Windows XP 'Light' Readied for Thailand Program
By David Worthington, BetaNews
February 9, 2004, 4:10 AM
From Atkins to South Beach, diets have swept the globe on a monumental scale. This trend has not passed by the rolling lawns of Redmond, Washington, where Microsoft has joined the dieting craze.
In order to participate in the Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) program crafted by the government of Thailand to help low-income earners afford PCs, Microsoft is busy readying a "light" version of its Windows XP operating system - tailored to suit the needs of first-time PC buyers.
The first batch of ITC subsidized PCs shipped out with Linux TLE and OpenOffice.org productivity suite preloaded. Linux TLE is a Thai language implementation of Linux, and has proliferated its way into the South East Asian marketplace, where open source provides a viable alternative to software piracy.
As first reported by the Bangkok Post, Microsoft's slimmed down version of Windows XP -- developed in Redmond -- comes with slightly reduced functionality in comparison to XP Home. Rich tutorials are included with an upgrade path open to full-bodied versions of the operating system.
To complement Windows on the desktop, Microsoft is also crafting a specialized Thai version of Office XP.
"The offering is unique to the Thai government's ICT program and is tailored to first time computer users. We are committed to continuing to work with governments all over the world on programs and initiatives that address their specific challenges and meet the needs of their consumers, however the ICT program is the only trial of its kind at the moment," a Microsoft spokesperson told BetaNews.
Indeed, ITC is one of a kind; the program helped crack the mantle of Microsoft's long standing one-price policy. Microsoft's usual pricing scheme simply could not place into program's goal of a $250 USD computer.
No matter what its motivation, Microsoft obliged and slashed its prices to provide affordable Windows powered PCs backed by a safety net of payment plans provided by local banks, which were brokered by the Thai government.
CNET Asia has reported that over 160,000 units have been sold thus far.
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