A good example is Microsoft's reaction to Thailand's People's PC project--which saw the proliferation of open-source software as computers powered by Linux TLE, a Thai version of the Linux operating system, was the mainstay of the scheme.

In response to the growing popularity of the project, the software behemoth had to slash prices on Windows XP and Office to participate in the program, a move Bittinger described as "dramatic". Other critics labeled it as a sign of desperation.

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