Comments on: Photo: In this Windows, N stands for 'no'

Software maker is complying with European Commission order to offer slimmed-down version of Windows.

[Fray9]

Pricing

So whats the sticker price on this thing and how does it compare to standard WinXP?

If it costs more than the version with Media Player wouldnt that be kind of counter to the intention of the EU ruling?

[Techno Guy]

Re: Pricing

Fray Fray,

You asked:

"So whats the sticker price on this thing and how does it compare to standard WinXP?"

The article states:

"The software ... is priced the same as the full-featured versions....

"Changes under the hood are relatively modest. Microsoft said it has agreed to a change requested by RealNetworks in how certain media file types are registered in Windows. Microsoft has removed sample music files from the My Music folder, as well as access to Windows Movie Maker."

The bottom line: Microsoft removed some media-related components per demand of the EU. This demand is silly, of course, but making silly demands is the raison d'etre of Eurocrats.

Any consumer so vexed by having Windows Media Player and Windows Movie Maker included in the OS that he is willing to pay the same price for a diminished product would almost certainly prefer a Linux OS to a Windows OS. Most likely, copies of XP-N will exist almost exclusively as box shots on the Internet, and nothing else.

[Neo Con]

Cost is the same

The story says it costs the same as the standard XP. Plus, you can download the missing components for free from MS. Plus, NO new computers are shipping with this version.

What a rediculous waste of time and money. I hear the EU is going to demand that Ford ship cars with no wheels next.

[bigjim01]

N means

N means "Not useful". If I were in the EU, I would complain to the government that Microsoft was forced to remove a program that has been in Windows since 3.1 (the first version I used). I would have told the competitors to develop better software than to sue competitors to reduce functionality of competing software. For each software vender I say this, I will NEVER use your products, and I will provide the same adivce to anyone who asks.

[jamie.p.walsh]

I never will understand this movement

But then again, I'm way ahead of the mainstream computer user curve. Still, do you think the EU would have taken such a stance if the company in question were a European company?

[Fray9]

Reason

The problem with competing in the media player market is that.. well.. there is no market.

You cant get much cheaper than free nor can you pay your employees with the profits made off of free.

You can either absorb the cost of developing a media player application into your business model like Microsoft and Apple, try to turn a profit and keep your company afloat using advertising like Real (we all know how well thats going), or you can become a non-profit organization and develop open source.

Right now the only thing to compete for is market share.. which Microsoft has an unfair advantage in.

Most people would say "who cares? Its free theyre not making money off of it so what could a monopoly in media players hurt?".

Well consider for a moment what you can do if your proprietary software with a proprietary file format is installed on 90%+ of computers.. consider the licesning fees you can profit off of.. consider that you can start charging anything you want for your player since its required to play the 90% of media encoded in your proprietary format.

You can stop drooling now.

Imagine for a moment you are given a few million dollars and are instructed to create a company that sells media player software that is not only self sustaining it has to turn a profit, include all the features of WMP and not use advertising.

Could you? Is it possible in todays market?

Now do you see the problem?

As to the fact that you can install any media player you wish, hence there is no monopoly you have to consider the motivational aspect.

When you purchase a new PC and need to play a media file.. if there is a media player already installed.. why would the average person go to all the trouble of finding, downloading, installing and configuring a new media player? Unless there is something the included media player cant do that you desperately need it to there is no motivation to choose the best player at the best cost, therefore there is no free market since such decisions are integral to the healthy functioning of the economy.

[ngngokkiu]

What can this achieve?

Why would any consumer want to pay the same price for a version of Windows XP that has FEWER components? Microsoft is a monopolist, but how does this move help?

[Fray9]

It doesnt

It doesnt help.

The intention was for Microsoft to offer N at a lower price than a full version, but in their usual nose-thumbing towards the law, they decided their slimmed down version was just as valuable as the full features version in an obvious attempt to prevent anyone from ever buying it, circumventing the entire purpose of the ruling to promote fair competition.

[fred dunn]

Why Would Anybody Want A Slimmed Down XP?

Other than the vendors of Multimedia software. I think they all have their place. Just because Windows XP has Video and Audio programs does not mean you are stuck with using only those components.

Fred Dunn

[KoolKat2500]

Why does everyone hate Microsoft?

I don't see anyone suing Apple over iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, and all of the other crap they put on their OS! On the Mac that my dad has, he doesn't use ANY non-Apple software for HIS media playing (well, lack there of). Main reason: he doesn't know how to change defaults. Still, back to the topic, what good will this do? Will it actually HELP anyone? All it's doing is pleasing the European Gov't, that's all. You CAN uninstall WinMedia Player! It's not hat hard! But nooo, Europe's Gov't just HAS to be on RealOne's side and say "If you don't do this, your screwed," basically. So use whatever media player you want, just don't make a big fuss about it!!!!!

-Cat

[frandoll]

Apple is sued...

A guy is suing Apple over the iTunes interface. He had shown his
idea at Comdex in 1995 or 96. I, for one, will be watching this
one closely! The new iTunes in OS X Tiger (10.4) is supposed to
be VERY updated with new features.