With holiday PC sales apparently unscathed by the lack of Windows Vista, Microsoft reported quarterly earnings Thursday that topped expectations and its own forecast. The software giant said it earned USD 2.63 billion, or 26 cents per share, on revenue of USD 12.54 billion, for the three months ended December 31. That compares with earnings of USD 3.65 billion, or 34 cents per share, on revenue of USD 11.83 billion for the same quarter a year ago.
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Member since:2005-11-11
"don't attack Microsoft for doing something that every other company does - Coca Cola pay for prime place in the shelf; should they be punished for just conducting business as anyone else does?"
Well, there has been a lawsuit or two that indicates it's not just "business as anyone else".
I don't know what they did to get to become that dominant, but they have been making sure that OEM's had very little choice but to sign those contracts that stopped them from selling any competing OS.
Read up on how Be Inc couldn't even GIVE away their OS because of those contracts.
Member since:2005-07-06
I don't know what they did to get to become that dominant, but they have been making sure that OEM's had very little choice but to sign those contracts that stopped them from selling any competing OS.
Read up on how Be Inc couldn't even GIVE away their OS because of those contracts.
Bullcrap; I know the contract they would have signed; I've seen the damn thing! its a contract that outlines exclusivity in supply which in return the OEM receives a major discount on purchasing Windows licences; the discount - can be up 80% compared to the regular OEM packs that are sold via the usual distributors.
If you're an OEM; you can either make a deal with Microsoft with an exclusive contract or you can purchase OEM Windows licence packs off distributor in lots of IIRC 10's, 50's, 100's, 1000's and upwards; the cost decreases as the number of licences increase, but the discount isn't as steep as one would expect if one when into an exclusive contract.
These companies CHOSE to enter into a contract knowing full well that in the future it would inhibit their chances of diversifying their product range by also offering what ever else was out there - that is the cold hard truth; if you want someone to blame, you can clearly blame the manufactuers who took on the patrionising view of 'we know whats best for the stupid users, so we'll only sell Microsoft software' - and when the trial came forward, you and all the OEM's come out of the wood work, claiming they were pillaged and raped by Microsoft, forced into signing contracts at gun point - and funny enough, all these companies then sign up to another contract, after blackmailing Microsoft, and demanded lower prices for OEM copies of Windows.
Its hypocracy in action, and may I suggest you look at the reality; both OEM's and Microsoft are scumbags; Microsoft screwing the end user with poorly tested inferior products, and OEM vendors fobbing the responsibility off on others when they don't get their own way or when they're caught out.
Member since:
2005-07-06
You mean exclusive contracts that OEM's choose to enter into? oh, how terrible, Microsoft offering them a lower price with strings attached; don't attack Microsoft for doing something that every other company does - Coca Cola pay for prime place in the shelf; should they be punished for just conducting business as anyone else does?
Education - governments CHOOSE to go down that; why didn't I see Sun, Red Hat or Novell apply for the education software supplying contract in New Zealand? $10million not enough? New Zealand is a piddly pathetic small country thats not worth a pinch of shit - but Microsoft was more than happy to bend over backwards and provide a good deal for the NZ Ministry of Education.
As for 'forced end users' - end users would run an alternative operating system if they could get their games and applications on that operating system; the day they can go down to the local computer superstore and purchase a boxed game or application off the shelf, take it home, and install it without needing to jump through hoops - then there has been progressed made.
Until that day Linux will remain a niche operating system for a small number of users who want that flexibility and power at their fingertips - thats not saying anything negative about Linux, but its facing the reality that end users run an operating system to access their favourite applications; they're happy with the applications, they've learned how to use it, and they don't want to change.