Comments on: Dell: Whose Tax is It Anyway? http://boycottnovell.com/2008/03/21/dell-windows-ubuntu-tax/ Exploring the reality behind exclusionary deals with Microsoft and their subtle (yet severe) implications Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:09:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Max Stirner http://boycottnovell.com/2008/03/21/dell-windows-ubuntu-tax/comment-page-1/#comment-7452 Max Stirner Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:56:30 +0000 http://boycottnovell.com/2008/03/21/dell-windows-ubuntu-tax/#comment-7452 The bundling nonsense really upsets me. I think this should be the subject of EU investigation - the naked PC or at least the option for a naked PC ought to be enforced by law! Piracy? STFU! Your OS is full of anti-piracy home-calling spyware, up to the brim! that should suffice :D The bundling nonsense really upsets me. I think this should be the subject of EU investigation – the naked PC or at least the option for a naked PC ought to be enforced by law! Piracy? STFU! Your OS is full of anti-piracy home-calling spyware, up to the brim! that should suffice :D

]]> By: Roy Bixler http://boycottnovell.com/2008/03/21/dell-windows-ubuntu-tax/comment-page-1/#comment-6954 Roy Bixler Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:21:52 +0000 http://boycottnovell.com/2008/03/21/dell-windows-ubuntu-tax/#comment-6954 OEMs trying to make a buck on bundled software is nothing specific to Linux. If you ignore the prejudice that Windows is the only OS a PC buyer could possibly want, the following blog entry is interesting: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/03/21/sony_offers_no_crapware_option_on_one_notebook_for_50.html Of course, the blogger is wrong to grant Microsoft authority to determine what software should go on a PC and exclude the OEMs from that. Ideally, the customer should be able to specify how he wants the software on the PC. One case of this of course is the customer who thinks that Windows itself is rubbish and would prefer a Linux OS. OEMs trying to make a buck on bundled software is nothing specific to Linux. If you ignore the prejudice that Windows is the only OS a PC buyer could possibly want, the following blog entry is interesting:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/03/21/sony_offers_no_crapware_option_on_one_notebook_for_50.html

Of course, the blogger is wrong to grant Microsoft authority to determine what software should go on a PC and exclude the OEMs from that. Ideally, the customer should be able to specify how he wants the software on the PC. One case of this of course is the customer who thinks that Windows itself is rubbish and would prefer a Linux OS.

]]>