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Right. Now take it a step further.
You wrote:
Coming up with a reason to own a computer should
be the first task undertaken, not trying to convince someone it's a good deal when they don't need it...

The pc has been sold as cheap and capable. If the capabilities aren't needed, and the box itself costs too much to sell to individuals, what would motivate people?
And then there's piracy. After all, in areas where piracy is rampant, who's going to open a store to sell legal copies at a substantially higher price? Did you notice the question in The Ethicist from someone in an area where there were no honest software outlets?

My view, for what it's worth, is that the first buyers will be profitable industries. They'll want to be able to compete and communicate internationally.
If the United States can add verification of software licenses to the requirements for exporting companies, that would be a major advantage for adoption.
Someone might be tempted to say these companies might be tempted to go for open source, but that would mean significant support costs where well-trained computer professionals are drawing unusually high salaries.

Computers and honest software will be used most extensively where there's money to pay for them.
Agreed?
Posted by: Anton Philidor   Posted on: 05/07/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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Microsoft can't sell to them?  nucrash | 05/07/04
Selling now is not the point  tero_t_vaananen@... | 05/07/04
Much more to the point  Yagotta B. Kidding | 05/07/04
WinHEC? Innovative Hardware Lock-in To Windows?  claytonmuhler | 05/07/04
Every on on the planet has a TV...  boatelc | 05/07/04
Who needs a PC to heard sheep?  Yagotta B. Kidding | 05/07/04
I've heard several sheep.  Yen_z | 05/07/04
Consistent global pricing?  Fred Fredrickson | 05/07/04
maybe  V Sanders | 05/07/04
Microsoft needs to worry about current markets first!  AbsolutelyNot | 05/07/04
But why do all that?  Chad_z | 05/07/04
you can always go to  V Sanders | 05/07/04
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... So_many no_longer_use_M$_drekware, bozo.  dicktaurus@... | 05/07/04
stop the rhetoric  stephen732@... | 05/07/04
Obviously a flame bate...  gtdworak | 05/10/04
It's the dollars stupid.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 05/07/04
Right. Now take it a step further.  Anton Philidor | 05/07/04
Nope, can't agree with this:  Cardinal_Bill | 05/07/04
Business strategy, not software.  Anton Philidor | 05/08/04
I'd look at this from a different angle  tic swayback | 05/08/04
And you know this how?  Chad_z | 05/07/04
Creating a model for a business plan  Anton Philidor | 05/08/04
More to it than that  tic swayback | 05/08/04
Yes, there's also price and availability  Anton Philidor | 05/09/04
1 out of 4 is ... well, bad.  Fred Fredrickson | 05/07/04
Don't think that's the potential market  j.m.galvin | 05/10/04
So to recap WinHEC  Richard Flude | 05/07/04
You missed Mr. Gates proclamation.  Cardinal_Bill | 05/07/04
$30  Franklin_z | 05/07/04
Single world price...  robradina@... | 05/10/04
Windows a world Standard?  xshakes | 05/08/04
Stop beliving the MS hype  xshakes | 05/08/04
My adivce would be to ask Steve Jobs, too  mlindl | 05/08/04
Maybe the US is an emerging market...  FederalistPaperBoy | 05/08/04
Makes some of you very happy  FilledOut | 05/09/04
win xp is hell to work with  hipparchus2000 | 05/10/04

What do you think?

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