What's behind Microsoft's fall from dominance?

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

It allowed Microsoft to reduce the price of Windows 8, which is much cheaper than Windows 7.

Just FYI, see attached screenshot, made today from neweggbusiness.com.  If anything Windows 7 is cheaper since they have the 3-pack option.  Below this was Windows 8 home, which was retailing for $99, but I'm a business user and only buy/recommend business-class solutions.

This pretty much throws the whole argument out the window... not only is Windows 8 less capable, it costs more, too.  Way to go, Microsoft!  *facepalm*

Edit:  haha, look at all the low reviews for Windows 8.  

[psxphill]

So you want to screw over people using a free OS by applying commercial restrictions to a non-commercial product simply for the sake of making Microsoft look less cheap for dropping something that cost them a small fraction of their sale price.
 
Yeah, that's totally a reasonable stance.

It is totally reasonable to expect Apple and the Linux distros to have to adhere to the same rules as Microsoft.
 
It's much more reasonable than expecting them to eat the cost.
 
Windows 8 Pro with media centre includes DVD playback, if you're not too cheap to pay for it.

[smerf]

Having used computers since the '70's and having previously worked for a company that built 68K computer AND owning more Apples than PCs, I find this opinion uninformed and rather stupid.
Yeah, Apple makes some curious decisions.
But as pointed out (repeatedly), those of us running MorphOS on older Apples aren't particularly interested in Apple's intent.

But I will agree with Smerf on one point, Microsoft isn't going away.

@Iggy,

Having used computers since 1972, and having worked for a company that was one of the first to bring computers into existance, I find this opinion rather uninformed and filled with ignorance about the history of computers.

Yeah, apple at the start made a lot of curious decisions, and as I have always said MorphOS is a rather expensive emulation of the Amiga computer system.

BUT

I will agree with Iggy on one point, Micro shaft isn't going away.

best regards Iggy, glad to see your up to your old self.

smerf

[smerf]

You guys are more delusional than you think if you really believe that Microsoft has lost dominance or is "doomed".  You clowns are the same people who believe that the Amiga will rise from the ashes like some sort of Phoenix to storm the world of computing once again.  Keep drinking that Kool-Aid and hiding out under bridges with your Billy goats.

Hi,

You never know, maybe some billionaire will see the enthusiastic crowd for the Amiga computer, and donate a billion or two, to get it going again, but then again not to many billionaire's will want to buy Amiga, after all it carries the Amiga curse, that who ever owns the rights to said Amiga computer will go bankrupt. There isn't any billionaires that would take a challenge like this.

And besides if Amiga did come back out, Micro soft will surely go out of business, and so would rotten core Apple.

[commodorejohn]

It is totally reasonable to expect Apple and the  Linux distros to have to adhere to the same rules as Microsoft.
 
It's much more reasonable than expecting them to eat the cost.

Well, uh, is Apple not subject to the rules? AFAIK they still ship a DVD player with OSX, but is there any indication that they're not paying the requisite licensing fees for the technology? Because let's be entirely clear here, Microsoft deliberately dropped DVD playback to avoid having to pay those fees, not because of some mean ol' court order that says they aren't allowed to have useful features in their OS or anything.

(Also, can you provide a source for your claim that their move had to do with pressure from CyberLink? I'm turning up articles where CyberLink attributes a boost in sales to Windows 8 having dropped its native DVD support, but I'm not seeing anything about them having been a party to that decision.)

As for Linux: no. A non-commercial venture is not subject to the restrictions a commercial one faces because it is non-commercial. If Microsoft didn't want to make money off Windows they could indulge just as freely. That is how patent laws work. Your idea that Microsoft is somehow entitled to a "level playing field" against a project maintained by independent developers and non-profits and given away for free is simply ludicrous, and again goes to show (like your claims in another thread that forcing locked-down software distribution is necessary because not forcing it is somehow "subsidizing open-source") that your basic philosophy is "everybody who doesn't like Microsoft's new direction can get bent, end of debate."

[stefcep2]

I've never really understood how Linux gets away with free DVD playback

[commodorejohn]

Simple: non-commercial projects are exempt from a lot of restrictions like patents, and Linux is largely non-commercial. (I'm not sure what enterprise vendors like Red Hat do - do they not ship DVD players? Pay licensing fees? I dunno.)

