Random thought: Windows is largely successful because of Piracy

Windows as a software package would have never been affordable to individuals or local-level orgs in countries like India and Bangladesh (especially in the 2000’s) that are now powerhouses of IT. Same for many SE Asian, Eastern European, African and LatinoAmerican countries as well.

Had the OS been too difficult to pirate, educators and local institutions in these countries would have certainly shifted to Linux and the like. The fact that Windows could be pirated easily is the main factor that led to its ubiquity and allowed it to become a household name. Its rapid popularity in the '00s and early ‘10s cemented its status as the PC operating system. It is probably the same for Microsoft Office as well (it is still a part of many schools’ standard curricula).

The fact that Windows still remains pirateable to this day is perhaps intentional on Microsoft’s part.

SchizoDenji, (edited )

Not really. Offices were one of the major early adopters of computers and windows is perfect for them with plethora of features they offered right out of the package.

Windows GUI was groundbreaking, their text processing and excel was a game changer, and windows doesn’t allow you to delete your own boot partition with a sudo command so it was pretty idiot proof.

Once windows had the majority of marketshare, it was pretty obvious that whoever was buying PCs (back in the day it was more that a dad got a PC from his office or bought one which was similar), got it with windows.

Morgikan,
@Morgikan@lemm.ee avatar

Windows being easy to pirate wasnt the reason for it’s popularity. It had market share because they allowed for it to be preinstalled on machines for virtually nothing. They allowed it to be preinstalled on machines for virtually nothing because the OS wasn’t the flagship product.

MS Office has always been the major flagship product for the company. This was true in 1994 and still is today. Office is so important to their revenue streams that it’s fairly common knowledge and has been mentioned by former employees that OS development would focus on compatibility with Office programs, not the other way around.

Specifically if you look at the years around Office XP and 2003, that suite is used very much as a CVS. They deprecate their operating systems using Office.

FARTYSHARTBLAST,
@FARTYSHARTBLAST@sh.itjust.works avatar

Pirate Linux!

Wait…

someguy3,

I think Windows is successful because it was defacto preinstalled on all computers. Even people in third world countries are buying computers whole, not a basket of parts to assemble.

Also software. You’re not going to assemble a computer, install Linux, and then not be able to run anything on it. You want to run all the software that was built to run on Windows, which was built to run on Windows because it came installed on every computer, etc. (Remember Linux back then really couldn’t run all that much. No office? No games? You’re toast.)

blkpws,

LOL Linux runs the world. redirect.invidious.io/watch?v=mZXx5oErnIc
The problem was that it was not user-friendly, and you needed to know how to use it. Now things are changing and seems it can run games even faster.

Polar,

Can’t wait for Linux to be mainstream in 2085!

blkpws,

You’re funny xD, but it is already, just not for normal desktop users.

RandomVideos,

The year 7.776769 E+6016(2085! is about 7.776769 E+6016 years after the death of the universe

someguy3,

So servers? Yes we all know that.

blkpws,

Hahaha, the problem is the things you don’t know, not only on servers, on more devices that you ignore and skip just to make fun of it right now.

https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/f7d6c414-9431-4592-a668-9e3ab1167bab.png

https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/fdb73816-0306-4345-9602-4905c67bcbda.png

klyde,

Linux users can’t stop talking about Linux.

blkpws, (edited )

I don’t mind talking about Windows, Apple or Linux, but when someone says Linux is just for a “toast”… makes me think of how many devices runs Linux and not only toasters which I’m sure they also do if there is some screen display or Wi-Fi features.

So I reply to them if they talk about it, yeah.

ILikeBoobies,

It wasn’t harder than Windows

Windows was preinstalled

Now Windows also has the benefit of user base

blkpws,

Yeah, Windows is easier because it don’t have many distros and when you buy a new PC it already comes with it (no need to boot a Live ISO to install from 0) so that helps people to get started with their first OS, a Windows, so that’s why most people know how to use Windows.

You might want to read this awesome blog: duncanlock.net/…/using-windows-after-15-years-on-…

ILikeBoobies,

None of that matters if a Linux distro was preinstalled

It’s not about difficulty

Also that article isn’t very good

For instance; installing software on windows involves going to the command line and telling it to install a package

But they frame it as going online and downloading from a website; you can do that on either OS even though it’s not something you should ever do. It’s just user error

blkpws, (edited )

But they frame it as going online and downloading from a website; you can do that on either OS even though it’s not something you should ever do. It’s just user error

I don’t think those regular users uses the terminal to install their apps. winget is 3 years old… and is much easier and faster to just run sudo pacman -Syu or sudo apt update ; sudo apt upgrade (no via Windows updates that forces you to do stuff you don’t want to). Many things changes… and the freedom that Linux gives to use what you like as you like is missing on Windows, starting with the Desktop Environment… KDE has many more features, faster and uses less RAM than any Windows.

