Computer maker Lenovo will not install or support the Linux operating system on any of its PCs, including ThinkPads and a series of new notebooks, the company said this week. The company is clearly positioning itself as an exclusive partner of Microsoft, several weeks after the companies announced they were "reaffirming" global market development and cooperation agreements. "We will not have models available for Linux, and we do not have custom order, either," said Frank Kardonski, Lenovo's worldwide product manager for Lenovo 3000 offerings. "What you see is what you get. And at this point, it's Windows."
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Member since:2005-07-12
@paul.michael.bauer
"In a free market, customers are not entitled to get exactly what they want. In fact, businesses are not even entitled to have customers (neat how that works).
Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba etc. don't owe anybody support for <insert fav. OS here>. Only when the cost of support is less than the potential profits will they give you what you want. "
That is a very sensible response. Yes, in a free market, a vendor isn't obligated to supply anything, or do anything, or make customers happy. Also in a free market, customers aren't obligated to buy anything from any vendor.
That's why the title of my original post was "Don't buy Lenovo", and then listed my reasons.
And I believe that if people that refuse to purchase products from an OEM that only features Windows are helping perpetuate a healthy, free market, where, you guessed it, vendors can do what they want and customers can do what they want. Otherwise, MS and OEMs that that are at their beck and call take away the free market for desktop computing, where the vendor has to do MS's bidding, and the customer has to put up with whateve crap is thrown at them.
So, in support for free markets, don't buy Lenovo. Of course, everyone can do what they want, but that's just my recomendation. ;-)
Edited 2006-06-03 20:17
Member since:2005-07-10
"Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba etc. don't owe anybody support for <insert fav. OS here>."
I must have missed it, but I couldn't find anyone saying that a company owed anoyone to support their favorite OS. So what's your point exactly, arguing against a strawman?
"Only when the cost of support is less than the potential profits will they give you what you want."
This isn't about support and the people who said they would not buy Lenovo didn't say so because Lenovo doesn't support linux.
Member since:
2005-07-06
In a free market, customers are not entitled to get exactly what they want. In fact, businesses are not even entitled to have customers (neat how that works).
Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba etc. don't owe anybody support for <insert fav. OS here>. Only when the cost of support is less than the potential profits will they give you what you want.
Edited 2006-06-03 19:38