can range from $5000 for a very base system with 2 users thru to
> $500,000+ for enterprise installations.
>
> Yes, I agree with the general feeling amongst this distribution group
> regarding Micro$oft and BBBG, but at the end of the day, they do produce
> SOME fine software, operating systems (DOS 3.3 and 5.0 come to mind) and
> applications (Access 2.0).
>
> Micro$oft is a massive organisation and I think because of that it is easy
> to point the finger at them (just like McDonalds, Nike, Wal-Mart...) Sure
> they have made mistakes - costly for some people / organisations, but apart
> from the basic "Hello World" batch files, there is no bug free software. And
> a lot of software companies have produced horrendous apps.
>
> If using Micro$oft operating systems/apps goes against the grain for some
> people, there are alternatives available.
>
>
>
> Marc
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-xywrite@xxxxxxxx
> [mailto:owner-xywrite@xxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Phil White
> Sent: Friday, 11 August 2006 12:55 p.m.
> To: xywrite@xxxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: [Off Topic] Windows Genuine Advantage
> Importance: High
>
> Please understand that Microsoft is really no more crass or greedy than any
> of its competitors; it has to make money to stay in business. (It is not the
> Federal government.)
>
> Windows free software updates are a genuine bargain. It is a "perk" you get
> by buying the major product from the major company in a very competitive
> market.
>
> The cost of the software maintenance provided to Windows users is defrayed
> by spreading the expense across the many millions of copies they have sold
> (and continue to sell.) It is an excellent example of the "economy of
> scale." -- If Microsoft were a smaller company with a smaller pool of users,
> the cost of maintaining a package with the complexity of Windows could never
> be done for free; they would have to charge for it.
>
> Recently, I purchased Windows Live OneCare for about $32.00 from my local
> Sam's Club. The license provides anti-virus, anti-spyware, auto-update,
> backup and online interactive tech support for three computers for a year.
>
> This is a fairly new product and it still has its rough edges, but IMO,
> there is nothing else which provides such seamless support. I expect that it
> will become even better in the future.
>
> Not everyone is a computer wiz; and not everyone wants to be one. (Just ask
> my wife.) This package provides a good level of support for a platform which
> must continually to evolve to keep current. The OneCare concept is a very
> logical solution. This IS a Genuine Advantage. I strongly recommend it as a
> "buy."
>
>         Phil White
>         pdwhite@xxxxxxxx
>
>
> Philip D. White,
> Senior Information Architect
> University of Houston, CASA Testing Center
>
> Phone: (713) 743-4135
> Fax: (713) 743-8630
> Email: pdwhite@xxxxxxxx
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-xywrite@xxxxxxxx
> [mailto:owner-xywrite@xxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Michael Norman
> Sent: Thursday, August 10, 2006 1:31
> To: xywrite@xxxxxxxx
> Subject: [Off Topic] Windows Genuine Advantage
>
> There's been a flood or WEB articles on MS' Windows Genuine Advantage
> (XP) patches. Frankly, I can't decide whether to throw in the towel,
> download these corporate efforts to, MS says, combat piracy, or to
> look on them as spyware or worse and get updates from a third-party
> enterprise program such as NetChk Protect (free for a year). I
> certainly don't want to create a contretemps here, waste bandwidth
> and clutter mailboxes and would be fine with pulling this post, but
> I'm curious whether others are simply ignoring the issue, downloading
> the two WGA components (required if you want to use WinAutoUpdates)
> and just keeping to their work. Thanks for your thoughts.
>
> Michael Norman



Harry Binswanger
hb@xxxxxxxx