Most regular users on Windows stills goes on “google.com” and search for their programs, and then things like this happens: arstechnica.com/…/google-hosted-malvertising-lead…

😔

ILikeBoobies,

And on Linux they would do the same

blkpws,

Not the same amount of people will do that, if they learn that any app is installed via the same app, pamac or whatever Ubuntu has to install those packages. It’s harder for them to look outside that app and if they do, probably, and I hope they will get into the community forums. Where they can get to know how that works with transparency, something missing on Windows.

But yeah, virus and scams exists everywhere, just that Linux users don’t need to download a .exe or .msi to install anything by default, as far as I know on people around me, they don’t know winget exist, even the most gamer.

Tom_bishop,

Not true. People wouldn’t buy a pre-installed windows because its much way expensive. They just buy a preinstalled pirated windows instead.

Antitoxic9087, (edited )

I think it is the other way around; easy pirate versions appeared becuz windows was popular, providing access to those who can’t afford.

Polar,

Or Windows just works on so much different hardware. You can build a PC with the weirdest mix and match of hardware, and Windows will just… work. Also I bought a Microsoft sidewinder wheel from 1998 from a thrift store for $8, plugged it into my Windows 10 PC, and it just worked. Nothing special was needed. 1998 hardware literally plug and play on Windows 10 (and I’ve tested it on 11, and it works the same).

You can install MacOS on non-Apple hardware, but you need to buy very specific hardware, and download very specific hacks, to make it work.

Even Linux only works on specific hardware. This entire thread has people talking about how broken Linux is on their setups. The suggestions are to buy specific hardware and run very specific versions of Linux.

ColeSloth,

Not true at all. You’re thinking the past 20 years instead of the past 35 years. Windows was already “the” OS around the world well before you could just pirate a copy online. They cut deals and made sure if you bought a pc it has windows on it. They made sure the countries you speak of had dirt cheap cd keys without piracy. Microsoft in the late 80s/90s had a lot of moving parts that went into making sure the only OS you’d be using was windows. Even after they got in trouble in 1992-94 and in 2000-2001.

Piracy or not. Windows was almost anyone’s only choice.

people_are_cute,
@people_are_cute@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

The past 20 years is what’s relevant for all countries apart from Japan, China and those in North America and Eastern Europe when it comes to PCs.

I don’t think any cost above ₹200 (~ $2.5) would have been justifiable for an OS in third world countries in the '00s, and the “dirt cheap CD keys” were certainly more expensive than that anywhere.

ColeSloth,

I’m afraid you’re simply making things up. Microsoft donated computers with windows to all the third world countries. Literally the only way any schools had PC’s in third world countries was because Microsoft delivered them there, and any business’ that got computers used windows because they had office use applications and it was the only OS that anyone had previous practice with using, because of the donated computers.

people_are_cute,
@people_are_cute@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

It’s hilarious that you think Microsoft’s charity is what brought computers to the third world. Do you even hear yourself?

ColeSloth,

Of course it has. Maybe try pulling your head out of your ass.

nytimes.com/…/IHT-charity-in-poor-nations-has-2-p…

people_are_cute,
@people_are_cute@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

Unbelievable. You genuinely think the rest of the world wouldn’t have had computers had your god Microsoft not been so benevolent as to donate a few machines to a few schools for PR

Stay happy in your pathetic white saviours’ world, I guess. There’s no point discussing anything with you

ColeSloth,

Oh shit. You’re dumb AND racist. Lol. You poor fuck.

Cannacheques,

Even though Linux is still somewhat popular in tech circles, consider that windows would have a significant market share for providing high value entertainment and a wide variety of tools to office workers. Microsoft Office is the dominant documentation and accounting suite for office workers around the world.

Now, combine that with the way that Microsoft has bundled their OS into many laptops and retail computers worldwide and you see why they’re big.

Essentially anybody looking to do any paperwork related work will have to interact with Microsoft’s system of software in one way or another. If Bill Gates was a deity, he’d probably fit right in with the god of tax collectors, taxing people for paperwork and bureaucracy.

