Comments on: Next Week: Microsoft Will Start Charging You to Test Office 2007 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3313 Independent Tech News and Product Reviews from former VP and head of CNET.com and Longtime Computer Shopper Columnist, Alice Hill author of the popular "Hard Edge" column. Originally named AliceandBill.com. Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:30:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Bill M http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3313#comment-54066 Wed, 02 Aug 2006 14:51:20 +0000 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3313#comment-54066 The amount is irrelevant. Once people are accustomed to paying for beta software, any monopolist knows you just keep raising the price until the marginal lost sales result in a reduction of profit. I can see it now -- retail Office $1000, beta Office $100, alpha Office only $10. BTW, none of these are guaranteed to be useful, or even work. The amount is irrelevant. Once people are accustomed to paying for beta software, any monopolist knows you just keep raising the price until the marginal lost sales result in a reduction of profit. I can see it now — retail Office $1000, beta Office $100, alpha Office only $10. BTW, none of these are guaranteed to be useful, or even work.

]]> by: Lockergnome's Tech News Watch http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3313#comment-53891 Tue, 01 Aug 2006 05:06:52 +0000 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3313#comment-53891 <strong>Next Week: Microsoft Will Start Charging You To Test Office 2007</strong> Michael Santo of RealTechNews writes: Well, it's really to download it, not to use it. But the Office 2007 Beta has proved so popular that it has been downloaded three million times, and Microsoft says it needs to recoup its costs. Consumers who downl... Next Week: Microsoft Will Start Charging You To Test Office 2007

Michael Santo of RealTechNews writes: Well, it’s really to download it, not to use it. But the Office 2007 Beta has proved so popular that it has been downloaded three million times, and Microsoft says it needs to recoup its costs. Consumers who downl…

]]> by: I’m Guessing http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3313#comment-53843 Mon, 31 Jul 2006 18:07:34 +0000 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3313#comment-53843 Short Term Thinking Every week now it seems, we here another story regarding some sort of public relations miscue by Microsoft. The latest involves Microsoft charging to download their beta version of Office 2007. Not only can you help troubleshoot their buggy software, you can also forfeit some of your hard earned money (not to mention dignity), to do it. When I first heard of this I had to quick click Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary - Beta to review the definition, because obviously it changed without me knowing it. Surprise, surprise to find out it reads like this: a nearly complete prototype of a product (as software) I’m all for programmers & software companies making a good, even obscene financial living, if it delivers a quality product which infinitely makes my life better & easier. A product by the way, that is complete, stable and with as few bugs as possible (as there is no such thing as bug-free software). What part of this description fits MS Office 2007 beta? Every week, the world is moving closer & closer to an Internet-centric planet, and every week, Microsoft tries to convince us to keep using & propagating 20th century technology. Every $1.50 fee they collect for their beta download, will keep at least one other consumer or business customer from trying it. Every customer that refuses to pay for beta software, not because $1.50 is a lot of money, but because Microsoft is trying to change the rules so they can win (taking their ball & going home), is another customer who might just decide, “screw it” when thinking about upgrading. More short term thinking, but then, that’s all Microsoft has, isn’t it? I’m Guessing http://imguessingblog.blogspot.com imguessingblog@gmail.com Short Term Thinking

Every week now it seems, we here another story regarding some sort of public relations miscue by Microsoft. The latest involves Microsoft charging to download their beta version of Office 2007. Not only can you help troubleshoot their buggy software, you can also forfeit some of your hard earned money (not to mention dignity), to do it.

When I first heard of this I had to quick click Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary - Beta to review the definition, because obviously it changed without me knowing it. Surprise, surprise to find out it reads like this: a nearly complete prototype of a product (as software)

I’m all for programmers & software companies making a good, even obscene financial living, if it delivers a quality product which infinitely makes my life better & easier. A product by the way, that is complete, stable and with as few bugs as possible (as there is no such thing as bug-free software). What part of this description fits MS Office 2007 beta?

Every week, the world is moving closer & closer to an Internet-centric planet, and every week, Microsoft tries to convince us to keep using & propagating 20th century technology. Every $1.50 fee they collect for their beta download, will keep at least one other consumer or business customer from trying it.

Every customer that refuses to pay for beta software, not because $1.50 is a lot of money, but because Microsoft is trying to change the rules so they can win (taking their ball & going home), is another customer who might just decide, “screw it” when thinking about upgrading.

More short term thinking, but then, that’s all Microsoft has, isn’t it?

I’m Guessing
http://imguessingblog.blogspot.com
imguessingblog@gmail.com

]]> by: Perros http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3313#comment-53712 Sun, 30 Jul 2006 10:43:16 +0000 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3313#comment-53712 $1.50 for software that will retail for several jundred dollars. Thats still a bargain, even with the expiry of the software. -Perros- $1.50 for software that will retail for several jundred dollars. Thats still a bargain, even with the expiry of the software.

-Perros-

]]> by: Rob http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3313#comment-53652 Sat, 29 Jul 2006 18:28:29 +0000 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3313#comment-53652 <b>Quoth John:</b> "<i>Maybe they need to switch ISP’s so they dont get charged as much for the bandwidth their beta testers are using up…." -- The cost of logistics and manpower to make such a switch would far exceed the cost of any bandwidth. <b>Quoth John Corliss:</b> "</i><i>It will drive more people to the vastly superior Corel WordPerfect Office and the free OpenOffice.org.</i>" -- No it won't. It'll drive people to the torrent sites to get the betas, which is exactly what MS wants but won't condone. Quoth John: “Maybe they need to switch ISP’s so they dont get charged as much for the bandwidth their beta testers are using up….”
– The cost of logistics and manpower to make such a switch would far exceed the cost of any bandwidth.

Quoth John Corliss: “It will drive more people to the vastly superior Corel WordPerfect Office and the free OpenOffice.org.”
– No it won’t. It’ll drive people to the torrent sites to get the betas, which is exactly what MS wants but won’t condone.

]]> by: John Corliss http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3313#comment-53640 Sat, 29 Jul 2006 17:01:13 +0000 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3313#comment-53640 This is good news. It will drive more people to the vastly superior Corel WordPerfect Office and the free OpenOffice.org. This is good news. It will drive more people to the vastly superior Corel WordPerfect Office and the free OpenOffice.org.

]]> by: John http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3313#comment-53588 Sat, 29 Jul 2006 04:40:32 +0000 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3313#comment-53588 So you download the beta to HELP M$ test their new software and when the test is done you get to go and BUY the finished program.... Am I missing something here? And doesnt M$ own the internet by now, you know thats what they think. Maybe they need to switch ISP's so they dont get charged as much for the bandwidth their beta testers are using up.... So you download the beta to HELP M$ test their new software and when the test is done you get to go and BUY the finished program…. Am I missing something here? And doesnt M$ own the internet by now, you know thats what they think. Maybe they need to switch ISP’s so they dont get charged as much for the bandwidth their beta testers are using up….

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