"People don't pay for the software [in China]. Someday they will, though. 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 figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade." - BILL GATES, explaining Microsoft's Chinese software strategy .
Opening extract from 'Need To Know' weekly email newsletter (http://www.ntk.net/)

I have one question, how come they are being allowed to get away with it? - was that loud enough.

The 'borrowing' of software (does Microsoft count?) obviously goes on in Europe and large companies using one copy on 15 or 50 or 500 machines is obviously not on, even if it is Word, but can Mr Gates expand his leniency to Europe too? Allegedly, I know people who have 'borrowed' software for a couple of years because it was the only way to get started.

I'm sure we all know the situation, blow at least a grand on a Mac full of RAM, then another on a decent laser printer, then half that again on a back-up system and good screen (if you're reading this dribble on a standard 14/15" Apple monitor and you do so for more than a couple of hours each day you are killing your eyes, if you're interested in my 'oh so humble opinion' you need a proper Trinitron screen, unless you spend the money on a 'good' Apple screen my suggestion is you get another brand. The only good Apple screen I have (I have 4) 'cost' so although it breaks my heart (especially as a shareholder) I buy Sony now as the same money gets you greater longevity from your eyes). After all that lovely hardware a couple of good games with a joystick costs £150, Quark £800, Suitcase £60, Illustrator £300, Photoshop £300, Norton Utilities £80 and fonts, well don't talk to me about fonts, a full library is the best part of £3,000, so the cost of a machine is doubled on software, no-wonder people have to borrow for a while.

But before any software companies go ballistic, my experience is that everyone does the honorable thing and purchases the full product as soon as they can, package by package, they want to be legal, they want the manual, they want support and most of all they want the soppy bit of plastic that goes over the F keys with the short-cuts on it.

So please Mr Gates and wannabe Mr Gates's please don't try too hard to crush every user and potential user with your anti-piracy crap because you are getting sales, if your product is good enough and affordable people will buy it. If it's brilliant software and you have a strangle hold on the market but you're exploiting the users by overpricing it at say, at the £800 price bracket then as soon as a viable alternative comes along I believe your world will disintegrate overnight. And if you bully your half done products onto the market for long enough I hope and pray users will seek the better alternatives already available, manufactured by the smaller more cuddly companies that really want to please their users.

I want to finish in a similar vein with something I keep on hearing over and over from WinTel users "there isn't enough software for the Mac". When I enquire to what they specifically use I get two answers, a) Oh! I use Word. or b) Oh! I play games. Firstly I remind them the Microsoft products are on the Mac or I remind them if they mainly play games then the consoles are far better than any PC and for a fraction of the cost. 

Then I go for the throat, "Of course you know only the best software is written for the Mac so it makes choosing your software easier and therefore I think safer than for WinTel. I don't know anyone who's been stuffed-up with a rinky-dink bit of software in a nice box from a flea market vendor that when you try to get support the phone number doesn't exist. To borrow a slogan from a well known French beer commercial, the Mac is 'reassuringly expensive' except that they aren't any more".

The oh so humble opinions expressed here are my own and not brain washed into me by the Mickysofts' of the world, I cultivated this narrow minded viewpoint on my own and with my father's guidance while growing-up.  If you want a portion, and I have time, eMail me at .............
 .............mark@1984-online.com

Adios until next time, if there is a next time! and for a more enriched life experience visit - http://www.1984-online.com it's essential, I did and therefore I am!!!.