Re: Cnet Article on Abandonware

[Roy and/or Janet Miller <millers@inetnebr.com>]

Not true.

When Win 3.0 came out, business jumped on it big time, because there was,
finally, a version of Windows that worked (mostly), that used DOS programs, and
also allowed "mac-like" programs to run on the installed base of machines, which
also, finally, had the power to run M$ bloatware (unlike GEM or the what was
then new GEOS for PCs, both of which worked, and well, on 8088s, Windows needed
no less than a 386SX - 33 to be practical.)

This is basically the same thing that happened when the PC first took off.
Businesses bought them in huge numbers because they were "safe" because they had
"IBM" on them, and then people who used them at work bought them to use at home,
and THEN, and only then did the PC begin to encroach on homes and schools.

While piracy has been with us since the days of Bill Gates' first Altair BASIC,
and is properly credited with doubling the number of users of WordStar (another
good reason to hate piracy), it isn't the basis of Win 3.0's success, though I
have no doubt that Win 3.0 and higher have lots of pirated copies floating
around.

Roy

Arkain wrote:

> JUST A POINT OF NOTE:
>
> If it wasn't for "Mr. Average Home User" giving copies of Windows(original)
> to their friends and "sharing" the software through BBS's, Windows wouldn't
> be quite as big as it is today. The initial reason that Windows had so many
> installations is that it was pirated from the beginning, just as current
> copies of the OS are. M$ actually owes the pirates for making it so
> prolific. That's the effect of "small scale copying... by home users."
>
> As bad a crime as it is to do this, companies actually profit from piracy to
> a certain degree, but as always, there is a point where it becomes
> excessive. I readily agree that piracy is a "Bad Thing" but eeverything in
> this world has it's uses.
>
> Arkain
>
> "Matt Jenkins" <mdj@bilby.cs.rmit.edu.au> wrote in message
> 39939d92@naylor.cs.rmit.edu.au">news:39939d92@naylor.cs.rmit.edu.au...
> >
> > While this is probably all true, I don't imagine M$ using this to catch
> > Mr. Average Home User with his ripped copy of Windows 98 SE and Office
> > 2000. Businesses they'll definitely go after, but home users, nah.
> >
> > If you think about it, there's a certain logic to turning a blind eye to
> > small scale copying of M$'s apps by home users...
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Matt
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> >               Matt(hew) Jenkins. Computer Science (RMIT Bundoora)
> >                            email: mdj@cs.rmit.edu.au
> >                             -- Site of the Month --
> >                             http://www.gnustep.org/