VietNamNet Bridge - With Microsoft’s Windows development roadmap and new sale strategies followed by retailers, Vietnamese will have to change their habit of using unlicensed software.

 

At the Microsoft Ignite conference which took place some days ago, Jerry Nixon, a development executive, said that Windows 10 would be the "last version" of the desktop software, and that Windows 8.1 version marketed last year was just a buffer to develop Windows 10.

With Microsoft’s confirmation that Windows will be delivered as a service, analysts say users will have to pay for upgraded versions and essential features after one-year free use.

As such, after Windows 10 becomes a service with close relations with Microsoft’s cloud computing, the operating system will require constant update patches from Microsoft, which unlicensed Windows cannot satisfy in real time.

Analysts said Windows 10 may help stop software copyright infringement in Vietnam.

Domestic computer retailers have recently stopped installing unlicensed Windows for computer buyers. They only help install the Windows version for a trial. After the 30-day trial use, users will have two options, either buy copyrighted Windows at the price of millions of dong, or install unlicensed unlocked Windows, available at computer shops nationwide.

The disk containing pirated Windows can be bought for only VND20,000. And users will nothing if they download unlocked software from the internet.

A security expert said the majority of Vietnamese users still are not aware of the risk they face when using pirated software. The cheap unlicensed Windows versions provided by computer shops contain errors which will harm users’ computers in the long run.

He also warned that some kits for installation available on the internet consist of malware and spyware which can steal users’ personal information and bank accounts.

Many domestic retailers have begun cooperating with Microsoft to fight copyright infringement. The retailers now sell products with ready-installed copyrighted software. 

Phong Vu, for example, now sells desktop computers with ready-installed Windows 8.1 and Bing browser, while The Gioi Di Dong, one of the largest distribution chains in Vietnam, now sells laptops with Windows and Office.

Doan Van Hieu Em, a senior executive of The Gioi Di Dong, said the decision to sell computers associated with copyrighted software shows the Vietnamese businesses’ attitude to comply with international rules.

However, there are concerns  that computers with copyrighted Windows would be more expensive. 

An analyst said users in Vietnam now have to pay VND1.7 million for Windows 7 and VND2.7 million for Windows 8.1, while the cheapest Office version is priced at VND900,000. 

As such, a laptop with copyrighted software would be VND2.5 million more expensive.

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