If you’ve been reading the tech news, you’ve seen references to a controversy about “Product Activation” in Microsoft Office XP, and more controversy over a new licensing scheme for large companies called “Software Assurance.” This article is a good summary of the various methods Microsoft has cooked up to increase sales of Office XP. Despite the advertising hype, the increased revenue isn’t going to come from excitement over new program features. Instead, Microsoft’s revenue stream is going to come from forcing you to buy more copies, and blackmailing big companies into upgrading according to Microsoft’s calendar. “How do you increase revenues when you already have the entire market locked up? You strong-arm your existing customers, apparently.”
