Stan Beer
Monday, 01 June 2009 07:08
Opinion and Analysis
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Microsoft
has once again upset many in the netbook user community with news of
artificially imposed limitations on the entry level version of its
upcoming new operating system Windows 7. All over the web netbook users
are accusing Microsoft of crippling Windows 7 Starter edition for no
other reason than to extort extra dollars from them.
Official Microsoft blogger Brandon LeBlanc did little to dispel a
growing view that Microsoft is attempting to blatantly rip users off
with Windows 7 in his latest blog post.
LeBlanc explained that
for the first time in the history of Windows Starter editions (yes
there have been such crippled versions of both Vista and XP) the
Windows 7 crippled version would be available globally on "small
notebook PCs."
The post proudly proclaimed that Microsoft is "
going to enable Windows 7 Starter customers the ability to run as
many applications simultaneously as they would like, instead of being
constricted to the 3 application limit that the previous Starter
editions included."
However,
what ever beneficial effect the above statement was intended to have
for Microsoft's image was quickly dispelled a few paragraphs later in
the post.
LeBlanc made it crystal clear that Microsoft's
intentions are to force netbook users to upgrade to a more expensive
version of Windows 7 while denying them the right to opt for Windows
XP.\
In his post he says:
"It is important to note that Windows 7 Starter still includes
only a subset of the features offered in the higher editions of Windows
7 such as Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional and above.
Windows 7 Starter does not include:
- Aero Glass, meaning
you can only use the “Windows Basic” or other opaque themes. It also
means you do not get Taskbar Previews or Aero Peek.
- Personalization features for changing desktop backgrounds, window colors, or sound schemes.
- The ability to switch between users without having to log off.
- Windows Media Center for watching recorded TV or other media.
- Remote Media Streaming for streaming your music, videos, and recorded TV from your home computer.
- Domain support for business customers.
- XP Mode for those that want the ability to run older Windows XP programs on Windows 7."
Understandably, the above did little to sooth the seething anger of ropable netbook users.
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