Piracy-check mandatory for Windows add-ons

You know what this is going to do?:

Meanwhile, those who fail the validation test will be presented with two options. People who send in their CDs, show proof they bought Windows and fill out a piracy report will be eligible to get a legitimate copy of Windows at no charge. Those who don’t have CDs or a proof of purchase but fill out a piracy report will have to pay for a licensed copy–$99 for Windows XP Home and $149 for Windows XP Professional. Those prices are higher than the upgrade cost for Windows XP, but lower than the price one would have to pay for an entirely new copy of the OS.

Microsoft has been testing the Windows Genuine program since last September. At first, the program had neither benefits for those who passed inspection nor any penalty for those who failed or opted not to go through the piracy check. Gradually, though, Microsoft has been adding perks and moving to make the process mandatory.

How many users when confronted with the option to pay $99 for an OS, will simply jump ship and use Linux?

I doubt that many home users are the ones who have pirated copies. Rather, it’s probably those with multiple workstations – businesses and the like. What is more cost effective to a small business? Paying $2,000 to get all the computers in the office up to snuff (and maybe more for all the MS Office installations), or simply moving to Linux and OpenOffice alternatives?

Welcome to the free market.

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