Microsoft's measure

David Stonehouse The Ottawa Citizen ...

For now, Microsoft is hanging back from prosecuting people for piracy in these developing markets hoping that its products catch on and they lock in users, Kotha said. But even then it remains to be seen whether the strategy will pay off, especially with open source alternatives available for free.

"They can't afford to hand over $80 for an operating system and then pay $400 for Office. The economics just don't work out," Kotha said. "So open source is a big challenge for Microsoft -- and they know it."

...

While Vista is not slated for public release until late next year, beta versions are floating around. Reviewers who have latched on to it express letdown and frustration.

"After a few days' use of Vista, it's hard not to feel disappointed. Dolled up though it is, Vista still resembles good old Windows XP, only with a lot more bugs," intoned the Boston Globe. "Of course, Vista is still beta code -- early beta, at that. It's still a year away from going to market. Glitches are to be expected at this stage. But one might have hoped for a little more innovation, as well."

...

--