Comments on: Russia to get budget version of Windows

Microsoft effort is designed to wean people off pirated software and the open-source Linux OS.

Understanding

Let me see if I have this right: I can buy a stripped-down, reduced functionality OS from Microsoft for $37, or I can get a fully functional, time- (and internet-) tested OS from RedHat (or a dozen other distributions) for free.

Hmmm.....

[alexei_roudnev]

It will change nothing in Russia

No one idiot in Russia will purchase heavily stripped Windows XP when having a good choice of fully functional XP (on the gray market it costs the same $20 - $30, and without any registration key inconveniences) and good fully functional Linuxes and FreeBSD (used for servers). The only use will be OEM, and system will be removed by 90% of the owners and replaced to XP professional.

If they want to get a market, they should offer Windows XP professional/russian for $50, - it is the only way to compete for the home systems there. For the business systems (which are more often legal) maximum cost per site is about $100.

Unfortunately for MS, Russia != USA.

US marketing strategies won't work in Russia

Microsoft doesn't understand russian market and russian companies.
Why would anyone in their right mind buy a striped version of OS when they can get full one or Linux alternative.
Legality of actions never bothered russians before and won't in this case.