Re: License Migration to Windows Media 11

"zachd [MSFT]" <zachd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:%23dMOSP4VHHA.3652@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Dale" <nospam@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:OeSf%238vVHHA.1200@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
So, for $35.00 (soon to be $59.00) or more, you will be able to ask a product support person with a language barrier how to solve your DRM issue. Another strong reason to not use DRM.

That's fairly to extremely offensive. Microsoft is a diverse corporation, and many of the top developers in my group (and most others throughout the WM world) speak English as a second (or third) language.

And if we could speak to your engineers or you about our issues, then perhaps we would not have language barriers but, since we cannot talk to the engineers, people all over the world, not just me, complain about the language barriers of speaking to call-center employees in India who do not have adequate language skills to help English speakers.

What is extremely offensive is that Microsoft uses such help for the reason Microsoft does use them! I am all for giving opportunities to people in every market where Microsoft does business but that's not why Microsoft uses Indian call centers for product support. Microsoft uses them because Microsoft can pay lower wages in those countries because the people are so poverty stricken and will work for much less than what Microsoft would have to pay a similar worker in the United States or in the European Union. I think you absolutely should use overseas talent. And you should pay them exactly what similar talent gets paid in The United States or in the European Union. So who's being offensive, Zach? Me? No. It is you. And it is Microsoft. Shame on you both! You are enslaving the poor people of the world to do your work by taking advantage of their extreme poverty. You and the company you work for show absolute contempt for Indians by giving them the jobs Microsoft does not want to do itself and by paying them much less to do those jobs than what you and Microsoft would pay equivelent workers in the US and in the EU.


Product support may be data lacking as data sets are built out and solutions built up, but "language barriers" is a poor excuse to discredit any group. Hopefully, that's not what you meant.

Language barriers does not discredit those people at all. It discredits Microsoft. Language barriers are real. That's why Microsoft has done a great job of making Windows handle globalization and localization - to accomodate people's own language and local communication requirements. Microsoft just hasn't localized their support system. Not because it isn't needed but because they save money by enslaving the poor of the world.

Take for instance this newsgroup. And all of the Windows Media Player newsgroups. Here is complete list of localized Windows Media newsgroups that are not english speaking:

microsoft.public.cn.windowsmedia
microsoft.public.es.windowsmedia
microsoft.public.fr.windowsmedia
microsoft.public.il.hebrew.windowsmedia
microsoft.public.it.windowsmedia
microsoft.public.jp.windowsmedia.technologies
microsoft.public.kr.windowsmedia
microsoft.public.tr.windowsmedia.player
microsoft.public.tw.windowsmedia

Pretty short list for the rest of the entire world isn't it? Do you see what's missing, Zach? No microsoft.public.in.windowsmedia. It is Microsoft who is not providing the same support for Indian users of Media Player that they provide English speaking citizens of The United States because it is cheaper to not support them! Where's the Eastern European language newsgroup support? Where's the Arabic language support? Does Microsoft provide alternative free support mechanisms for all of the world that does not speak English? So who is extremely offensive here, Zach?

Shame on you Zach. Shame on Microsoft. So don't you dare call me offensive for pointing out a legitimate language barrier in your support. You are offensive! Microsoft's treatment of the people of the non-US and non-EU world is offensive!


Regardless, I'm unaware of any organization doing any finger pointing. If you know of someone doing that, name names at specific companies and I'll talk with them or have them talk to their contacts at the appropriate company. Figuring out which side of the equation is problematic is not rocket science. Solving the issue well can be, and that's why DRM issues aren't good issues for newsgroups.

I agree that DRM issues cannot generally be solved by the newsgroups because it is shrouded in secrecy and denial. That leaves paid support for, as I stated, from $35.00 (soon to be $59.00) on up to hundreds of dollars as the only way to fix what you already paid for.

DRM is not appropriate for newsgroups. DRM is not appropriate for PC users. DRM is not appropriate for anything except the RIAA (who at least have an inherent and valid interest in protecting the media), and for the stockholders of Microsoft, Apple, and the stores selling the protected content - all of whom have no intellectual property interest in protecting the media; they only have a self-serving financial interest.


Seeing my post a little while ago where you told the user that her problem sounded like a Napster server problem, yet it was fixed by Windows Update (who knows which update - no sense asking her because she won't know),
then I would like the contact information for your supervisor at Microsoft.

I don't give out contact information for other people in the newsgroups. If you have a need to contact me, you can do it offline.


As re: the Napster thing, you're conflating issues. Toney said one ghoulash which glossed over an inability to log in to the Napster servers, and rebelle said Windows Update fixed her. If you took my "what are you talking about" post to be any definitive end-all response, you would want to revisit your interpretation.

This is a boring conversation.

--
Speaking for myself only.
See http://zachd.com/pss/pss.html for some helpful WMP info.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.



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Relevant Pages

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