Third World Windows

The Starter Edition is a simplified version of Windows XP, oriented at users who have never had a computer or have little computer experience. It can open only three programs at the same time, with a maximum of three windows for each program and cannot connect to computer networks.

This crippled version of Windows is intended as a "third world Windows" to combat Linux adoption by 3rd world goverment programs. So the poor are only entitled to crippled computer systems? That Microsoft would consider this a good option, and possibly good PR is beyond me. Why any government would even consider this option is also beyond me. The restrictions are arbitrary and purely commercial and smack of discrimination - and from a purely technical point of view, I would guess that they limit the usability of the system to such an extent that a well configured Linux box would actually be a better buy for poor, computer illiterate users. Posted by Claus at April 14, 2005 10:23 AM | TrackBack (0)