SlashNOT

Matthew writes: Editor’s Note: Stories in the “True Stories” category are factual.

Microsoft has announced the release of a starter version of Windows XP for the piracy-infested southeast Asia region called Windows XPSE. XPSE, retailed for about $ 35 dollars (vs. $ 4 for a pirated copy of XP Pro) has the following features designed to woo consumers away from piracy:

1. A limit of three running applications at one time.
2. A limit of three windows per application
3. No windows networking support
4. No significant ability to change default settings
5. Few of XP’s built-in applications.
Gartner Group principle analyst Martin Gilliland states: “We’ve recommended, basically, that nobody buy these. [The product] has no value for anybody as this stands.”