How much would MS have to pay you to use Vista?

[xiota]

I had the opportunity to try Vista on a new computer (before wiping it off the hard drive). I used Vista for less than a day, and regret even being tempted to just try it. I noticed several polls that ask whether people would use Vista if it were free (as in beer). With the price included in the purchase of a new computer and software piracy, Vista is, in practice, already cost free, yet I probably wouldn't use Vista as my primary OS if MS paid me to use it.

How much would MS have to pay to get GNU/Linux users to use Vista as their primary OS? Assume MS will track users to make sure:

They use Vista over 50% of the time they spend on a computer.
They do not use other operating systems in emulation or virtualization to get around the restrictions.

[insane_alien]

oh i didn't notice the 'use it greater than 50% of the time' bit.

if it was just to use it now and again it would have to be free, i like to tinker with things even if they are a bit crap.

for greater than 50% use, nah, just isn't going to happen, though dropping me a fe million each year might go some way towards helping in that regard.

[the.dark.lord]

If they would pay me billions of dollars, I'd use it just to make 'em bankrupt :)

[tgalati4]

For a few million, I would tattoo my forehead:

The Wow starts now!

Seriously, MS owes me several hundred dollars for all the wasted time rebooting between each update/install/BSOD.

[NliteN]

They couldn't.

[Midwest-Linux]

Vista will never run on any computer that I own.

[Whiffle]

8



(turn head sideways for somewhat full effect)

[some_random_noob]

I would ask for thousands, that way I could afford a computer which is capable of running it. The money left over could then go to Linux developers. Yep, 4-digits sounds fair.

[aysiu]

I voted the last option, but now that I've thought about it, I'd use it for billions (a highly unlikely scenario, of course).

Then I'd use those billions of dollars to fund open source projects.

All that revenue going to open source would certainly be worth one user being stuck with Vista. Why not?

Of course, why would Microsoft pay one person billions of dollars to use its operating system?

[hvac3901]

OK to be honest, for a couple thousand a year, i would buy a new machhine, connect it to the interent and check my email on it every day. jsut for that couple thousand a year. :)

Not because I like windows any more, but just because I wanted the money. It a business decision there, not a preference.

[xiota]

Now that I'm thinking about it... 6-figures plus is tempting. It would be like a job. Some people are already effectively in that situation with XP. It may eventually happen with Vista.

I just thought of a way some people might try to "cheat". They could get the cash and give a computer running Vista to a relative or someone they know who would use Vista anyway. MS's user tracking would probably be able to prevent that.

[gwoodard]

They either would have to pay me in billions or I wouldn't use it (I'm stuck with XP Pro but that version is okay...) and about 20% would go into my church, 10% would go into open source (maybe I'll start a official PC business with my own kernal or OS and be coroporate partners with Apple) of course I would split the money into several other parts to grow interest over time (I could also buy out Bungie, EA, Infogrames, and several game companies or some programmers and pay them to convert highly popular games to OpenGL)

That's what I would do

[vishzilla]

I would say a billion and another million in case my system crashes ;)

[gwoodard]

yeah compisation for damages to your pc-"not our fault, it was the user's fault" complains the Microsoft Rep. "if they had installed our "preferred programs" then their computer wouldn't have crashed" "Okay" asked the judge who was getting tired of lawsuits against corporations, "Where did you get the computer?" the plaintiff answered "Wal-Mart" then the judge asked "Was Vista Pre-installed?" the plaintiff said "Yes"

Well if this scenario was real then I would be very rich right now...lol

I have nothing against Wal-mart or any employees of the Wal-mart corporation...

[igknighted]

It makes no difference if it was vista or ubuntu or any other OS... the money would be because I don't have the choice anymore. If I had to be stuck on one though, I would rather vista I guess... at least that way I could play my games. I would prefer linux for almost all other uses, but I can do all that stuff on Vista while I can't game on Linux. So lets say 100's to keep me using windows, 1000's to keep me using linux.

[cipher_nemo]

I have to be honest... for millions or billions of dollars, I would use Vista. Who wouldn't? Of course that's an impossible and highly unlikely scenario.

I think the real question is:

If you owned a multi-billion dollar business, and you currently used Linux, how much would Microsoft have to pay you to switch to Vista?

Unfortunately, some businesses have done it for thousands of dollars.

If you ran that business, would you do it? I certainly wouldn't do it. As for my personal use, I'd switch to Vista if I was offered a million dollars (but I certainly wouldn't promote it). :)

[-grubby]

no, I'm not going to be greedy even if it helps open-source projects, I don't like Microsoft's business practices

[phrostbyte]

I voted thousands. For hundreds is not really worth it, but for thousands I can live it for a couple of years if I skin it really nicely and install Cygwin. I'd use Vista for like $2000/yr. :KS

[blackhole54]

If MS were to give me a machine that adequately ran Vista and were to nullify the terms of their (holds nose) EULA for me such that I could use the software in freedom, and of course, not charge me for the software, I might be tempted to play with it a little. But to obligate myself to use it? Never! You can't put a price on freedom.

While I wouldn't expect any of this to happen, I imagine they would be much more willing to pay me a billion dollars than to exempt me from the terms of their odious EULA.