Microsoft a few months from taking over the world?

I just read this in my ISP news...
You may already know this, but here it is.

<font color=blue>MICROSOFT SAYS PAY ME NOW OR PAY ME MUCH MORE LATER. A new licensing program being put in place by Microsoft will force the majority of its business customers to either upgrade to Office XP before Oct. 1 or pay a heftier purchase price later. Microsoft has revamped its licensing program, and at the same time, raised fees anywhere from 33 percent to 107 percent for the majority of customers. As part of the revamp, Microsoft eliminated the most popular licensing plan for upgrading to new versions of its software, replacing it with a new program called Software Assurance. The new program guarantees customers access to the latest versions of Microsoft's business software, including Office and Windows. But to participate in the program and take advantage of discounted upgrade prices, businesses must be running what Microsoft terms the "current" version of its software. For Office, that is version XP, which the company won't formally launch until May 31. If customers upgrade to Office XP, they are eligible to receive future versions of the software at a reduced price.

However, if customers don't upgrade all of their machines to Office XP before an Oct. 1 deadline, they in essence have to buy Office licenses at full price, as if they were new customers. The new rules boil down to a huge spike in revenue for Microsoft as companies rush to upgrade to Office XP before Oct. 1. For customers, the new program amounts to a major price increase, just when Microsoft needs it most. The upgrade situation applies to all Microsoft products, not just Office. One analyst calls it evil genius at it's worst. By committing themselves to Office XP and then Windows XP many companies will be tying themselves to Microsoft for years to come. Now that Microsoft basically owns the office software market, they are dictating how and when companies must upgrade. Since most Microsoft upgrades have a habit of slowing down existing computers, companies will be forced to upgrade their computers also, thereby also making Intel happy. I keep thinking of the Golden Rule here: Them that's got the gold make the rules!</font color=blue>


<b><font color=green> Have a day </font color=green></b>