[mongo]

Simple: non-commercial projects are exempt from a lot of restrictions like patents

That's not true at all.

[stefcep2]

Simple: non-commercial projects are exempt from a lot of restrictions like patents, and Linux is largely non-commercial.

I doubt that: on the face of it, if I take somebody's work which they derive a living from and give it away for free for others to use, I may not make money from it, but I am still aiding in depriving the owner of the work some of the proceeds they are entitled to for their efforts.

[NovaCoder]

Easy answer really, Google and Apple

[SysAdmin]

LOL, I don't think anyone will be taking advantage of this offer.


http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/09/12/microsoft-starts-buying-used-ipads-for-200-microsoft-store-gift-cards-pushes-surface

[nicholas]

I've never really understood how Linux gets away with free DVD playback

They don't come with DVD playback, the user has to install a codec or standalone player like VLC to enable it. Same as Win8.

[commodorejohn]

LOL, I don't think anyone will be taking advantage of this offer.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/09/12/microsoft-starts-buying-used-ipads-for-200-microsoft-store-gift-cards-pushes-surface

Yes, folks, they're paying people to buy a Surface. Oy gevalt. Seriously, Microsoft, just take a mulligan on this tablet thing already.

[Duce]

MS dropped it because it wasn't worth the additional expense it tacked onto things, which they had to pass on to the consumer.  Optical media is going the way of the dodo, anyways.  Keeping it around would have prevented them from the super cheap ($40) W8 upgrade offerings they were making.  You can still get it in Media Center editions or via upgrade if you absolutely need it.  Most don't.  With Mac's, you're lucky if they even offer an optical drive on them these days.  The current iMac has no optical drive at all, unless you want to go for an optional external one.

John, your statements about Linux are simply not correct.  Install Ubuntu and you'd also find out it's missing it as well.  Linux distros cannot simply chuck in proprietary software that otherwise needs to be licensed because they aren't charging for a distro.  It's not a charity mission when it comes to intellectual property.

Install VLC or something.  Problem solved.

[psxphill]

Microsoft deliberately dropped DVD playback to avoid having to pay those fees

That was definitely one of the reasons and it's a really justifiable one.
 
FWIW the free Linux DVD players aren't paying for a license (because they are cheap too)
 
Let us be clear, you can't possibly know whether Microsoft were threatened to drop DVD playback. I was merely showing that Apple bundling everything with the OS while Microsoft getting hassle was a real thing & therefore comparing Windows & MacOS like that is like breaking someones leg and then punishing them for not being able to run a marathon.
 
Your ability to troll is wasted here.
 

John, your statements about Linux are simply not correct. Install Ubuntu and you'd also find out it's missing it as well. Linux distros cannot simply chuck in proprietary software that otherwise needs to be licensed because they aren't charging for a distro. It's not a charity mission when it comes to intellectual property.

Ubuntu might not bundle it, but there is unlicensed DVD player software out there. Linux users tend to think that everything is owed to them, IMO they are worse than people who pirate windows.
 
 

Simple: non-commercial projects are exempt from a lot of restrictions like patents, and Linux is largely non-commercial. (I'm not sure what enterprise vendors like Red Hat do - do they not ship DVD players? Pay licensing fees? I dunno.)

They aren't exempt, it's just with non-commercial projects there isn't anyone worth suing.
 
 

Yes, folks, they're paying people to buy a Surface. Oy gevalt. Seriously, Microsoft, just take a mulligan on this tablet thing already.

Do you realise your righteous indignation makes you sound like a git?

[nicholas]

ubuntu might not bundle it, but there is dvd player software out there that is illegal in the usa and some other countries but completely legal in some others. There are fully licenced proprietary linux dvd players available for those who live in the usa.

ftfy.

http://www.cyberlink.com/eng/press_room/view_1849.html
http://www.fluendo.com/shop/product/fluendo-dvd-player/

I should also mention that the exact same DVD players that are available for Linux are available for users of Windows in those countries outside the USA. (VLC, MPlayer, FFMPEG, libdvdcss etc)

http://www.videolan.org/legal.html