Astaroth,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Microsoft

Ignoring unauthorized copying

… Bill Gates said “And as long as they’re going to steal it, we want them to steal ours. They’ll get sort of addicted, and then we’ll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade.”

The practice allowed Microsoft to gain some dominance over the Chinese market and only then taking measures against unauthorized copies. In 2008, by means of the Windows update mechanism, a verification program called “Windows Genuine Advantage” (WGA) was downloaded and installed. When WGA detects that the copy of Windows is not genuine, it periodically turns the user’s screen black. This behavior angered users and generated complaints in China with a lawyer stating that “Microsoft uses its monopoly to bundle its updates with the validation programs and forces its users to verify the genuineness of their software”.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_documents

… the documents identified open-source software, and in particular the Linux operating system, as a major threat to Microsoft’s domination of the software industry, and suggested tactics Microsoft could use to disrupt the progress of open-source software.

umbrella,
@umbrella@lemmy.ml avatar

yup ADOBE is exactly the same.

they do it on purpose for the exact same reason you are mentioning.

Wootz,

The same goes for a lot of big-name software.

They know you’re pirating their software. Almost everything phones home, whether you pirate it or not. Unless the ping comes from a MAC address of a machine bought by a company, they don’t care.

umbrella,
@umbrella@lemmy.ml avatar

which is why my machine has a strict firewall installed

Obi,
@Obi@sopuli.xyz avatar

It’s even becoming an over the table tactic. For example you can use software like Fusion360 or unreal engine completely free until your business is over a certain revenue threshold.

icedterminal,

Eh. Adobe puts more effort into making it harder or tedious.

With the introduction of Creative Cloud, the notorious “amtlib.dll” that houses Adobe licensing, was bundled into the respective applications binary (exe). It didn’t stop pirates. In 24 hours they found the licensing mechanism and patched it.

You could create a CC account, install the desktop manager, install any app(s) you wanted, then crack them. When an update arrived, you could simply update the app(s) and apply the crack again.

Occasionally the licensing mechanism would update and an updated crack would be needed. As usual, pirates had this worked out the day of or a day later.

Adobe would later patch the desktop manager and break functionality to update software if it wasn’t genuine. People could still get the latest versions by uninstalling and reinstalling through the desktop manager. Since it would retain user settings by default.

Later, a mechanism was built into each application that would throw a warning message that the application isn’t genuine. For example, Photoshop would soft lock and the genuine check would display with the only option to close. This too was eventually patched out by pirates.

The latest attempt from Adobe now forces users to input and have a credit or debit card saved before activating a trial. This removed the ability for users to easily install software anonymously.

ILikeBoobies,

They already have the monopoly so it’s fine for them to cash in now

Wolf_359,

They should be careful. Plenty of alternatives cropping up. No, they’re not as technically impressive, but anyone with some basic Photoshop knowledge can do the same things on GIMP, paint.net, photopea, etc. Might just take a few extra steps.

All going to be less relevant soon with AI art though. If we are in the rotary phone stage of AI, wait until we get to the iPhone stage.

SereneHurricane,

1111111111111.

Just saying.

soothing,

I think this is really true. In 2000s people used to pirate everything (at least where I am from). And even now, apple marketshare is never big compared to US for example.

uriel238,
@uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

…and they knew it from the beginning.

Even the MPAA and RIAA know piracy fuels culture and makes golden hits into platinum hits and boost sequel album sales and auxiliary items (toys and lunchboxes).

They can’t help themselves because to the execs and shareholders, it feels like lost sales and theft. And the DRM market capitalizes on those feelings.

0x2d, (edited )

microsoft owns github

microsoft owns windows

mas is used to pirate windows

mas is hosted on github

hmmmm…

RandomVideos,

Out of the 4 laptops i used recently, 3 of them were using a pirated version of windows. 1 of them(my laptop) didnt use a pirated version of windows because it was already paid when i bought the laptop. I thought all laptops(that are not using macos or linux) came with windows preistalled

Tom_bishop,

Its not random thoughts, its the reality and msft knows it and they let it happened same as adobe with photoshop. They let students pirate their softwares so that by the time they graduated and enter the work field, they’d keep using it in their new job/company, where they would charge real expensive money for the license

MayonnaiseArch,
@MayonnaiseArch@beehaw.org avatar

Maybe, but there’s also the thing where it works reliably and you have software you can use. But yeah, it’s still part of the strategy

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