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.

    • someguy3English
      201·
      1 year ago

      So servers? Yes we all know that.

    • PolarEnglish
      8·
      1 year ago

      Can’t wait for Linux to be mainstream in 2085!

    • ILikeBoobiesEnglish
      3·
      1 year ago

      It wasn’t harder than Windows

      Windows was preinstalled

      Now Windows also has the benefit of user base

        • ILikeBoobiesEnglish
          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