From the post entitled XP Lite. Seriously... they cannot be serious....  on Gerry Steele's weblog

BBC News Xp Lite
Forbes.com XP Lite System
From the horse's mouth

Perhaps I'm a little late on picking this up, but at our last weekly meeting a colleague mentioned "XP Lite". My immediate reaction was: "Oh Dear, what have they schemed up now?!" Well, I sound like a Microsoft cynic I know, but I'd love to convince you that this is not because of a hate of Microsoft... I'm just a technology enthusiast who feels insulted an pained by pretty much every executive descision the company makes. Which I feel is a shame. A lot of smart people work there, but the mandate of their work is to create products which tie people to more of their expensive (in some way or other) products. Thus work that could go towards the creation of better software for everyone and for the benefit of all customers is lost. The recent "truce" between Sun & MS has bred a new submission to a standards body on web delivery services I cannot help but fear is just a token gesture to repreave the closed-shop image of Microsoft.

Anyway. XP Lite. Now I feared this would be bad. But no. It is much worse than i thought. A cut down version of XP aimed at the Asian market where Linux and ripped off copies of Windows abound. what's different I hear you ask? Well here's a few:

• Cut down Networking capabilities
• You won't be allowed To switch to higher resolutions (800x600 maximum!)
• You may only run three programs at once, with each program opening only three windows at a time
• No multiple user accounts

On the up side you get a locale specific patriotic desktop background included. Super duper eh? At the end of the press release is a list of positive quotes from distinguished Asian representatives (PhDs first! mortals, kids get in queue) who seems to have very little clue about anything to do with technology (indicated by their positive comments)

Perhaps the clearest indication that Microsoft are worried about the superior alternative open & free Linux products thus far. But unfortunately they will convince OEMs to ship this alleged software with the hardware (the OEM route is the key to printing money if the past is anything to go by). I don't see why Microsoft don't just go the whole hog and force hardware manufacturers to insert a coin slot on every box and have a trained monkey vist us each and collect the money (we would be so distracted by the cute ickle monkey visiting to notice the daylight robbery)

I could write all day about why XP Lite or XP starter or whatever it's called is bad for you, me, your children, the economy, free speech and liberty, but unlike Microsoft I'm hoping that your smart enough to know why this software is bad and why Microsoft should feel ashamed for their manipulation of the markets. I'm off to go and find my skin which has crawled off somewhere else in anger. I hope it hasn't hurt anyone

If you are unfamiliar with the phrase "two minute hate", see the Newspeak Dictionary.