Microsoft overestimating the intelligence of its customers?

[jjjiii]

I recently had to inventory all our old install disks, and happened to come across the following, which I found hilarious:


"Microsoft Windows NT Workstation. For PCs without Windows NT Workstation."

I'm glad the box adcopy was so informative, I would not have guessed that the product was for systems that did not already have the product.

Comments

[ptomblin-lj.livejournal.com]

Didn't they sell upgrades cheaper? So doesn't it make sense that they differentiate between the box for upgrades and the box for fresh installs?

[kizayaen.livejournal.com]

Exactly correct.

[phrogg.livejournal.com]

But the quandary remains: "Windows NT for PC's without Windows NT". Did they have a Windows NT distro for PC's that already HAD NT? "For PC's without Windows" might have been a better phrasing.

[mattcaron.livejournal.com]

Yes. The box depicted is for Windows NT 4 (and it includes SP4, I can tell by the sticker on the left). There were several in the 3.x release series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT#Releases).

[phrogg.livejournal.com]

Oh, right, you can tell it's 4.0 by the same sticker. Why not just nudge the box's text over a hair and add a "4" to the end?
This'd be like buying Windows XP for PC's without Windows XP. Only somewhere on the box, on one of many little mostly-ignored stickers, it specifies this is the Professional edition with SP2.

[255-255-255-0.livejournal.com]

" Microsoft overestimating the intelligence of its customers? "

Maybe they used to work in Tech Support ;-)

[jjjiii]

"Microsoft Support, Sanjit speaking. How may I help you."

"Yes, I was wondering about Microsoft Windows NT Workstation. I have a PC with Microsoft Windows NT Workstation. Should I buy Microsoft Windows NT Workstation?"

"..."

[repura.livejournal.com]

"Yes. Buy as many copies as you can pay for."

"Oh, OK. Thanks."

Supervisor: "Good work, Sanjit!" *thumbs up*

[255-255-255-0.livejournal.com]

LOL serioulsy I can imagine it !

[ravenshrinkery.livejournal.com]

But once you have it, they'll find an obscure EULA clause to justify taking it from you again. They want you to buy 2 billion copies, minimum.

[captpackrat.livejournal.com]

It actually makes perfect sense, it's for fresh installs of NT 4.0, as opposed to machines that currently have NT 3.5, which would need the Upgrade version.

[jjjiii]

Perfect sense would have been to print "Upgrade" on the Upgrade edition.

[captpackrat.livejournal.com]

It does.

[jjjiii]

...and that's it.

[say2.livejournal.com]

Yes, but that's not what it shows in the box the OP posted. At least, not that I can see.

[avytech.livejournal.com]

The point is that if it doesn't say upgrade, then obviously it's for computers that don't already have WinNT Workstation.