Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 20:23:15 +0000 From: Mark Ovens <marko@uk.radan.com> To: Drew Baxter <netmonger@genesis.ispace.com> Cc: freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: M$ refund.. Message-ID: <36A78CB3.8A4DE6A7@uk.radan.com> References: <4.1.19990121114719.00c9c8f0@genesis.ispace.com>
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Drew Baxter wrote: > > At 01:54 PM 1/21/99 +0100, Peter Brevik wrote: > > > > About getting refund on M$ os bundling. > > > >As I understood when you buy from US, M$ os get supplied, and you have to pay > >for it.. however, I have always bought my computer in parts in Sweden. > >And no one ever forced me to buy M$ os with it. Is this not an option in US ? > > > > /Peter > > This is true for cases when you buy your machines in parts. My machine was > built from high-grade Supermicro equipment, and it did not come with Windows. > > There are many companies here (I.e. Dell, Gateway 2000, etc) that have a > binding contract with Microsoft. You have to have A copy of Windows come > with the machine. Gateway 2000 offers an upgrade to NT 4 Workstation for > something around 99 dollars during initial order of your machine. > > Microsoft locks in companies with cheaper rates on Windows bulk packs and > licenses in many cases. Gateway 2000 is not able to ship their machines > with Linux or with no operating system because of this bind with Microsoft. > This in itself could vastly affect the possiblity of Alternative OSes > (FreeBSD, et al) being available with a NEW PC. Microsoft sees the threat > that Free UNIXes have proposed thusfar and is not likely to make it easy to > move forward more. > Can you, or anyone, clarify something here. I seem to remember that this practice of binding PC suppliers into agreements whereby they _have_ to pre-install a copy of Windozw on _every_ PC they sell was ruled illegal in the US several years ago. Was it not the subject of another anti-trust suit against M$, that in part led to this current case because the DOJ claimed that M$ were not abiding by the earlier ruling and that was what the $1M per day "fine" they (the DOJ) were seeking was about?. BTW, I spell checked this e-mail and Netscape threw up "FreeBSD" as an unknown word. The _only_ suggestion it offered was "friends". Nice to know someone likes us :-) > I think it's intriguing that something free is getting more media play > lately than Microsoft paying for ad spots and getting into legal trouble. :-) > > --- > Drew "Droobie" Baxter > Network Admin/Professional Computer Nerd(TM) > OneEX: The OneNetwork Exchange, Bangor Maine USA > http://www.droo.orland.me.us > > PGP ID: 409A1F7D > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message -- Trust the computer industry to shorten Year 2000 to Y2K. It was this thinking that caused the problem in the first place. FreeBSD - The Power To Serve http://www.freebsd.org My Webpage http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~markov _______________________________________________________________ Mark Ovens, CNC Apps Engineer, Radan Computational Ltd. Bath UK CAD/CAM solutions for Sheetmetal Working Industry mailto:marko@uk.radan.com http://www.radan.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message
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