Microsoft Corp. may soon launch a cheaper version of its Windows operating system in the Philippines.

In a recent briefing held here, Microsoft Philippines officials told journalists to ?wait and see? when asked if the company plans to release a version of its flagship desktop operating system similar to the Windows XP Starter Edition that was launched in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

?We?re doing something about it,? said TJ Javier, Microsoft Philippines country manager. Company officials, however, declined to give further details such as pricing and whether a Filipino edition of the operating system will be launched. The system unveiled in Indonesia and Malaysia is in Thai and Malay, the respective official languages of the two countries.

Windows XP Starter Edition was introduced in Thailand last October and in Malaysia and Indonesia last February. A similar product is scheduled to be launched later this year in Russia and India. Microsoft introduced its Starter Edition as part of its campaign to promote computer literacy and use in developing countries. The operating system can run not more than three programs at once and carries no networking capabilities.

Unlike the full-fledged version of Windows, however, Microsoft is relying on local partners, especially in Thailand, to bundle the Windows XP Starter Edition with their PC offerings.

The initiative is expected to lessen the impact of piracy and counter the popularity of Linux in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Malaysia, where Linux is offered as an option in government-sponsored budget PC packages.

The Philippine government, through the Commission on Information and Communication Technology, launched earlier this year a similar People?s PC package in partnership with Intel Microelectronics. The package, however, does not include any operating system.