Chapter 268: Microsoft Is Flustered

The Windows system was going to ban all pirated versions?

After the news spread on the internet.

Unquestionably, the netizens were immediately rendered in a field of outraged.

“I’ve been using the pirated version for so many decades and you’re asking me to suddenly switch to the genuine version?”

“Do you know how expensive genuine Windows is? The cheapest is 399, the more expensive ones are 699 or even 899! Who would be willing to take out so much money?”

“What’s the big deal of a couple hundred bucks? On steam, I’ve seen a lot of people buying games, skins, recharges, krypton golds, and they spend hundreds and hundreds without even blinking their eyes. What’s up with them being thrifty when it comes to the OS?”

Someone immediately refuted, “Rich people only accounts for the minority, most of us are poor f*cks! You said a couple hundred bucks is no big deal, pay for us then, don’t talk sh*t until you’ve walked in our boots!”

“Indeed, it should be time to go all genuine. Many pirated systems have a lot of junk software’s and Trojans, which hampers security. I think it’s well worth it to trade a couple hundred for security.

This comment was also refuted, “Who said that genuine Windows is sure to be safe? Did you watch Xing Hai Technologies’s conference? No matter genuine or pirated, backdoors and loopholes will still exist, you can’t spend money for privacy and security!”

“I don’t care, I’m accustomed to the pirated version, can’t change habits, not gonna spend even a single cent!”

“Using pirated versions is against the law now! The National Copyright Administration’s new regulation says that: after 25th of March, for those who spread pirated copies, as long as they go over 100 points, law enforcement agencies will file a case against them. Not only that they will be fined not less than 30 thousand dollars, they will also be jailed for not less than six months. Besides, they will be opening a report hotline. Reporters can acquire half of the paid fine. For those who install pirated versions on the PC’s after the 25th, Windows will launch their anti-piracy program, which will render your PC screen in black and make it totally unusable.”

This…

That person flew into rage out of humiliation, “Then…then screw Windows! I’m switching to other computers!”

“I heard that the Xing Hai computer’s Xuanyuan OS is free, let’s use the Xing Hai computer in the future alright?”

“Exactly! You dare charge us? Then we will not use you!”

The netizens assented with one another.

…

The M nation.

Microsoft headquarters.

After the news of the Z nation strictly enforcing anti-piracy reached them.

Microsoft’s executives held an emergency meeting.

In the meeting, none of Microsoft’s higher ups smiled in glee in face of this great news. In contrary, they were a little flustered.

One of the executive members asked chairman Brian Annick, “Brian, Z is really going for real, what should we do?”

Brian Annick’s expression was in broken weather. He was very gloomy.

He had in fact pressured the Z nation for many times regarding anti-piracy. He frequently bashes the Z nation in public occasions for not being effective in protecting intellectual property.

Today, the Z nation stepped up and announced to abolish piracy in entirety. It would soon bring huge economic benefits to Microsoft. The Z nation market was eminently huge. One billion devices had Windows installed, but genuine rates were less than 10%. If all of those, switch to the genuine version, with each device paying at least 399 dollars, multiply that by one billion…

That would be an astonishing 400-billion-dollar revenue!

If the shareholders and investors were aware that the Z nation was going all authentic, Microsoft’s stocks would absolutely be skyrocketing.

Yet…

Of all times, the Z nation chose to go head on head with piracy at this particular time.

Brian Annick can’t seem to make himself happy. The other executives too, saw the real issue.

“It’s a scheme, this is the Z’s scheme!”

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“They wish to exploit the fact that the Windows system requires a charge to promote their own operating system.”

“Everybody likes free stuff. Now, since we have a charge, those free OS’s will steal our market and threaten our dominance.”

“We can’t accept the Z’s NCA’s invitation. We must not send out black screens to those computers installed with pirated systems!”

In fact, with Microsoft’s technical capabilities, they definitely have the means to contain those pirated operating systems on the Z nation market. As long as one’s computer does not have a genuine system activation code and have no genuine purchase record, not only that they could send them a black screen, they could even send over blue screens, green screens or just anything else to hamper the computers normal operations.

For Microsoft, executing anti-piracy was not an issue, technically speaking. But for some reason, they did not do so.

“NoNoNo!”

Brian Annick waved his hands and said, “We must not reject them. Once we rejected them, our intentions will be revealed.”

He felt that he had seemingly shot himself in the foot. Didn’t he request for the Z nation’s help to combat piracy for numerous times? Now, the Z nation had officially agreed and decided to eradicate pirated systems within one years’ time, but they, on the other hand, was reluctant to provide technical cooperative measures as to sending black screens.

They have suddenly backed off and resign themselves from the fight against piracy.

What does this imply?

So, this is what Brian Annick felt the most awkward about.

After discussing and exchanging views, they came out with the final solution.

Actively participate in the Z nation’s anti-piracy operations and produce a good financial report this year.

Slash the price of genuine operating systems on the Z nation market. Lower them until the 150, 300, and 450-dollar price range, making the genuine system affordable to all users from Z.

…

After Microsoft’s response plan reached the Z nation.

The netizens had another round of heated discussions.

An analytical article wrote by veteran blogger with the ID “tWisting wEather” became widespread and gained countless approvals.

“I have made a guess many years ago and now, it has been proven.”

“This theory was also proposed by Academician Yan Nanguang, which is that, pirated Windows operating systems being prevalent across the whole Z nation is the result of Microsoft’s silent consent.”

“Their purpose is to occupy the Z nation market and stop our domestic OS’s from rising.”

“Is it truly that hard for them to go against piracy? Must they work with the Z nation’s government to do so?”

“Obviously that’s not the case! It is very simple if Microsoft so wants to fight piracy. They could embed many backdoors or loopholes in their system, and if you are not using a genuine version, they could immediately give you a black screen so that you can’t use your computer at all. It is impossible for the average person to create an operating system. It will be impossible to resist such anti-piracy measures.”

“But Microsoft did not do so. Instead, they throw the blame on the Z government, branding our country as misfits in protecting intellectual property. What they opted for is a well thought out sinister approach!”

“The reason behind Microsoft’s silent consent is simple. The Z nation market is too big. Even if they only ask government departments and companies to use genuine copies, they will still make a lot of money. If the entire Z nation so uses the genuine system, multiplying our numbers with the priciest Windows system, we would be at least a three to four hundred-billion-dollar market for them… if Microsoft so wishes to take all in, dream on!”

“If I were the Z nation’s government, I would rather bash one hundred billion dollars in to make our own operating system then to see Microsoft make so much money.”

“If I were an IT company, I would also be willing to invest all my funds to develop an operating system and gobble down a large portion of the cake.

“This is why our own operating system has not appeared until lately, or they cannot occupy the mainstream. Microsoft killed them with their pirated versions.

“This is Microsoft’s marketing strategy. They don’t even care about the pirated copies out there. They just want to conquer this market firmly so that they can harvest us in the future.”

There were a few who proposed their doubts: the Windows system imposes fees in Europe and in Japan and Gorea as well, why didn’t they only allow piracy in the Z nation, could this not be the Z nation’s government’s fault?

The problem was that, how could a small market of tens of millions of people be compared with a big market of more than one billion people?

With how much weight the Z nation was carrying, as long as there were companies that see the 100-billion-dollar annual profit they could make from the operating system market, within a short time, they might come out with tens or even hundreds of operating systems. The price tug of war would be immensely fierce. For the final operating system that prevailed, why would it be afraid of Windows?”

This included the domestic single-player game industry. It was exactly piracy that destroyed the infinite possibilities.