FlexGo Scares Me

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-6074589.html

What do you make of this? This confuses me.

ZDNet wrote:

Want to write a Word document? Pay a few pennies. Want to download some digital photos? Pay a few more.

That's basically the idea behind FlexGo, Microsoft's latest attempt to make PC ownership more accessible to people in emerging markets. 

Will I still be able to run Windows 98 on my home PC?

Tanks.

GrandpaPC wrote:

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-6074589.html

What do you make of this? This confuses me.

ZDNet wrote: Want to write a Word document? Pay a few pennies. Want to download some digital photos? Pay a few more. That's basically the idea behind FlexGo, Microsoft's latest attempt to make PC ownership more accessible to people in emerging markets.

Will I still be able to run Windows 98 on my home PC?

Tanks.

Excellent, I wonder is this will allow me to piggy back off a little MS juice with my up coming product FlexiShare?

Sourcecode wrote:


Excellent, I wonder is this will allow me to piggy back off a little MS juice with my up coming product FlexiShare?

Better yet, call it "FlexiShare Live!" for bonus points

Rotem

GrandpaPC wrote:

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-6074589.html

What do you make of this? This confuses me.

ZDNet wrote: Want to write a Word document? Pay a few pennies. Want to download some digital photos? Pay a few more. That's basically the idea behind FlexGo, Microsoft's latest attempt to make PC ownership more accessible to people in emerging markets.

Will I still be able to run Windows 98 on my home PC?

Tanks.

Sure.  This seems like if you don't have a lot of money but still want a really cool computer, you can pay for it by the hour.  (although it becomes yours after you use it for a while.)
So nobody is going to be forced to do it.

""The real goal of FlexGo is to make that dream of owning a full-featured PC a reality," said Mike Wickstrand, director of product management in the market expansion group at Microsoft." The funny thing is "that dream" wasn't a dream but a reality for everyone until now. I wonder how many will opt out on this cycle of the platform.

giggles wrote:

""The real goal of FlexGo is to make that dream of owning a full-featured PC a reality," said Mike Wickstrand, director of product management in the market expansion group at Microsoft." The funny thing is "that dream" wasn't a dream but a reality for everyone until now. I wonder how many will opt out on this cycle of the platform.

Everyone?  Well, sure everyone where I live, but not everywhere.  Not everyone has a lot of money.  It would be nice if Microsoft would just hand out computers for free, but that is not going to happen.  If for no other reason then because Apple would have a fit.

This whole thing is an overhyped zero-interest loan equal to the value of half your computer's cost which is payed back in installments (hence the hourly rate).

It would just be easier to give them the zero-interest loan in the first place, but I guess this way you're guranteed income, however the FlexGo service would require that Trusted Platform is operational, otherwise you could just reformat the computer with an OS of your choice.

My only fear is that Microsoft pushes this "software as a service/software rental" thing over here, whatever hapened to "ownership" (along with "personal responsibility", but that's another story)

W3bbo wrote:

My only fear is that Microsoft pushes this "software as a service/software rental" thing over here, whatever hapened to "ownership" (along with "personal responsibility", but that's another story)

Well, if you want to own the software, just buy it and avoid FlexGo.
Microsoft will never sell software that is only avalable through rental. (>.< doh! I just thought of a contradicion: OneCare, but that's different, because of the virus definition updates needed.)
Yeah, personal responsability is just about dead, sadly.

Is OneCare a rental, or is it just the ability to update that is rented?

W3bbo wrote:

This whole thing is an overhyped zero-interest loan equal to the value of half your computer's cost which is payed back in installments (hence the hourly rate).

It would just be easier to give them the zero-interest loan in the first place, but I guess this way you're guranteed income

No, read the article. It's explicitly NOT a standard regular-payment loan, and it WOULDN'T be easier to give them such a loan. That's been tried, and it doesn't work for everyone:

In many cases, Microsoft has already worked with local governments and businesses to offer financing programs in which consumers pay a monthly fee for their PC. But one of the things Microsoft said it has learned is that many people in developing countries do not have a steady income. With FlexGo, consumers can scale back their PC use in months that they have less money, rather than having to default on their purchase.

How nice to see multiple payment possibilities for overpriced software.

Am i the only one who thinks of Time Sharing from back in the mainframe days when I hear of this one?