I’m not sure how accurate StatCounter is, given that most Linux users use adblockers. However, according to it, Linux has almost a 14% desktop share in India.

  • NateNate60@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    That’s because even a grey market Windows key costs US$20 nowadays and that’s over ₹1,600. For comparison purposes, the largest Indian banknote is ₹500.

      • NateNate60@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        …but not legal. Being poor doesn’t necessarily mean you’re inclined to break the law. Besides, Linux is useful if you perhaps want to later get a job in the tech field.

        • reinar@distress.digital
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          1 year ago

          resold oem key is not legal as well.

          only legal options are: get windows with your device or purchase retail for a hunnit $.

          just accept it and pirate.

          • d3Xt3r@lemmy.nzM
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            1 year ago

            only legal options are

            You could also just download the ISO from MS directly and use it without activation. It’ll only prevent you from changing the theme and wallpaper, but you could just change the registry entries directly or use a third-party tool to change your wallpaper/theme.

            • QuazarOmega@lemy.lol
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              1 year ago

              And no BitLocker (without fiddling around even more)? No, thanks.

              There’s no way Microsoft can win this moral battle, they’ll profit off you enough with all their tracking, have you seen the atrocious setup screen at installation they put you through?

              • Do you want to ads?
              • Do you want to a keylogger?
              • Do you want to get tracked?
              • Do you want to get fucked?

              Yes, please, daddy GatesNadella

              (Sorry, can’t help myself from sounding like a nutjob when Microsoft gets into the equation)

          • NateNate60@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            It’s of questionable legality. It’s not illegal as in “piracy”, but the seller, or whoever obtained that key from Microsoft, is violating their agreement with Microsoft by reselling the keys.

        • d3Xt3r@lemmy.nzM
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          1 year ago

          You’re not breaking the law, you’re breaking a software license agreement. That does not automatically make it a crime, at least, that would depend on your exact local laws, and the lawyer’s interpretation of it - in many cases the actual wording around this is ambiguous and could be argued both ways. A better term for it would be a “legal grey area”, which means if you’re a company then don’t f*** around with it, and if you’re just a random user then no one gives a f***.

          In any case, if those scripts were truly illegal, then the Microsoft-owned Github wouldn’t host them in the first place. Clearly Microsoft themselves don’t have an issue with it, so why should anyone else care about it?

          • NateNate60@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            Yes, you are breaking a law. Copyright infringement in this manner is an offence under the Copyright Act 1957 punishable with up to three years imprisonment and a fine.

            • d3Xt3r@lemmy.nzM
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              1 year ago

              But you’re not infringing on any copyright. You’re downloading a copy of Windows directly from Microsoft legally, and then activating it using a free and open-source script hosted on Microsoft’s own servers. You aren’t breaking any copyright law in doing that.

              • leneth@beehaw.org
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                1 year ago

                That’s how it should work, but creating a derivative of a copyrighted work, through modification, even if it is for personal use, is technically illegal in the US.

                • bamboo@lemm.ee
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                  1 year ago

                  Copyright doesn’t even apply until you attempt to distribute the covered work, so no, this is false.

        • nephs@lemmygrad.ml
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          1 year ago

          Who makes the laws?

          Do the people making the laws respect the laws they create?

          They create the laws for whom?

      • nous@programming.dev
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        1 year ago

        While it is free to download it, the license still costs. Though they seem to let you use it unlicensed for an unlimited amount of time with some restrictions (like not being able to change the background image and an ever present watermark). At least this was true for windows 10. No telling if/when they will drop that feature though, especially if loads of people start using it unlicensed like that (though I doubt that has any effect on people using it that way or not).

        • 7bicycles [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          1 year ago

          Microsoft never gave a shit about private piracy barring some noteable examples from countries with very strict anti-piracy laws like germany. The tactic has always been to get everyonem on windows and then make the big bucks seeling the OS to enterprises, because everybody wants to use windows, since they’re at least halfway competent at that

          Now, it’s my opinion that people, en masse, can’t use computers to save their fucking lives anyways and whether they’re too stupid to utilize windows or too stupid to utilize Linux doesn’t make much of a difference, but boy do the people get angry when anyone suggests switching off windows

    • the_lone_wolf@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      No largest note was ₹2000 but just recently it got banned maybe government likely going to launch new notes?

      • NateNate60@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Was, but no longer is. It is officially discontinued, making the ₹500 note the largest for now. I would expect the Government to quickly launch a new large-denomination note. India is still a largely cash society and the largest note being worth 6 USD is surely going to be inconvenient for everyday citizens.

      • NateNate60@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        The Government demonetised ₹1000 and ₹2000 banknotes a few years back as part of a campaign against “black money”. The Government’s thinking was that criminal organisations hoarded large amounts of cash in these large-denomination notes, and by forcing everyone to deposit the notes immediately into the bank, it would bring light to the flow of money.

        It was not particularly successful and mostly all it did was lead to a week of chaos and long queues outside banks.