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Yeah, great, 2% of the X86 market, sure we'll port our software to OSX - Samo Korosec
Microsoft offers South Korea $60 million 'encouragement' to use its software
IN WHAT APPEARS to be a rather desperate move by Microsoft, the firm is actually paying South Korea $60 million just to use its software.
With Open Sauce popularity growing by the day, the vole obviously feels it has no alternative but to flash some of its cash around in an attempt to bribe... er sorry, encourage people to buy its software instead.
By "investing" in South Korea's software industry "as part of the US giant's drive to strengthen its presence in the country", Microsoft is putting the pressure on the nation’s government and local firms to buy its products instead of turning to the free alternatives.
The deal, in which Mighty-Soft says it will train software designers, support venture firms, and establish a tech center in South Korea over the next three years, was announced just after the recent meeting between Steve Ballmer and South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak. For its part, the South Korean government will cough up a further $8.4 million.
In another desperate, yet unrelated move, Microsoft also decided to slash home server prices by 30 per cent this week, claiming the move would "provide additional value to the system builder community and further promote the home server category".
The firm failed to add “just please buy something from us... please, please!” But we know they meant to. µ
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There's a de facto monopoly in South Korea. Gen Kanai explains it perfectly in this post: http://blog.mozilla.com/gen/2007/02/27/the-cost-of-monoculture/
Asia is a lost market for MS. 
China likes doing things it's own way, if you don't bend over you're kicked out of the country. The WGA fiasco recently didn't help MS.
In Russia there was that ugly lawsuit against a school teacher, that ended by Russian education making open source in schools mandatory.
Most other countries are poor enough to be unable to afford an OS that costs more than the hardware, that in itself costs 3-4 monthly wages.
Then there are the countries for which microsoft refuses to localize it's software.

Maybe by making software that actually fills the needs of the people, is properly priced for emerging economies, properly localized MS could you know... COMPETE. As in free markets and all. Of course it's quite hard to let go of the old methods like slander, blackmail, bribes, monopoly abuse and probably other underhanded tactics.
Microsoft ..... the Spooks favourite Trojan Horse System .... a Window into your Innermost Workings. 

Call me a Cynic or Old Fashioned but adding IP rather than subtracting IP is the best way to make AI Fortunes and it appears that Microsoft are running on Empty offering paper confetti as "encouragement" whenever the world is awash with dodgy dollars...... which is a sure sign that they need New Blood and Beta Brains at the Helm of the Lumbering Leviathan. 
Nice bribe...!br
The Register is that way -------->
"amanfromMars
The Register is that way -------->
posted by : mediocrates, 05 November 2008 "

Actually, in probable order to avoid mediocracies, IT is this way <- - - - - - - -> ?