Microsoft announces 'XP Lite' in Asia
Microsoft announced Wednesday it would offer a low-cost starter edition of its Windows XP operating system in Asia starting in October, as it strives to hold onto market share facing erosion from the open-source Linux system and software piracy.
Although U.S. software giant Microsoft still holds a commanding share of the desktop PC market worldwide, several major computer retailers in Asia in the past year have begun offering hardware with Linux installed.
Industry analysts have described the launch of what already has been dubbed "XP Lite" -- with lower-resolution graphics, fewer networking options and less capacity for multitasking than full XP versions -- as a pre-emptive move against Linux.
Linux is open source software available for little or no cost to computer vendors and users because no licensing fee is charged in its basic form.
Microsoft also has said it hopes that the lower-priced products can help combat software piracy, which is rampant in the developing countries of Asia, where full-priced programs often are out of the reach of buyers.
