Windows as a software package would have never been affordable to individuals or local-level orgs in countries like India and Bangladesh (especially in the 2000’s) that are now powerhouses of IT. Same for many SE Asian, Eastern European, African and LatinoAmerican countries as well.

Had the OS been too difficult to pirate, educators and local institutions in these countries would have certainly shifted to Linux and the like. The fact that Windows could be pirated easily is the main factor that led to its ubiquity and allowed it to become a household name. Its rapid popularity in the '00s and early ‘10s cemented its status as the PC operating system. It is probably the same for Microsoft Office as well (it is still a part of many schools’ standard curricula).

The fact that Windows still remains pirateable to this day is perhaps intentional on Microsoft’s part.

  • ILikeBoobies@lemmy.caEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    It wasn’t harder than Windows

    Windows was preinstalled

    Now Windows also has the benefit of user base

      • ILikeBoobies@lemmy.caEnglish
        21·
        1 year ago

        None of that matters if a Linux distro was preinstalled

        It’s not about difficulty

        Also that article isn’t very good

        For instance; installing software on windows involves going to the command line and telling it to install a package

        But they frame it as going online and downloading from a website; you can do that on either OS even though it’s not something you should ever do. It’s just user error